Houlgate.—One large hotel surrounded by
pretty and well-built chalets
to be let furnished;
also many private villas in gardens—beautiful
situation—good
sands—small Casino—becoming fashionable
and
dear—accommodation
limited. Dil. to Trouville, 11 miles.
Beuzeval.—A continuation of Houlgate, westward;
lower, near the mouth
of the Dives—one
second-rate hotel close to the sands—quiet
and
reasonable—sea
recedes half-a-mile (no boating at Houlgate or
Beuzeval)—beautiful
neighbourhood—a few villas and apartments—no
Etablissement.
Dil. to Trouville or Caen.
Cabourg.—A small, but increasing, town
in a fine open situation on
the left bank of the
Dives—good accommodation and moderate—not
as
well known as it deserves
to be. HOTELS: de la Plage,
Casino, &c.
Dil. do. do.
[Then follow nine or ten minor sea-bathing places, situated north of Caen and Bayeux, in the following order:—Lies, Luc, Lasgrune, St, Aubin, Coutances, Aromanches, Auxelles, Vierville, and Grandcamp; where accommodation is more or less limited, and board and lodging need not cost more than seven or eight francs a-day in the season. They are generally spoken of in French guide-books as, ’bien tristes sans ressources;’ ‘fit only for fathers of families’! St. Aubin, about twelve miles from Caen, is one of the best.]
Cherbourg (42,000).—Large,
fortified town—bold coast—good
bathing—splendid
views from the heights—wide
streets and squares—docks
and harbours—hotels—good
and dear.
HOTELS: l’Univers,
l’Amiraute, &c. Ry. to Paris.
Granville.—See pp. 122 and following; also Appendix, p. ii.
* * * * *
The average charge at seaside hotels in Normandy, during the season (if taken by the week) is 8 or 9 francs a-day, for sleeping accommodation and the two public meals; nearly everything else being charged for ‘extra.’ At Trouville, Deauville, and Dieppe, 10 or 12 francs is considered ‘moderate.’ Furnished houses and apartments can be had nearly everywhere, and at all prices. The sum of 10_l._ or 15_l_. a week is sometimes paid at Trouville, or Deauville, for a furnished house. Conty’s guide-book, ‘Les Cotes de Normandie,’ should be recommended for its very practical information on these matters, but not for its illustrations.
London, May, 1870.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] We have not put CHERBOURG, DOMFRONT, or EVREAUX, as a matter of course, on our list, although they should be included in a tour, especially the two latter towns, for their archaeological interest.