Le Vieux Chateau le Renouard B&B 

The drive from the ferry port of Caen took just over an hour and was stress free ,it was a delight as most of the journey was on country lanes. Le Vieux Chateau is in a perfect rural setting just outside the tiny village of Renouard. Vimoutiers the nearest town is an 8km drive down picturesque winding lanes. When you get to the village look for the church on the hill, the chateau is about 200m from it. The Chateau is in all aspects a delight and is owned and seemingly singlehandedly managed by Donna McDougall who was responsible for its creation from near derelict – the quality of eclectic finishes and furnishings is of the highest standard There are 4 bedrooms available and continental breakfast is included, every morning Donna went to Vimoutiers and brought us bread and croissants to enjoy with local cheese, yoghurts with fresh fruit, homemade jam and marmalade. Fresh orange juice and choices of tea and coffee was available. Breakfast is taken in the main dining kitchen area at a mutually agreed time. There are no tea of coffee facilities in the room but Donna encourages guests to use the kitchen area where both can be made at your leisure. The use of the large fridge for cold drinks etc is also made available. We stayed in the large Chambre Rouge which is on the first floor and has a separate ensuite bathroom and dressing room. It had a comfy king size bed. There are no TVs in the rooms however there is a large extremely comfortable lounge / library area which has a communal TV with an abundance of channels including UK stations Wi-Fi is free and effective. The bathroom was large and the shower was superb, masses of hot water and with a pressure that could take the hide off a rhino! Towels were extra extra large and as with the dressing gowns and other soft furnishings of excellent quality Security is no problem whatsoever and the silence is deafening – it’s the most relaxing location I have been to – ever! Donna is the font of all local knowledge and she supplied us with many interesting local attractions to visit- she also kindly arranged bookings to local restaurants. The location is perfect for visiting the coastal attractions and places of interest and Deauville is only an hour away- the drive is idyllic. For those who like golf, walking, cycling, riding etc it’s perfect. I strongly recommend you visit Donna’s establishment – you will not be disappointed!