STREETSMART - Normandy - page 128

Price Categories
For a standard,
double room per
night (with breakfast
if included), taxes
and extra charges.

€ under €60
€€ €60-€100
€€€ €100-€150
€€€€ €150-€250
€€€€€ over €250

Norman holiday cottage

Self-catering Holidays

Gîtes de France
The Fédération
Nationale des Gîtes de
France was set up in the
1950s to promote country
holidays. Today, it has
more than 2,000 classified
properties in Normandy,
mostly rural cottages,
and should be the first
stop for anyone planning
a self-catering holiday.
d 01 49 70 75 75 •
www.gitesdefrance.com

Pour les Vacances
This French website,
where private owners
advertise their homes for
holiday rental, can be
accessed in English. The
emphasis is on quality,
not quantity. The majority
of the properties are
handsome half-timbered
Norman cottages or
farmhouses. d www.
pour-lesvacances.com

cottages4you
An offshoot of the
Holiday Cottages Group,
cottages4you has an
impressive selection
throughout Normandy,
details of which appear on
its helpful website. With
each cottage is a list of all
its amenities, as well as a
full description of the
house and its environs.
d 08700 782 100 (UK) •
www.cottages4you.co.uk

Welcome Cottages
Based in Lancashire
in the UK, Easy Cottages
is a branch of Welcome
Holidays Ltd. It offers a
selection of properties,
from modern bungalows
to conversions of
interesting old buildings.
The user-friendly website
features exterior and
interior shots of each
property, as well as
detailed descriptions and
location maps. d 01756
799 999 (UK) • www.
welcomecottages.com

VFB Holidays
A UK-based tour
operator of more than 30
years standing, VFB
pioneered the rental of
French gîtes in Britain.
They also offer cross-
channel travel deals.
d 01242 240 340 (UK) •
www.vfbholidays.co.uk

Discover
Normandy
This company lists
cottages - more than
120 of them - near a
variety of attractions:
among others, the D-Day
landing sites, golf
courses, Mont-St-Michel
and beaches. The web-
site includes previous
visitors' comments. They
will also make your travel
arrangements, whether
you're going by ferry,
train or plane, or want to
hire a car. d 0870 197
6420 (UK) • www.discover-
normandy.info

Normandie
Vacances
The first UK specialist
tour operator for the
region has been in
business for more than
20 years. Their brochure
features 120 or so self-
catering country houses
and cottages, many near
the sea and many half-
timbered in typical rustic
Norman style. d 0845
230 5130 (UK) • www.
normandy-holidays.co.uk

French
Connections
French Connections
arranges special-interest
holidays in France, such
as painting, walking,
climbing, horse riding,
and language tuition. The
majority of their houses
in Normandy are owned
by private individuals.
The website carries full
descriptions and photo-
graphs of each property,
and, where possible,
provides links with the
owner's own website. d
020 7681 2404 (UK) • www.
frenchconnections.co.uk

Brittany Ferries
As a sideline to their
main business, Brittany
Ferries arranges self-
catering accommodation
in a selection of gîtes .
Although they can't
match the choice offered
by some of the specialist
companies, deals
combining ferry travel
and accommodation are
certainly worth investi-
gating. d 08 25 82 88 28 •
08703 665 333 (UK) •
www.brittany-ferries.com

Allez France
The properties
offered by this 22-year-
old UK company range
from modern apartments
to stone or timbered
cottages, mostly French-
owned. d 0845 330 2048
(UK) • www.allezfrance.com

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