Hôtel Belle Normandy & Bar 1066 — Hotel in Bayeux

We came to the area knowing that we were coming to see the sights and not necessarily stay in a luxury hotel as we didn't see many luxury choices when booking. We were booked in a family room that would have had our kids sleeping on a sofa bed and with only one bathroom, so we were leaning towards staying at another property where we would have had two connecting rooms but which didn't look as nice. At the last minute, a "house" became available so we took it for the extra space. We didn't know that the house was literally a townhouse located across the street from the hotel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing so long as you are ok with the on street parking outside the hotel gate, as well as the door from the street being into your house rather than have the security of a lobby between you and the street. In other words, this was essentially an Air B&B with daily hotel cleaning and sheet/towel service. ||The good: ||The location was perfect for exploring Bayeux and the region's D-Day sights. Bayeux is a pretty little town that reminded us a lot of Bruges, Belgium. The hotel lobby and breakfast area was nice and the breakfast was a good variety of stuff with terrific croissants, although the hot offerings could have been better and hotter. There is a bar in the lobby but we got the sense nobody had had a drink there in years. There is a large courtyard with tables and a fire pit. Everyone working there was very nice.||It's not what we planned but it was interesting and made for a good experience in Normandy to get to stay in an actual house and one that seemed very old at that. To be in a region solely for historical site visits it was actually nice to get to experience living in a house for a few days as opposed to a hotel room. Looking at the winding wood staircase in the house, you could almost imagine the footsteps of soldiers coming upstairs as they searched the house, their boots pounding on the wood steps. The house was huge with three full bedrooms, two half baths with just toilets and two half baths with showers. There is an outdoor patio in the back. The bedrooms were large. There is a full kitchen on the first floor with dining table, couch and TV. There are many books on WW2 and many board games.||The less good: If you are expecting to stay in a hotel and wind up in a house across the street, you may not be pleased, especially if you value the security of a hotel (it seems like there is zero crime in the are FYI). The most disappointing thing was that the house could have been much nicer than it was. It was in a bit of a state of disrepair with what looked like things that had previously been attached to the wall no longer being there, thus leaving holes in the wall in numerous places. While the first floor TV/game area could have held a good amount of furniture, there was only one three person sofa of the type you would have in an office waiting room, i.e., not very comfortable, and it was also broken with one of the arms not really attached, and the arm would fall off and need to be reattached every time someone sat down. The kitchen didn't have soap or paper towels and while that might be expected at an Air B&B, this is a hotel and that's not acceptable. Same for toiletries and towels in the bathroom. There were enough towels in the house but we needed to redistribute them as some bathrooms had no hand towels and one had no soap. The bedrooms were clean but the first floor kitchen and tv area, as well as the first floor bathroom, could have been cleaner. We think one or two days and a few hundred dollars could transform this place from ok to great but for sure it needs some TLC.||We can't comment on what staying in a regular room in the hotel would be like as we never got to see one. All in all we liked getting to stay in a house but the house could/should be better maintained. We'd stay here again but we'd also consider other properties first. That said, the cost was less for two nights in this "house" than we spent on one night in any of the other four hotels we stayed in on this trip so we weren't...

Traveling on a Normandy bucket list trip, we choose this hotel in Bayeux as our base. The Belle’s location in Bayeux is an easy walk to the town center, cathedral and the Tapestry (leaving September 1st until October 2027 while the Museum undergoes renovation). Bayeux itself is a charming town with lots of shops, a killer boulangerie or two and readily walkable. A former schoolhouse, the hotel is the result of a year long renovation and restoration effort by its young owner couple. In a nutshell, the Belle did not disappoint. The staff is friendly, attentive and responsive, even being patient with my unnecessary attempts to speak French (they all speak excellent English). The rooms are very comfortable, clean and spacious which was sorely missed on a later stay in Paris. Our room was on the second floor of a building across a nice courtyard with either a lift or stairs available and was equipped with a modern shower and amenities. We did not have a car to park but they have ample parking off the street. The breakfast is incredible with a wide range of choices both hot and cold; there is no way you will walk away hungry. A small bar is available to guests as well in the lobby which became a nice pre-dinner relaxing routine for us. We communicated with the hotel staff several times prior to our arrival and each time they were quick to respond with helpful answers and information. They also took care of all of our restaurant reservations which would have been a challenge for us as we were they over Easter weekend. All three of their suggestions were great meals at restaurants that were equally welcoming. On our last day, knowing that we had a tour that would take us past check out time that morning, they offered to store all of our luggage (there was a lot of it with seven people) until our return to leave for the train station. Same day wash and fold laundry service is also available for a reasonable price which was a plus for us since were we on an extended trip. We would not hesitate to recommend this property and look forward to another stay...

I'm not sure why this hotel ranks #3 in Bayeux. It should be #1. It is an incredible bargain as well. My family of four (myself, wife, 23 yr old and 19 yr old) thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. We have traveled extensively in the US and Europe, and I wish every hotel was like this. It is run exceptionally well and has that great, small hotel personal feel. The staff is one of the best if not the best I've experienced. The breakfast was excellent and was the best of all of the hotels we stayed in on this trip (including several 5 star hotels). Those hotels should take a lesson from Belle Normandy. And the location is excellent because it's just a bit off the super touristy and commercial part of town so you get quiet but it's an easy 10 minute walk to that area. Oh, and it's literally a 3 minute walk to the cathedral.||The rooms were exceptionally clean and nice. There are even towel warming racks in the bathroom which you typically don't see for a hotel at this price point (it's a steal I'm telling you). I would change nothing about this hotel.||As a final note, to illustrate their incredible staff and customer service, I inadvertently left my passport in our room safe. Our next stop after Bayeux was Paris. After contacting the hotel, they arranged to have someone personally drive from Bayeux to Paris to my hotel to deliver my passport. I was shocked. That was above and beyond any experience I've ever had at a hotel. That's what you get with Hotel Belle Normandy.||If you are in Bayeux, you should stay here. I will be back and this is where I will stay. Oh, and they have a super cool and cute little hotel dog that adds to the personal feel...