Where to Stay and Eat on the Northern Coast of France

First published: December 26, 2018 by Dominic Bliss

The region’s best restaurants and hotels, including some you won’t find in the brochures

HOTEL-RESTAURANTS

Hôtel Atlantic

All 18 bedrooms enjoy sea views at this four-star hotel right on the esplanade at Wimereux. All you need to do, then, is ensure you reserve a window view in the accompanying restaurant. It’s a family-run business, with Béatrice and Alain Delpierre running the hotel, and their son and daughter-in-law Benjamin and Aurélie in charge of the two restaurants. www.atlantic-delpierre.com

Hôtel Les Tourelles

Pointed turrets, ornate balconies, pretty shutters and a bright red exterior ensure that this lovely hotel in Le Crotoy, right on the edge of the Baie de Somme, really stands out. On sunny days you can eat dinner on the south-facing terrace with views across the bay. On windy days you can shelter in the garden. www.lestourelles.com

Le Manoir Hôtel

After a complete renovation this three-star hotel in Le Touquet is enjoying a new lease of life. Set right in the heart of Le Touquet forest, it has an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, a snooker room and access to three golf courses. L’Écusson (the Shield) is the accompanying restaurant. www.manoirhotel.com

Enjoy splendid sea views from your room at the Hôtel Atlantic

Hôtel et Spa Les Corderies

This former naval rope-house in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, right on the waters of the Baie de Somme, has been converted into a wonderful five-star hotel, spa and restaurant. As well as the spa (the sauna has views across the bay), there’s also an indoor swimming pool and a fitness room. www.lescorderies.com

HOTELS

Hôtel de la Baie de Wissant

Once you’ve drunk in the amazing sea views from this Wissant hotel, you can then avail yourself of the various in-house services, including massage, beautician, hairdresser, bike hire, or horse riding on the beach. www.hoteldelabaiedewissant.com

HOLIDAY APARTMENTS

The seaside family apartments at Bray-Dunes start at €83 a night. With sandy beaches and dunes to explore, and water sports to enjoy, the kids will be happy. You can even pop a few clicks across the border into Belgium to visit a theme park called Plopsaland de Panne. www.holidaysuites.be

Hôtel Les Tourelles in Le Crotoy prides itself on its ecological credentials

GÎTES

Château d’Hallines

This 12-bedroom, 11-bathroom gîte can accommodate up to 26 people. A former hotel-restaurant, it was refurbished last year by a British couple. Three-night stays start at €2,640 for the entire property. www.fr.bigchateau.com

RESTAURANTS

La Sirène

Seafood lovers will adore La Sirène in Audinghen. The €30 menu currently offers fruits de mer, ceviche, cod in lobster sauce and grilled scorpion fish. Gorgeous oysters and other seafood are available à la carte. www.lasirene-capgrisnez.com

Le Retour des Flobards

This tiny, unpretentious, family-run restaurant in Audresselles offers lots of surf and a bit of turf, all with a local twist. Expect to see loads of marine décor on the walls. “What do you expect?” says the chef. “You’re right by the sea.”

Jardins de Valloires

There are five gardens and more than 5,000 species of plant spread across eight sumptuous hectares at this lovely venue in Argoules. Some of those 5,000 end up on the menu at La Table du Jardinier. Open at lunchtime only, there’s an outdoor terrace, a tea room, and a picnic hamper service so you can eat your food elsewhere on the grounds if you prefer. www.baiedesomme.fr

Enjoy all the typical specialities of the region at the Galion

La Tablée du Marquenterre

Another restaurant open just at lunchtimes, this self-service buffet is slap bang in the middle of the Parc du Marquenterre bird sanctuary. Picnic hampers are available for those who want to take their lunch with them into the park. The moules-frites are legendary. Reassuringly, given the location of the restaurant, there’s no fowl on the menu. www.baiedesomme.fr

The Princess Elizabeth

“A refined restaurant table in an exceptional facility,” is how the owners describe the Princess Elizabeth. This mighty paddle steamer, now moored in Dunkirk, played a vital role in the Dunkirk evacuations back in 1940. She even appeared in the 2017 movie Dunkirk. Nowadays you can enjoy her classic 1920s design as you dine aboard her. There’s a restaurant, a cocktail bar, a terrace and a tea room. www.princesselizabeth.eu

Le Galion

Typical Franco-Flemish specialities such as potjevleesch (potted meat), jambonneau (knuckle of ham), carbonnade (beef stew) and warm Camembert are on the menu at this pleasant, unfussy estaminet in Zuydcoote. www.legalionestaminet.fr

From France Today magazine