Grand Getaway - Where to Stay - All Aboard

On planning my recent trip to northern France, I had no idea where to start when planning where to visit. I found myself just staring at a map for a very long time, asking passers by if they had ever been to northern France.

So, my new approach included lots of googling and booking.com – once I had chosen my accommodation, the places to visit were much easier to select. As I said in my previous blogs, booking.com is great and allows you to reserve a hotel without paying, and you can even cancel up to a few days before visiting (although the times vary so make sure you check before you buy!). The biggest surprise was the affordable luxury available in Normandy, which, if chosen well, will provide you with a very authentic French experience. Here are my top trip picks;

Auberge a La Bonne Idée, Saint-Jean-aux-Bois

This was the first hotel that we stayed at in a small village near Compiegne. The hotel rooms were basic but the rooms were perfectly equipped. The real gem was the hotel itself, which housed an absolutely gorgeous restaurant and gardens.

On warm days, you can actually dine outside with candelabras dotted around.

Le Moulin de Villez, Giverny

The second night, following a visit to Versailles, we stayed at a B&B on the outskirts of Giverny (where the Jardin de Monet is) called Le Moulin de Villez. The hotel is an old water mill (with working wheel) on the same river that inspired Monet’s Water Lilly’s and is absolutely breath-taking! The owner lets her gorgeous Alsatian Caesar roam…we played in the grounds with him all evening! She also lets you borrow her push bikes to cycle into Giverny, which I highly recommend.

Chateau la Feuillaie, Wailly-Beaucamp

If its luxury that you want, this is the place! This gorgeous chateaux is tucked away in the village of Wailly-Beaucamp and is a traditional chateaux with modern artistic décor.

The room of the gardens from the room are gorgeous and tempt you into the pool at the back of the property. The town is very sleepy but offers two great restaurants, both with amazing food and good value set menus.