Hôtel Restaurant Bel Ami

This mid-19th century mansion was once the family home of the well-known food critic Henri Gault, and is set at the end of a thriving and prosperous high street in a small village. The small team who run the hotel are friendly, efficient and eager to please.

Eating here is a treat – seasonal menus use produce from the hotel’s kitchen garden and you can dine next to the open kitchen in the restaurant or on a riverside terrace. Breakfast on bread, pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, ham and eggs, plus excellent Normandy cheeses; you can have lunch and dinner too or there’s a choice of restaurants within a few minutes’ walk, including a bistro, pizzeria and burger joint.

Relax in the garden with a book, or in the open-plan downstairs reception area with its elegant sitting room and a bar. A fine staircase leads to two floors of bedrooms, most with sitting areas, and some with terraces or balconies. Kayak and fish on the river, or sightsee: Giverny is half an hour away, Versailles and Rouen are an hour. Drive to Paris or the Normandy coast in 1.5 hours.