The Girls Love Deauville

• July 6, 2010
• Mari Bickmore
• 2 comments

Deauville Plage

Woke up in Deauville, France, Friday morning! The sun was shining, the seagulls were “singing” and this little corner of the world was magnificent. As usual, we were a bit late to rise, so we just put on our flipflops and headed for the beach, with a little pit stop by the boulangerie for a baguette and the market for some meat and cheese, oh and some butter cookies. Lucky! I snagged a free parking spot (no small feat)! And we rented two chairs with a big umbrella and settled in. I don’t get to the beach more than once or twice a year, unfortunately, but I cannot remember the last time I was on a beach that had shells, and I mean a lot of shells. We were amazed! I’m bringing home a shell for you!

Being the Atlantic, the water wasn’t actually what you would call clear, and it certainly wasn’t what I call warm. But, then again, I like the warm, bath water of the Gulf of Mexico in mid to late summer so maybe I’m not the best judge. This was what you might call very refreshing, and I am a pansy when it comes to cool water, so Amanda had to coax me to go out further. After staying in a bit and acclimating, it became, well, comfortable. Strangely enough, early July and the beach wasn’t crowded at all.   But now I remember how much I like a beach vacation.  So relaxing.  Read a little, comb the beach a little, play in the water and repeat and repeat and repeat.  Lovely.

Speaking of lovely, did I say how lovely Deauville is? I am ready to move here. Originally, it was just a small fishing village from about 1060, but around 150 years ago it became a planned city/spa town by the Duc de Morny, for the most part. A place for the fashionably wealthy to unwind, with the train to Deauville/Trouville sur Mer direct from Paris opening in 1863. There is a casino, a racetrack, spas, a harbor and, as I said, a great beach.  They have patterned cobblestone streets with lane after lane of architecturally delightful homes and shops, which are all just a shell’s throw from the beach.

Girls at Normandy Barriere

After a relaxing day at the beach, we got back to our room in the late afternoon, took a little nap and dressed for dinner. Meaning that we did not get out until 8:30 and then drove down to Trouville, which is an older, very cool town right across the harbor form Deauville.  We strolled around trying to decide where we wanted to eat. Always a problem for me is finding the perfect place to eat. Always. These little restaurants are like flowers, we flit from one to the next reading their menus and can’t decide where to land. Finally, since we got too tired to walk back to where we should have eaten, we decided to drive back out to a little auberge near our hotel. How weird is that. Well, we get there at 10:07 p.m. Oops, too late for dinner! What a life – only being open from 7 until 10! So we were stuck with emporter pizza in the room. Not what you want to eat with all those quaint cafes and fresh seafood available. Obviously our own fault.

View from Pont L’Eveque

Okay, So It’s Partially Eaten – It was so yummy!

I do have to interject that when we arrived the afternoon prior to Hotel Mercure Deauville Pont L’Eveque, after sunning by the pool and walking the pathways around the beautiful grounds of the hotel, we happened upon a restaurant in Pont L’Eveque, another small town nearby. I believe it was called Les Tonneaux. It was a gem. I had the local fondue avec mixed viandes and Amanda had the specialty of the house, Tarte Leontine. It was delish and reasonable. I would actually say it was the best meal we had on this trip. I have a few pictures, but forgot to take them before we started eating, so they may not be as appetizing as they could have been.

These have been perfect days away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. I wish I could share this place with all my friends.  I might not stay at the same hotel, as it is a little tired and further from the actual town and beaches of Deauville than I would have liked, but it does have free and easy parking. That may have been the reason I chose it, and it was available at the last minute. However, I would definitely like to spend more time here and explore the quaint shops and cafes, and maybe a spa or two, so I am wishing and hoping that I get to do just that. This was our jumping off point for our 4th of July tribute weekend through Normandy, and it was a great start!

A Perfect Day