Chateau La Cheneviere

On the road that leads from Bayeux to the beach in Normandy, there's an elegant English-style estate with a colorful history. Once a hub for producing hemp to make fishing ropes, the property was later occupied by German officers during World War II. Today, Château La Chenevière is a luxury hotel that embraces the past — the name means “hemp fields,” and the original rooms and walled gardens have been carefully preserved — while offering a range of clever updates. The old glass-roofed conservatory was transformed into a modern bistro with a vegetable-driven menu and garden seating by the pool, and the stables now house sleek guest quarters.

Light-filled rooms and suites exude period charm and a casual but put-together French country aesthetic, with elegant woodwork, exposed beams, paisley wallpaper, floral patterns, and furnishings in leather or velvet. Marble bathrooms are stocked with Diptyque products, and some have freestanding soaking tubs. A few come with private patios, and all have views over the surrounding park with its century-old trees. A stroll around the wooded grounds, with its rose gardens and tennis courts, is a welcome diversion after indulging in the breakfast buffet — the lavish spread features local goat cheeses, fresh-baked pastries, artisanal jams, and honey produced at the beehives outside.