B&Bs in France

In a rental car, my husband, Bernard, and I toured the Loire Valley and Normandy beach areas of France in September 2014, staying in two excellent B&Bs. You’ll want to have GPS to locate these.

• The first B&B, located near the Normandy beaches and not far from the abbey Mont Saint-Michel, was Le Manoir les Quatre Etoiles (Turqueville, 50480 Sainte-Mère-Église, France; phone +33 233 10 27 70, www.quatre-etoiles.net).

This is an old farmstead with landscaped areas for relaxing outdoors. Originally from Belgium, the hosts, Tonnis and Francis Muntiuga, speak excellent English and are very congenial. Their website is excellent, showing the various rooms and beautifully landscaped grounds.

We had sent a deposit check, which was returned to us when we paid in euros at the end of our stay. We stayed two nights at €100 (near $114) per night, which included full breakfasts. The breakfast was excellent, with eggs made to order. 

Our room, the Normandie, was located on the second floor. Including a private bathroom, it was elegantly furnished and had a limited self-serve bar. 

In the public areas, several dishes were filled with candy. The bar was on the honor system, except for the more expensive refreshments.

The roads in the area are very narrow, with many curves, so it takes time to go from village to village. Because the place is quite isolated, you do have to plan meals accordingly. Many restaurants close at 2 p.m. and don’t open again until 7:30 p.m.

• In the Loire Valley we stayed at LaGrange B&B (Le Mitan Bray, 37510 Savonnieres, France; phone +33 0 2 47 43 59 46, www.lagrange-touraine.com).

Located on the Cher River, near Tours and just a few miles from the Château de Villandry, this is an old barn that — for over eight years — had been renovated to serve as the family dwelling. The B&B had been in operation for just a year.

This is a young family, and we met only the lady of the house and the children. She speaks limited English, but it was good enough for us to get a lot of information. 

Our room was very large and had a bathroom with shower. We booked this B&B through Booking.com and paid $263 for two nights, including full breakfasts. Many B&Bs in France do not take credit cards, so be sure to have enough euros with you.

The breakfast was not as large as the one at Quatre Etoiles, but it was quite adequate. 

Wi-Fi was free of charge. There was also a lot of reading material available. Bike paths led to nearby villages.

MARGARET SONNEK

Easton, MN