NORMANDY - France 2014 - page 475

great view from private patio-€70, extra bed-€20, includes breakfast, Wi-Fi, tel. 02 33 60
22 94, www.lajacotiere.fr , [e-mail] ). Drivers coming from Bayeux should
turn off the road just prior to the main parking lot. As the road bends to the left away from
the bay, look for a regional-products store standing alone on the right. Take the small lane
in front of the store signed sauf véhicule autorisé —La Jacotière is the next building.
$ Vent des Grèves is about a mile down D-275 from Mont St-Michel (green sign;
if arriving from the north, it's just after Auberge de la Baie). Sweet Estelle (who speaks
English) offers five bright, big, and modern rooms with good views of Mont St-Michel
and a common deck with tables to let you soak it all in (Sb-€40, Db-€50, Tb-€60, Qb-
€70, includes breakfast, Wi-Fi, tel. [phone], www.ventdesgreves.com , ventdes-
[e-mail] ).
Eating in Mont St-Michel
Puffy omelets ( omelette montoise, or omelette tradition ) are Mont St-Michel's specialty.
Also look for mussels (best with crème fraîche), seafood platters, and locally raised lamb
(a saltwater-grass diet gives the meat a unique taste, but beware of impostor lamb from
New Zealand—ask where your dinner was raised). Muscadet wine (dry, white, and cheap)
is the local wine and goes well with most regional dishes.
The menus at most of the island's restaurants look like carbon copies of one another
(with menus from €18 to €28, cheap crêpes, and full à la carte choices). Some places have
better views or more appealing decor, and a few have outdoor seating with views along
the ramparts walk—ideal when it's sunny. If it's too cool to sit outside, window-shop the
places that face the bay from the ramparts walk and arrive early to land a bay-view table.
Unless noted otherwise, the listed restaurants are open daily for lunch and dinner.
La Sirene Crêperie offers a good island value and a cozy interior (€9 main-course
crêpes, open daily for lunch, open for dinner only in summer, enter through gift shop
across from Hôtel St. Pierre, tel. [phone]).
Hôtel du Guesclin is the top place for a traditional meal, with white tablecloths and
beautifulviewsofthebayfromitsinside-onlytables(bookawindowtableinadvance;see
details under “Sleeping in Mont St-Michel—On the Island,” earlier).
Restaurant le St. Michel is lighthearted, reasonable, family-friendly, and run by
helpfulPatricia(decentomelets,mussels,salads,andpasta;opendailyforlunchonly,may
be open for dinner in summer, test its stone toilet, across from Hôtel le Mouton Blanc, tel.
02 33 60 14 37).
Chez Mado is a stylish three-story café- crêperie -restaurant one door up from Hôtel
le Mouton Blanc. It's worth considering for its upstairs terrace, which offers the best out-