Mont Saint Michel hotel

Definitely spend a night. I stayed at le Mere Poulard. I think it's the most expensive hotel on the island (all others were booked when I tried to reserve), but I'm glad I stayed there. It's right at the base of MSM, which means you don't have to haul your carry-on up some very steep (and sometimes stepped) paths. But if that's not an issue for you, there are cheaper places (although all are relatively expensive and generally simple). I paid just short of $300 for a single in mid-Sept, which is undoubtedly the most I've ever paid for lodging in Europe (except when traveling on business). A good breakfast was included. And I'm glad I stayed on the island, rather than commuting in from the mainland.

Peter , Staying the night before is a good idea , it gives you the ability to get started first thing in the morning before the crowds descend on the place . We stayed at the mercure ( accor chain ) just a mile from the place . I know that there is a general reaction to using chain hotels , but there are times when it makes perfect sense and I think this is one . It worked very well for us . Have a great time !!

Peter , I just checked the accor site , nothing for the location I reccomended , but there is an ibis in Avranches about 3 miles from the island and about $80 per night !!

If that's the Ibis just south of Avranches, it's a good ten or twelve miles from the mont. The good news is that Accor also has an F1 right next door for about half the price. The bad news is that F1s only have a sink in the room.

I stayed at Hotel le Mouton Blanc in Mont St Michel. Our room was actually across the little street from the main hotel and was very quaint. The room was small, but had a nice shower and bathroom -- everything you need. We were there at the end of October, so there weren't many restaurants open at night for dinner, although there is a restaurant in this hotel. The rooms aren't that expensive, given that it's Mont St Michel.

@ Ed , you're absolutely correct , as always . That was about three miles from Avranches , not the mont . My mistake ! By the way I always look for your posts , they have been a great help to me in making travel plans . Many thanks !!

We also stayed at the Hotel le Moutan Blanc at MSM - very simple but adequate room. We were glad we stayed on the mount - it was fun to walk there at night and early in the morning. We were there in August and paid $141 a night - more expensive than if we had stayed further away, but we were glad we did what we did.

We stayed at La Jacotiere, about a mile from MSM parking lot. It was recommended by RS and also has good reviews in tripadvisor.com. It is a family run B&B in a converted farmhouse. Breakfast prepared and served by Claudine, the owner. We had a great stay there and Claudine gave us suggestions for the next leg of our driving trip.

Perhaps Hotel Mouton Blanc has renovated their rooms but our experience a few years ago was not a good one. Our room was over a cabaret where people partied until 4 am. The beds were old and lumpy with worn out bed linens. There was a pigeon nest on the outside window sill and one of them flew into our room. We were there during a high tide period and apparently when we went to view the evening tides some clothing was taken from a bag of dirty laundry-of course this was not discovered until we returned home.

I just stayed at Mouton Blanc a few weeks ago... while not a luxury hotel I found it to be charming. Stayed at the annex across the street and our room was on the 3rd floor (no elevator) but they offered to carry our bags up. It was a reasonable price (about 100 euros) and had we not stayed directly on the island I feel we would have missed a lot of the experience. There were only a few people there (once the day tourists left)and it was an extraordinary experience for both myself and 14 year old grandson. Would stay at this hotel again.

Peter, if you use the Search function to look up some old threads on this perennial topic, you will see that there are opinions on both sides of your question. My own feeling, which no one else is obliged to agree with, is that if you have been to Europe at least five times, you don't need to stay ON M.S.M. On the other hand, if you have strong feelings about pilgrimages, the history of the site or of the Catholic church, you don't often see the ocean where you live, maybe it's worth a whole day and night. Another issue is whether you have a car, and how much time you'd spend getting in and out if you DON'T sleep there. If you are early in May, maybe the crowds won't be as bad as they are at the height of the tourist season. I think one reason people feel so strongly about sleeping on the Mont is that the new arrival arrangements have turned the mainland into a tourism machine, to accomodate the crowds and protect the landscape. Until you get to the causeway and turn your back on all that, it's too much like a December trip to the Mall of America. Have a look at some of these sites: http://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/docs/5110-2-5volets-veolia-transport-mstm-uk-pdf.pdf http://www.accueilmontsaintmichel.fr/change/en
http://www.le-mont-saint-michel.com/en/home

Just a comment on what Tim said... not sure what being to Europe 5 times has to do with it... I have been more than 30 times and it was still a fun experience for me (just my opinion) and you do not have to give it a ton of time...we arrived about 4pm, hung out, spent the night, and left the next morning by 10 as we wanted to get on to St. Malo (another great location to explore) and we did have a car.

Well, honestly, I was trying not to sound snooty or patronizing. But after you've been to dozens of ruined abbeys, ten or fifteen medieval town centers, and as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, you don't stand in quite so much awe of a wonderful place like Mont St. Michel. I don't mean for a moment that MSM isn't an great and important visit. But for us, spending a July, 2012 night on the Mont would have been more like a summer night in Provincetown, MA or maybe Rehobeth Beach, DE, but with less to do. Just to show that I don't think I'm too good for MSM, I'd say that nights in Ronda, Spain, Reggio Emilia, Italy, and Perouges, France DID mean something to us. On the other hand, nights in Granada, Spain and Avignon, France weren't quite as rewarding. It turned out that Zadar and Split, Croatia were much nicer than the jam-packed and more famous Dubrovnik. My explanation is unsatisfactory and open to charges of bad manners so I'm sorry. I guess you had to be there!

Tim.. nor did I mean to sound snooty... just wanted to clarify to the OP that it doesn't matter how many trips you have had to Europe... each experience depends solely on the traveler. I did not have really high expectations so maybe that is why we liked it so much. But.. for the record I don't need to repeat the experience (well, maybe in summer with a full moon it would be fun)

MSM is what it is, and no one should feel obliged to either love or visit it. As someone who does not swoon over Loire chateaux, I appreciate the French saying, "chacon á son goût." It's your trip and nothing is mandatory. But if you are going to visit MSM or any of these popular and crowded World Heritage sights, I think the case can be made for the overnight-visit gambit, which maximizes the experience and minimizes the crowds. It's just not worth the trouble otherwise, in most cases.

Peter, last October, we stayed on MSM in Hotel Du Guesclin (90 euroes), A RS recommendation. It was fine, clean, simple, just a bit worn. Best thing was it is on the outside wall, so we watched the sunrise from our room. A couple things (1) schlepping your bags over to MSM is a hassle, even if taking the shuttle. We left our bags in the trunk of our car. We took all valuables, toothbrushes and change of undies and walked across the causeway to absorb the mood of MSM, about a 1/2 mile stroll. Highly recommend being out on the causeway at sunrise and/or sunset. (2) The Abbey opens at 9 AM, be up the stairs and at the door on time to miss the first wave of crowds, usually tour groups. Thankfully, they have separate lines for individuals and tour groups. Have fun!