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This small but perfectly formed 13th-century château looks down on the Vire Valley. The bedrooms are finely furnished and the flagged dining hall offers excellent regional cuisine.

Within easy reach of Bayeux, Caen and the D-Day beaches, this 18th-century château was the family home of the owners until it became a hotel in 1976. Bedrooms are particularly elegant.

A traditional, upmarket campsite – with no caravans or bungalows – in the grounds of an elegant Auge château, where (if you book) you can dine three nights a week. It has a gorgeous heated pool, crêperie , bar, grocery and games room. No karaoke nights here; instead, they stage open-air classical music recitals.

In the heart of the Pays d’Auge, this stone-built château makes a luxurious bed-and-breakfast stop along the Cider Route.

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.

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.

With an Art Deco-style main building and two (rather more comfortable) annexes, this hotel sits amongst greenery, with fine views over the town, the sea and Étretat’s famous cliffs, Falaises d’Aval and d’Amont.

The friendly and efficient Duguesclin is the best place to stay in this little fishing port in the midst of the D-Day landing beaches.