The location is everything, right in front of the beach. Love the theme of Jules Vernes (name of hotel) and Arsène Lupin which resonated in the rooms. Both of whom had strong associations with Étretat. The building has a very iconic façade.
We had a village-facing room as the sea-facing ones were not available during booking but it had also a pretty decent view. Coffee provided at the hallway at one's disposal. Tea in the room. No AC, so very warm and stuffy at night, could hardly sleep. Wouldn't recommend opening the windows cos of mozzies.
Breakfast spread was generous and delicious. Huge croissants! Staff were very friendly and helpful.
Here's a unique hotel - housed in a old mansion from the 1900s. This means that each room in the original wing is a little different and 'eclectic'. There's also a new wing with newer rooms, a spa, a swimming pool (sorta heated), a bistro and a 1 Michelin star restaurant.
Pros:
- Unique style of hotel that's set away from the hustle/bustle of the Etritat town.
- Helpful staff
- Complimentary bakes and hot drinks from 4-6pm
- Michelin-star restaurant on site (but it was closed during our visit)
- Comfortable beds, good water pressure and a bathtub
- Professional grade Nespresso machine in-room with 4 pods (2x decaf) + nice tea bags
- Grounds are cute, with a resident cat, fireplace and pleasant garden-ish spaces.
Cons:
- Cleanliness - we discovered a swarm of ants crawling behind the curtain. We think it was some food that wasn't cleaned away from the previous guest that attracted the ants. This was gross.
- Room styling may not be to everyone's tastes - suggest you ask to view a room before you move your luggage in.
- Narrow stairs to rooms in main building, was abit hard to get luggage up to but they can get help if needed.
- Location could be a con for some as it's a good 10-12 min walk into the main down down a high.
- Parking spaces were limited.
- Breakfast is pricey at 25 euro - there's a great boulangerie in town Maison Piquenot that you can get good croissants, baguettes from.
- Overall abit pricey for the value you get.