My wife and I will be visiting Normandy for a few days in early April. We would like to find a good seaside hotel. I found a place on Google Earth called the Hotel de la Marine in Arromanches-les-Bains. The problem is that the latest reviews I read indicate some rather serious deficiencies in service and cleanliness.
I'd appreciate any suggestions or recommendations for a place to stay in the area of the D-Day beaches. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
If you really want a neat town, but an hour away, study up on Honfleur. Your wife will love you for it if she's not really interested in the D-Day stuff. And, you might want to consider a couple hours in Bayeux eyeballing the tapestry if you want to study an invasion going in the exact opposite direction a thousand years earlier.
Posted by
Waterford
53 posts
Jim-- my wife and i stayed at the de la Marine several years ago. I can't speak to any recent changes--but was a really great stay when we were there!! The great thing about the hotel is that it is located right where the British came ashore on D-Day back on 6 June 1944!! We could look right out of our hotel window and see the landing beach and some of the old "mulberries" that are still there on the beach. The hotel is also located ideally for walking about the town.
Rick
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL, USA
264 posts
Hi Jim,
You won't find any new hotels added here.
Absolutely no new building of any kind of is allowed on the D-day beaches!
Most visitors stay in Cherbourg or Caen.
Bon Voyage
Posted by
Rochelle, IL
263 posts
Like Rick above, my wife and I stayed there about 6 years ago. Parking was a minor issue, but it is on the beach. The rooms were clean, the hotel is centrally located in the town, but the most neatest part was listening to the waves hit the shore. I know things change, but it's not often you get to stay in a place so connected to history. I would, and will, go back someday.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
207 posts
We stayed there just after the 60th anniversary of VE Day 2005- two tables of Brits-with their campaign medals from D-Day- had a pint or two with us. The location is fabulous. This was one of the only times we took a meal plan in 9 or 10 three week trips to Europe. The food was good, price reasonable and the beach where Churchill set up his Mulberry harbor touches the hotel. Movies will show you five or six hotels back in 1944 but only the DeLa marine survived the landing.Very convenient to other Normandy sites... Honfleur is great but a long distance time wise from the D-Day/Bayeux area. Write me off line for more questions. George, Pgh
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
I have to agree with Ed. My wife absolutley loved staying in Honfleur......it was practically the hilite of our trip to France last June.
What great restarants, and great views. We would come down to the waterfront for breakfast in the morning, and you could find us in the rstaurants at midnight after a great day exploring Normandy.
We stayed in one of Ricks pics (Hotel Monet), and had to walk down the hill a couple of blocks into town. My wife enjoyed it, since it had free parking, a great room, and easy access to town and the road out of town.
But one of his B&B pics was right in town, about a block or so from the water. It was full when we checked, but looked great!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
313 posts
We stayed at the Hotel d'Arromanches two years ago and enjoyed it very much. It's right in the town or Arromanches, so you look out at the remains of the D-Day harbor / Port Winston.
It's a simple hotel, but very clean, with a good cafe. Parking is a couple of blocks away, but free.
Posted by
Grapevine, TX, USA
875 posts
We stayed "in" the village of Crepon (only a few miles from Arromanches) at the Hotel Ferme de la Ranconniere. It is so beautiful and had wonderful food. We'd love to do it all again. Check out their website.