Hôtel Château d'Audrieu

The hotel traces the estate's story back to the 11th century and the de Percy family, beginning with Guillaume de Percy, cook to William the Conqueror, and with what it calls a long culinary tradition that it still carries on. In 1593 Marguerite de Percy married Guillaume de Séran, a gentleman of the king's chamber, and the château passed to the de Séran family; in 1615 Guillaume obtained letters patent from Louis XIII raising his land at Audrieu to a barony. Le Séran, the gastronomic restaurant, bears the same name.

The château was built in 1715, and the hotel describes its 18th-century architecture as elegant. In the grand salon, rocaille panelling shows a style marked by a certain rigour. After being sold during the French Revolution, the château returned to the Séran family at the Restoration. It later came by marriage to the Saillard du Boisberthe family, then passed to the Livry-Level family when Nicole Saillard de Boisberthe married Philippe Livry-Level.

During the Second World War, the German commander Gerhard Bremer, of the 12th Reconnaissance Battalion, made the château his headquarters, and on 8 June 1944, 24 soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, 22 from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and two from the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, were executed in the clearings, woods and orchards around it. On 28 December 1967 the facades and roofs of the château and its outbuildings, together with the cour d'honneur, were classified as historical monuments. The château has been a hotel since 1976, and in 1985 Louis Benech redesigned its gardens. Today it is one of the five houses of 2L Collection, the hotel brand owned by Lorène Martel.

The château's address is Rue de Tilly, 14250 Audrieu; Caen lies 20 km away and Bayeux 15 km. Drivers leave the N13 at exit D158B towards Loucelles, Coulombs and Audrieu, and the railway stations of Bayeux and Caen are 20 and 35 minutes away respectively. The estate's 25 hectares can be explored on foot or on the bicycles the hotel provides. The grounds include a white garden, a rose garden and a kitchen garden where Alain Scelles grows herbs, edible flowers, fruit and seasonal vegetables, and some of the park's trees are three centuries old.

Further afield, a private, made-to-measure tour by Range Rover with a guide from Insiders Experience can range from the D-Day beaches and the cider routes to the cliffs of Étretat and the valleys of Giverny. Golfers can head to the Omaha Beach golf club, close to the D-Day beaches, where 36 holes are split between two courses, La Mer and Le Manoir, each with views over the Norman countryside.

Tradition rooms measure 25 to 30 m² and sleep two in a king-size bed or twin beds, with views over the park, the gardens or the cour d'honneur. Their blue and red tones come from period fabrics by leading French textile houses. One Tradition room, fitted with a walk-in shower, is specially adapted for guests with reduced mobility.

Deluxe rooms, at 30 to 40 m², sleep up to three and look onto the park or the gardens. They are on the first and second floors and in a private villa just 10 metres from the château, and the château's coat of arms appears on their floors. The Deluxe Tree House is a different proposition: 25 m² inside plus a 40 m² panoramic terrace, for up to two guests, with a view the hotel calls exceptional over the château's English gardens.

Junior Suites measure 40 to 55 m², sleep up to three and open onto the gardens, the park or the main courtyard. Deluxe Suites, at 60 to 85 m², add a separate living room and sleep up to four; their neoclassical style, inspired by the 18th century, goes with period fireplaces and vivid fabrics by French houses such as Pierre Frey and Manuel Canovas. Beds crowned with silky fabrics and furniture of 18th-century inspiration are among the features the hotel lists for its rooms and suites.

Le Séran, the gastronomic restaurant led by Chef Samuel Gaspar and listed in the MICHELIN Guide, occupies a succession of three richly coloured historic salons. Originally from Orléans, Gaspar trained at Le Fort de l'Océan in Le Croisic and at La Scène in Paris, then became sous-chef at Le Burgundy and at the two-starred Taillevent. Its cooking highlights Norman flavours: the chef sources his produce within a maximum radius of 60 km, from Norman AOC cheeses and farm butters to calvados and ice ciders. The estate's kitchen garden supplies aromatics and edible flowers, and house vinegars and honey from the château's beehives lift a cuisine of land and sea. Dinner is served from Tuesday to Saturday, 19:00 to 21:00, and the restaurant also takes groups of more than eight.

Le Séran also serves breakfast every day from 07:30 to 10:30 on the château's ground floor. La Table du 1715, the bistronomic alternative, occupies the former library and is open every day for lunch and dinner; in the warmer months its tables are set out on the terrace facing the park or in the cour d'honneur. Bar 1715, named after the year the château was built, is in the wood-panelled salon and serves a selection of cocktails.

Meals can also move outdoors. Chef Samuel Gaspar prepares gourmet picnics for the park, with a choice between a classic menu built around a reworked ham-and-butter sandwich and a fresh vegetable menu, for groups of one to 50 people, to be booked 24 to 48 hours ahead. There is a poolside snack menu and a take-away offer from the chef. For a mindful tasting, boxes for phones are offered on arrival so that diners can eat without distraction.

The spa occupies the château's former outbuilding, where Sothys signature treatments range from relaxing massages to facial rituals. The Japanese-inspired Hanakasumi treatment lasts an hour: a glove exfoliation, then a gentle body massage inspired by foot reflexology. A fitness room completes the facilities. Screened from view, the heated outdoor pool is kept at 26°C and is open from 15 May to 21 September, from 08:00 to 19:00.

Sleep gets its own attention. The rooms' equipment lists include a meditation box, a gratitude card, a yoga mat and meditation books, while a Dream Machine and a long-wave infrared mattress are available on request. Weighted blankets can also be requested, for adults and children alike. The mattress, from Charlotte Muller, uses infrared technology that the hotel says originated with NASA; the Dream Machine is an individual hypnosis device that works through gentle photostimulation. In the room, the Morphée Box plays soothing meditations without screens or radio waves, and Mon Petit Morphée offers children stories and relaxation.

The park has a playground for children aged two to six, with slides, swings, wooden huts and an adventure course, plus a vegetable garden where children can try their hand at gardening. Each child receives a donkey plush toy in honour of Nono and Zoé, with a bag of treats to feed them, and at bedtime a meditation box offers a calming moment.

Parents can call on professional babysitting, and there is a library for young readers, children's menus in the restaurants and baby equipment including a bottle steriliser, a bottle warmer, a cradle and a high chair. Pétanque and ping-pong are on hand, and giant wooden games such as Connect 4 and Mikado keep younger guests busy. Room service and a concierge complete the services.