would like a recommendation of where to stay to visit both Normandy and Mont St Michel

Check out www.bandbnormandie.com, a B and B about 30 minutes south of Bayeux, just outside Villers-Bocage. It's about 105 kilometers, or 90 minutes from Villers-Bocage to Mont St. Michel on a four lane motorway. We stayed there and had easy access to the D Day beaches and an easy drive to MSM. We had a rental car we hired in Caen, right across the street from the Caen railroad station, drove about 15 miles to Bayeux and spent the night at the Churchill hotel, then on to La Ferme du Pressoir. It's been "discovered" by Rick so it may be booked up. Glad we stayed there before its "discovery" which tends to swamp places like that.

I second George's recommendation of La Ferme du Pressoir. We stayed there this past July for 4 nights and it was wonderful. Odile provided a sumptuous breakfast every morning, which included a humongous (and I do not use this word lightly here!) selection of pastries, omelettes to order if we wanted them, yogurt, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, and fresh fruit picked from the farm. We were the only ones staying there at the time, and this feast, which completely covered the entire breakfast table, was meant only for us! Odile also had paper bags ready every morning and encouraged us to take food along with us for the day, which we gladly did.

The farm is a working farm, with some horses, goats, and chickens, and our kids loved gathering the eggs and feeding the goats.

The farm is a few minutes' drive from the village of Villers Bocage, which has a number of little restaurants, and also a laundromat.

Odile speaks very limited English, but between that, our limited French, and gestures, we communicated just fine. She is a lovely hostess and if we are ever in the area again, would stay with her in a heartbeat.

Bayeux, Lion d’Or. Mont St-Michel is in Normandy near border with Brittany.

Another vote for Bayeux. We stayed 3 nights - took the train there from Paris. One day did an all day tour of the Beaches and all the history of D-Day ended at the American Cemetery - at 4:00 they play taps and lower the US flag.
Next day we did full day tour of Mont St Michel - wonderful.
We booked through Viator, but our local guide (with us for both days) worked for Overlord Tours. The young guide knew so much history of the whole area and it was wonderful. In Bayeux we stayed in Hôtel d'Argouges, right in the center of the town - across from the main parking area. Bayeux is very walk-able and don't forget the famous tapestry.
Happy Travels.

Mont Saint-Michel is a very small, specific place within Normandy—which is in an of itself a a very large region. So when you say you want to stay in "both" Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel, it is like saying you want to stay in Los Angeles "and" California." Where else in Normandy do you want to visit? MSM is on the extreme West end of Normandy (practically in Brittany). If you are interested in the WWII D-day sites, they are well over an hour from MSM towards the Northeast. If you are thinking of Rouen or Étretat, they are even farther away still. MSM is a major tourist attraction. Mobbed by tourists by day, but still a wonderful place to visit (especially at night). However, it is far from a "nice village" area. I would consider it a day, or better yet, a night visit from wherever else you base yourself. There are many nice B&Bs closer to Bayeux, which is somewhat central to the WWII sights, and not too far from other, Northern Normandy sights. But again, visiting "Normandy" is casting a very large net. Any more specifics as to what you want to see that you can provide would be helpful in narrowing your search.

Sorry I should have been clearer. We only have two days to spend in Normandy before heading to Paris. We would like to visit Normandy WWII sites and MSM. That said it seems from the response that Bayeux would be a good place to stay to take day trips to both sites. A Bed and Breakfast is our preference. Some recommendations other than the two already posted would be great. If anyone feels strongly about using a different location for our base, please advise.

Seems like renting a car makes the most sense. Since we are flying in and heading out to Normandy upon arriving in France, I would rent a car at the airport and return it there before heading to Paris. Thank you

Depending on where you are arriving from, driving on your arrival day may not be a good idea (you never know how much you'll be able to sleep on the plane if it's an overnight flight). I'd take the train to Bayeux for a charming small town or to Caen for easier access to car rental offices. Depending on your budget you might want to consider a guided van tour of the D-day sites - so much easier than stressing about navigating and parking and the guides provide so much information, really helps the sites come alive. Most of them leave from Bayeux. I'd use Trip Adviser for recommendations of Bed and Breakfasts.

Driving significantly jet-lagged, more than a relatively short distance, on the same day as arrival after a trans-Atlantic flight, is a safety issue that just might be worth not under-estimating.

We just returned from a trip that included a stay in Bayeux. We stayed at an Airbnb in the center of town. The location was superb - convenient to historic sites (tapestry, cathedral, museums...) and restaurants. Be aware that apartments in old buildings (most of them are old in the town center) will likely require climbing stairs and those could be spiral stairways.

We walked in the town for one day and then spent a day driving along the D-Day sites on the coast. You have to plan that day carefully to get it all in during the winter daylight hours. most museums don't open before 10:00 and some close for at least an hour at lunch. Some places will have very limited hours after November 15.

Happy to share our list of sites for that day, if you are interested.

In Bayeux we stayed in Hôtel d'Argouges, right in the center of the town - across from the main parking area.

Hôtel de Sainte Croix!

I second Frances’ recommendation. We stayed in Hôtel d'Argouges 18 months ago and thought it was great. The location is convenient, the room was large, the bed was comfortable and the price was reasonable.

We stayed at Hotel Le Bayeux last year. Great breakfast and location. They also have their own parking lot but you have to reserve your parking spot as well. We loved Bayeux. We did an Overlord Tour of the WW 2 sites one day. The hotel was about a 10 minute walk to where the tour picks up.