Tasteful barn conversion combining rural charm with modern facilities

We had a fantastic time in this property. There are many attentions paid to details not found easily in a vacation property. The owners are very organized, everything is very clean and more than the basics are provided. For example, our children loved a big trampolin that is set up outside the house, we loved a big collection of books and DVDs and of course, we all enjoyed a nice barbeque outside in big tables and nice chairs. Our little ones also enjoyed a lot of cows and rabbits that were roaming safely in an adjacent fenced property and the apple orchards. The place is very well situated, 15 to 20 minutes from very busy and touristic places, yet very secluded to enjoy your vacation. We would highly recommend this property.

My family and I stayed here for a week in June 2011. There were 8 people in total, 6 adults and two young children (ages 1 and 3). There was plenty of room for everyone and it would even be suitable for a larger group. The house is absolutely great and far exceeds what the pictures even can show. Very clean and well-maintained. It is a great balance of the historic half-timber style, but fully renovated with modern conveniences. The dishwasher and washer/dryer were especially helpful for eight people. The location is very peaceful, being in the countryside, right by an apple orchard and grazing cows. There are several other old homes nearby, dating to the 15th century. The porch area is great for relaxing and you can even watch the local trains go by throughout the day. In terms of proximity, it is very accessible to any of the main towns in the area - Pont l'Eveque is minutes away, Lisieux is about 15 minutes, and other places (such as the coast) are easily within 30 minutes. We even went to Mont St. Michel one day and it is only about 90 minutes away (but get there early, as it gets very crowded on the narrow main street). There is also so much to see and do right in the local area too - many restaurants, markets, calvados and cider tasting, and interesting shops. Though not pictured, there is a giant trampoline and play set on the property, which was great for the kids. The kitchen and outside grill were great for preparing meals and the house is very spacious in the dining and living room area. We even had a local chef (who speaks both English and French) come to prepare a French meal for us one night (Karolyn has his contact information) and it was a very memorable experience. Karolyn and Simon are great hosts and very helpful with any needs or questions that you may have both before and during your stay.

This was our first trip to Normandy and La Laiterie, which we would have no hesitation in recommending.

The House is everything that you could wish for in self catering accommodation - immaculately presented; spacious; peaceful with wonderful views; and exceptionally well furnished/equipped. The hosts were charming and on hand for anything we needed though in truth we couldn't think of anything to ask for !.

The House is located in spacious grounds - great for the kids (in our case 9 and 11 year old boys with boundless energy) to run off steam in; ours making full use of the trampoline well beyond the point when it was so dark that we couldn't see anything in the garden.

Visiting in October and despite very good weather for the time of year, we were not able to make full use of the charming patio area which must be delightful on a summer's evening, but the real fire and copious supply of wood more than made up for that !.

We visited the usual local destinations - Bayeux (the Town and tapestry are well worth seeing, though by all accounts we were fortunate to be visiting out of peak season); Deauville/Trouville (excellent beaches but quite developed); the Normandy landings beaches and memorials (historically very interesting; but also a sobering reminder of the sacrifices made); Pegasus Bridge; Pont L'Eveque (a lovely small town very close by with a wide range of small shops and services) and our personal favourite; not to be missed; Honfleur. A lovely place even just to walk around, but if you do visit Honfleur try Les Marmottes - 26 Rue de la Ville for an excellent, inexpensive lunch with extremely attentive and friendly service in an alpine setting (someone is clearly very fond of skiing !). We liked it so much, we went back 3 times.

Only French strikes and the possibility of not being able to refuel stopped us from going further afield; but that aside, I am sure that there is enough in the area to keep any family amused for at least a couple of weeks and probably much longer.

In all, a holiday difficult, if not impossible, to fault. We hope to return soon !