Relaxing in Beautiful Etretat before the big 65th Anniversary of D-Day Weekend

The Detective Hotel Etretat does not normally see many English-speaking guests, but we enjoyed staying here for 3 nights during the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion in Normandy, France. This 2-star hotel was pretty far from the landing beaches (about 2 hours by car), but the scenery in the area was magnificant! The two sea arches along the shoreline were absolutely beautiful and the stone chapel overlooking the town was breathtaking lit up at night!

This hotel had a very friendly and helpful staff--of course, a free drink at the hotel bar didn't hurt either! The rooms all had a detective theme and each room had its own "secret" you were supposed to uncover--although ours was quite difficult...something about orange mushrooms in a dream from an Alice in Wonderland-type cartoon. there was a large dining room and a sitting room with board games in case the weather was not good for outdoor activities.

Everything is within walking distance of the hotel and there are many shops on the street with all kinds of food and beverages. The restaurants had delicious food--including a place with a huge buffet and live music. The bars along the rock-covered shoreline (I would not charaterize it as a beach because it has no sand, but it was a nice place to watch the sunset on the English Channel) served good cold beer and crepes.

The hotel has an antique feel to it, along with the detective theme, but the young couple who own the place are very friendly and helpful. They told us they had bigger rooms than the one we stayed in, but only for 1 of the 3 nights so we stayed put in our assigned room.

Although the Detective Hotel Etretat is far enough inland that you don't get a seaside view, it still has a charm all it's own that worth a visit if you just want to relax in this great little village along the shoreline.