Manche holiday house: St Vaast- la -Hougue

This house is full of surprises. Looks small on the outside but goes on and on when you open the front door! From the minute you set foot inside you just know you are in for a great holiday! The owner also rings to ensure you have everything and to welcome you.
We had a lovely relaxing holiday and will definitely be back!

Our family of four adults rented this lovely home in St. Vaast for a week in April, 2009. What a pleasant experience. We found the home better than advertised with plenty of bedrooms (including 3 on the main floor), clean bathrooms with lots of hot water, and a well-equipped kitchen. We liked the large farmhouse table where we could all gather for breakfast and map out our plans for the day. The owner was great in providing excellent recommendations for dining and sightseeing; he even called us to make sure things were going well. The house is just a few steps from several great restaurants and the harbor. Lunch at Chasse Maree was a highlight. The St. Vaast oysters are the best we have ever had. Don't miss Gosselin's, the gourmet wine & cheese shop. We did the Landing Beaches, American Cemetery, the German Cemetery and spent the better part of a day at the 101 Airborne Museum at St. Mere Eglise. We took an afternoon drive to Barfleur and did a day excursion to Mont St.Michel and Dinan in Brittany. I would not hesitate to recommend this house to anyone. We have rented four properties in Europe over the years and this was our best experience.

My large family went to Normandy last spring and we rented this lovely house in St. Vaast. It could not have been better.

We were a hard to please bunch, adult children ranging in age from late teens to thirties travelling with our parents in their sixties, all with very different tastes and requirements. It was the combination vacation and family reunion. We wanted something in a village where we could take walks, shop and have dinner. We wanted to be near historical points of interest like the Bayeux tapestry. My father and brothers needed to be close to DDay beaches. We wanted to be near the local markets and I needed a good kitchen where I could cook.

The house was everything we needed and more. A beautiful and well kept home walking distance from everything in the village. The owner could not have been nicer. He thoughtfully left notes and recommendations and even called to check on us. And it had plenty of bedrooms so no one was stuck sleeping on a couch which often happens with large groups.

A list of our favorite things:
* the main living room. Right next to the kitchen and dominated by a big farmhouse table where everyone could gather. And a fireplace
* the village and surrounding countryside. The beautiful old homes and the narrow streets of St Vaast, the historical sites close by. Especially Barfleur. Amazing to be in the same place William the Conqueror set sail from.
* Gosselin's! A fantastic gourmet shop in town where you can purchase stinky cheeses and other good stuff
* moules frites or galettes everywhere we went
* the friendly people
* the local king crabs
* day trip to Guernsey
* tour of Mont St Michel. Long drive but we had an amazing tour guide. He was a professor and was the best guide we've ever had. I wish I could remember his name!
* the D-Day Beaches, just make sure you get a good guide, ours was terrible. We knew more from reading Band of Brothers
* the German military cemetery
* the local markets especially in Carentan and Valognes. Look for the guys cooking sausages! Very good!
* the backyard. It was a shame it was too cold and rainy to use it but I can imagine it would be very nice in warmer weather

I would recommend this property without hesitation.