Manoir de la Poterie & Spa

Having a restaurant and spa together made this a great spot for a peaceful getaway. It’s a cozy, welcoming place in the middle of the Norman countryside, with a really relaxing, comfortable feel.

The rooms were clean and a good size, and the hotel is stunning, with fantastic staff and a great breakfast. I’d definitely come back. The one thing I’d suggest is putting phones in the rooms so guests can reach someone in an emergency.

The room was outstanding, from its size to the furnishings and equipment, and the pool was wonderful. The food from the kitchen lived up to those standards too. What let the evening down was the apparent lack of staff in the bar and restaurant. Just two people were handling pre-dinner drinks, dinner orders, and restaurant service. One of them was super efficient, but guests, including mainly French diners, were left waiting a long time to order another drink and to be shown to their tables. Reception said the hotel was full, but it seemed to me that they had no more than half the staff needed for a smooth evening. Perhaps it was related to Covid, and I mentioned it at checkout. We’ll stay again and hope it was a one-off. The hotel is ideally placed for breaking our trip between London and our house in the Loire Valley.

We chose this hotel for our 25th wedding anniversary, which I’d told them about in the questionnaire they sent before our stay. They present themselves as a place that goes the extra mile, but they didn’t make us feel special or even provide the basic service I’d expect at their prices. Staff couldn’t even help with our luggage, and I found many of them surly and unhelpful. I’d booked a table for supper, but when we arrived they said the restaurant had no space for us. There was no apology, and they hadn’t warned us, leaving us stuck because the hotel isn’t close to other restaurants. After I pushed for help, they booked us into a sister hotel for supper. That was okay, but really not great. They also hadn’t told us beforehand that the restaurant would be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The bar was closed too, so we couldn’t even get a drink after eating elsewhere. Before the stay, they’d asked how they could make it perfect, but ignored everything I requested. And the sea view looks out over Le Havre industrial site. We can’t recommend this hotel at all.