Hotel des Ormes
Normandy, France
A small, smart, seafront hotel on the Cotentin peninsula, with a soothing Belgian designer touch
From the outside, it's a cute, creeper-clad villa facing the
shimmering Cotentin seas. Step inside and it's like a showcase of
contemporary Belgian design: soothing hues, white woods, natural
fabrics. Indeed, if you're a fan of 'Flamant' furnishings, you can
stock up in the hotel’s shop down the road.
The hotel was bought in 2004 by Flavia and Jose de Mello, she from
Brazil, he Portuguese, and they rapidly converted the place into a
haven of neat designer chic. Three new rooms were fitted
into its seafront cottage, Le Rivage, and decorated in
calming nautical blues and whites with seagrass carpets. Bathrooms
in both the cottage and the main house were painted pristine white,
with storm-coloured slate tiles. And the garden behind, where you
dine and breakfast in summer, was given a trim makeover. But the
ace card is its location: a marina in front, a granite village
behind, and endless sandy beaches if you walk north around the Cap.
Designer perfection amid achingly beautiful coastal scenery.
Reviewed by Clare Hargreaves
Last updated 18 November 2011
Highs
- Location, location, location: vast sandy beaches only 5 minutes' drive in either direction, and getting here from the UK is a doddle
- The décor: a rare dose of designer calm in a land of chintzy wallpapers
- Courteous, helpful staff
- Amazing fruits de mer (seafood) and plenty of places to sample it, including the hotel's own restaurant and a Michelin-starred one 5 minutes away
- Historical must-sees like Mont St-Michel and the D-Day landing beaches are within 1½ hours' drive
Lows
- Rooms in the main house are on the small side, and lie off narrow corridors which can be noisy
- Internet and WIFI require chargecards, which can be irritating (but soothed by the little packet of locally made biscuits in your room)
- Some find the hotel's designer image a bit self-conscious - piles of interior decoration mags are studiously left around everywhere
- The hotel is not really suitable for children, unless they are very well behaved
