Make yourself at home: breakfast at Cour Sainte-Catherine
Guest Review By Caroline Guilleminot
Where: Two hours from Paris, Honfleur is a sea-side town lashed by the spray of the Channel. For years, it was the ugly duckling of Normandy’s coastal resorts, to the point that the Michelin guide used to advise its readers not to waste any time here and head straight to Deauville.
Future explorer Samuel de Champlain didn’t even wait for the reviews, in 1608 he boarded a boat here and went on to found the city of Quebec on the other side of the Atlantic … (“I’m so out of here!”)
Today it attracts 3.5 million visitors a year in pursuit of its a salty seadog atmosphere and artistic history – Honfleur is one of the birthplaces of Impressionism. (Think: Monet, Sisely). A stone’s throw from the bourgoise Deauville and the Proustian Cabourg*, Honfleur is loved by aficionados of the Normandy coast, and is particularly popular with Parisians and les Anglo-Saxons, who meander along the Vieux Bassin (Old Port).
(*Ed – FYI Proust disguised Cabourg as the town of ‘Balbec’ in In Search of Lost Time. Alas we never made it much past the madeleine bit so while we’re fond of sweet baked treats, we can’t supply any further insights.)
Wearing a winter coat: La Cour Sainte-Catherine, in Honfleur by snow.
The owners: Antoine and Liliane, both originally of Le Havre (the great trading port nearby), worked in Paris before returning to their native Normandy to open a guesthouse. Travellers at heart, and self-confessed fans of the United States, they introduced the concept of the ‘B&B’ to Honfleur. Antoine also runs an association of visual artists, particularly graffiti artists, whose works are displayed throughout the house.
The neighbourhood: Trail up the cobbled streets, where art galleries have clustered – for better and often for worse – and beyond the rattle and hum of the port. Here, in an old fishing neighbourhood is La Cour Sainte-Catherine, cloistered in a quiet spot behind thick stone walls.
The House: A former convent of Augustinian nuns dating from the 17th century that has been converted into contemporary guest rooms. At night, the guesthouse’s porch light glows like a beating heart; an invitation to enter the courtyard boasting a pretty Vicar’s garden.
Atlantic Dreams: Cour Sainte-Catherine (Image © Louis-Philippe Breydel)
The rooms: There are five bedrooms and four über-comfortable apartments. Features include: sea-grass flooring, antique furniture and my favourite kind of beds (firm, but with a soft spot for dreamers) and comfy linen. The decor: think slate gray and faded denim blue. Nuances that go with the ever changing sky…
What we loved: The art of receiving guests; the hosts really go out of their way for you….the cosy-chic atmosphere, nothing too over-the-top; the pile of DVDs in the living-room for rainy days… The hearty breakfast: home-made crepes, fresh crunchy bread, cereal, fresh fruit juices and endless tea and coffee. It’s all served in the old cider press converted into a dining room with a fireplace that roars in winter. (Note: check out the vintage barber sets and antique fans for sale.)
Bienvenue book worms (Image © Louis-Philippe Breydel)
Perks: The owners have opened a ‘Coffee Shop’ in the adjoining house, it’s run by an Englishwoman who fell in love with the area. On the walls: stencils by French street artist Miss.Tic. On your plate: quiches, omelettes with eggs from the farm, daily specials and cheesecakes. (Miam!)
Tips: No need to bring your own books, Antoine and Liliane have divided their library among the guest rooms. Very good thrillers – Dennis Lehanne, James Ellroy, Fred Vargas – not to mention their ample collection of comic books, with classics including Lucky Luke, Asterix and the entire series of Bilal. For English-speakers, a book exchange is available.
Get in the Sainte-Catherine Court mood: Listen to Gnossienne also known as Flabby Preludes for a Dog by musician and composer Erik Satie.
Erik Satie, the composer from Honfleur who always carried an umbrella. (Image by Confetta on flickr)
Born in Honfleur in 1866, the eccentric Satie is cited as an influence on modern composers ranging from Claude Debussy and Francis Poulenc to John Cage. Among his foibles was giving his compositions absurd names and providing unusual playing instructions to accompany the score: eg: “Play in the morning, on an empty stomach”. When Satie died it is rumoured his friends discovered his house was filled with umbrellas. Among other things he collaboarated with artists such as Picasso and Cocteau and ate only white foods.
The house where he was born has been turned into a quirky museum where, equipped with headphones, one can revisit works by the creator of the famous Gymnopédies.
Rates: Start at 80 €, including breakfast. For a top-notch guesthouse in this region, it’s a total bargain.
Contact: La Cour Sainte-Catherine
Caroline Guilleminot, travel writer
About Caroline Guilleminot: Caroline is a French travel editor and journalist with a speciality in eco-tourism (see her latest guide here) and a fondness for lemurs.
She is also an occasional children’s author (check out her cute book about a hungry wolf) and an expert on just about everything tasty and bobo in Paris.
She is a frequent visitor to La Cour Sainte-Catherine, in Honfleur, which is one of her favourite B&Bs in France. You can also see her review of Kaguyara House in Kyoto for HWL.
