Le Clos des Matignon

We finally arrived at our first hotel for the trip at about 6 pm, after driving through a dreadful rainstorm between Caen and Torigni-sur-Vire. Driving in bad weather in a foreign country after having had no sleep for over a day is NOT fun. But, we survived.

Jeff found this bed and breakfast online after we researched EVERY bed and breakfast in Normandy. I'm not kidding. Every one. None of them really caught our eye, but this one seemed acceptable, and it was available, so we took it. It turned out to be a fantastic place to stay. The room was impeccable and HUGE for a French hotel room. It was even huge by American standards. We were pretty pleased when we were shown the room by the very sweet owner who didn't speak a word of English (we managed to get by just fine with our mad Rosetta Stone skillz). When her husband, who did speak English, showed up and introduced us to the powered black out shutters on all the windows of our room, we were thrilled! They really helped us get a couple of good nights of sleep in at the beginning of the trip. Being the only guests in a humongous house helped make it extra peaceful, too.

Here's the bedroom (we had the "Savannah Room"):


This is most of the bathroom:


We were treated to an array of fresh pastries and breads each morning, along with some fruit, yogurt, local jams, and real honey, all served in the super cute French country kitchen. It was all pretty yummy.


Check out the awesome range:


These are the owners, Colette and Daniel:


This is the back of the hotel and the pond behind it:


It was within an hour or so driving distance of all the sights we wanted to see in Normandy, and it worked out really well for us. If you're ever looking for a place to stay in Normandy, check it out.