Thursday, July 9, 2015

Sleeping with Deer near Deauville

The Normandy countryside is as charming as the seaside; I stayed at the Bed and Breakfast, Le Pré aux Daims, which is only 15 minutes from Deauville, but a world away in style. It may be nice to use GPS, but some places in the countryside are not mapped out, so asking locals along the way if you are on the correct road is a very good idea. Thankfully a young man sitting at a bus stop knew the roads well enough to give directions that GPS did not know. 

The one lane road to the Pré aux Daims has views like this,

 and the driveway looks like this,
 before you arrive:)
The inn is every bit as welcoming and well maintained as it looks, with chairs and tables for the included breakfast, or if you want to picnic. Since there are no restaurants are nearby, you might want to stop for a meal before you arrive or bring some provisions with you.  The innkeepers, Martine and Gilbert, speak excellent English and German, as well as their native tongue, so ask them for recommendations.
There are very happy deer on one side of the property,
 and a goat or two on the other side,
separated by fences adorned with flowers.
It was far too chilly for me to lounge in the sun, but for those who think 70F is warm, there were chairs available.
 The view from my room outside,
 and the view of the room inside, which was as spotless and comfortable as it looks.


Breakfast can be eaten inside or out. It was sunny enough to breakfast with the deer, and though some people wore only short sleeves, I needed my sweater:) A German family with a small child and a couple of French regulars were the only other guests in the 5 rooms and 1 apartment available. The rooms start at 65 Euros ($70 US), or you can rent the 60m2 apartment for 450 Euros ($500 US) for the week, all rentals come with a continental breakfast. Make sure you have enough cash to pay when you arrive because they do not accept credit cards.

Coffee or tea, or hot chocolate,  with refills (unusual in France), orange juice,
 and the selection of bread and pastries was fresh and copious.
 I opted for the bread so I could try some of their jams, which included flavors like kiwi and rhubarb:)
The deer ate plenty of freshly mowed lawn for breakfast, and like wonderful hosts, they got up to say goodbye :)

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