For a romantic Valentine’s Day escapade and… for after, we have found for you a hotel with devastating charm in bucolic Normandy, a skip and a hop from Pont Audemer and two wing flaps from Honfleur. Its name says it all: Le Petit Coq aux Champs !
Nothing like the 16 rooms of this four-star Petit Coq cocoon, to rekindle that flame during a lover’s weekend: contemporary, romantic or country decor with a full view on greenery and thatched roofs. As soon as you will have set down your luggage, exit your stress, hurray for tenderness ! At the end of the afternoon, we recommend happy hour around the piano by the fireplace before a gourmet dinner at L’Andrien, the restaurant of the owner and chef, Jean- Marie Huard. A great fan of earthy terroir products, he lovingly concocts lamb in a tarragon crust, scallops with mashed parsnips or filets of soles and langoustines…
The next day, if you feel like a little sightseeing, only 10 minutes by car, go take a stroll around Pont Audemer, nicknamed « the Venice of Normandy », most probably because of its adorable small bridges overlapping the canals of the Risle river… It does not get much more Norman than this: half-timber houses, old wash-houses and medieval cobblestone streets, it’s super beautiful, but a far cry from Venetian gondolas and palazzos.
However, we have kept the best part for the end. Prices here are amazing: starting at 210 € for two, until the end of March, including a hotel night, a Market Menu dinner, 2 glasses of wine, and breakfast … Closed Sunday night and Monday – heated pool from June to September.
By Anne Lefèvre
