Hotel La Ferme St.-Siméon

This idyllic waterfront property exudes charm and elegant sophistication, but is not near the region's major sights.

It is easy to understand why this place was once a second home to artists obsessed with the picturesque Norman landscape; some of the paintings created here dot the walls of museums, and former guests are now lauded as pioneers of the Impressionist movement. The manicured, lush growth of trees and flowers cultivated in a climate regulated by a salty breeze appealed to painters yearning to escape city life, searching for colorful, dynamic scenes to render on canvas. Once an inn owned by the Toutain family, who would rent rooms for a small fee or even a painting, Hotel Ferme St.-Siméon overlooks where the English Channel meets the Crique de Rouen, an estuary that becomes the Seine.

The often-changing light and beautiful greenery surrounding the blue grey building make for a bucolic setting. Wood paneling abounds and adds to the warm and light-filled atmosphere. Fresh-cut flowers on almost every surface and large windows certainly help. Behind the helm of the hotel restaurant is Chef Mickael Lelievre, who trained with some of the world’s best chefs including Alain Ducasse and Michel Canet of the Grand Saint Michel in Alencon. In overseeing the intimate, authentic dining room and La Ferme’s sole eatery, Lelievre’s goal is to keep diners on their toes. The kitchen staff keeps up with the latest culinary changes and trends, overhauls the menu on a regular basis, but manages to honor the traditions of Norman cuisine and to bolster flavors with local ingredients

Even the smallest rooms have a small seating area that can double as a breakfast nook if the sprawling buffet downstairs seems too far. Inside the main farmhouse’s first floor is the reception area, bar, smoking room and restaurant. Exterior staircases, a typical feature of 17th-century homes in this region, lead up to rooms on the second level. The Pressior, a separate thatch roof building set slightly behind the main one, has some rooms on the top floor. However, the focus of that building is its state-of-the-art spa with a huge indoor pool, steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and treatment rooms.

Room décor is a nod to the property's rich past, featuring antique furniture and vintage photographs, but bathrooms and amenities are modernized. Touches such as Hermès bath products and hurricane lamps combine with the traditional theme and create a result that is comfortable, elegant and authentically Norman.

Guests who want to experience Normandy from an aesthetic and artistic perspective and who understand that the major places of interest and sightseeing of the region are about an hour’s drive or more from the property.