Le Petit Coq aux Champs

The thick thatch roof of this Norman-style farmhouse is a fitting end to your journey into the countryside to find it. Only after a trek down a long village lane and parking among the azaleas and rhododendrons do you really catch sight of the elusive hotel itself. Extensions to the original timbered building give it an eclectic air despite the ubiquity of the thatch and in contrast with the motif of the eponymous cockerel, represented in every form from sculpture to tapestry. The bedrooms are simpler, with understated comfort and modern bathrooms lit up by the occasional antique and most rooms sporting balconies where the lush vegetation gives shade and privacy. The garden however, as with most of the hotel, is centred around providing for the restaurant. Here you find a menu as diverse as the décor is constant. The rustic, cosy dining room serves up not just fowl but Foie gras, lobster, veal sweetbreads and beef fillet throne among others. If the occasionally hefty prices make you head for town, then historic Rouen and coastal Deauville, both around 40 minutes away, will sate all your senses on any budget.