Where to Stay and Eat in the Nord

Enjoy warm northern hospitality on your trip through the Nord department.

STAY & EAT

1. Radisson Blu Grand Hotel & Spa

Right on the seafront in Malo-les-Bains, this large hotel offers dining, a kids’ club and babysitting, plus a spa with an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a hammam, a snow fountain and a salt cave.

2. Royal Hainaut Spa & Resort Hotel

This 18th-century former hospital in Valenciennes is now a four- star hotel with intricate façades, double-storey windows and three courtyards. Dine in the brasserie or the Italian restaurant, and enjoy the indoor pool, steam room, sauna or spa treatment cabins

3. Hermitage Gantois

Founded in 1462, this was a hospice until the 1990s, after which it was fully renovated and tumed into a hotel. The in-house brasserie offers Flemish-tinged dishes and more than 15 different beers. The hotel also claims to have the only spa with a heated swimming pool in all of Lille.

STAY

1. Cottages de ValJoly

Stay in pretty wooden cottages right beside Lac du Valjoly, the largest lake in northern France. The lakeside resort offers an aquatic centre, horse riding, fishing and sailing. There are 152 cottages in all, each accommodating between two and eight guests.

2. Ecolodges Flandre Lys

There are three eco-lodges at this river port in Haverskerque on the River Lys. Each one features a main room, a kitchenette and a mezzanine, with room to sleep four people. They are available from the start of September.

EAT & DRINK

1. Le Cerisier

“Open kitchen, subdued atmosphere, intimate terrace. attentive service,” boast the owners of this Michelin-starred restaurant in Lille. “Here, tradition and modernity combine with passion and creativity.” Chef Mathieu Boutroy has created some mouthwatering menus.

2. La Moule Rit

You’ll find every possible style of mussel dish on the menu at this great Dunkerque seafront restaurant, ranging from classic marinière, or white wine with cream, to sauces composed of cheese, curry, Tex-Mex, cider, whisky, beer and calvados. Who ever imagined this humble bivalve could be so versatile? “A temple to the mussel,” is how La Moule Rit has been described.

3. Auberge du Vert Mont

Here’s how the Michelin Guide describes this lovely Flemish restaurant in Boeschepe, close to the Belgian border: “Tucked away in the heart of the countryside, chef Florent Ladeyn, an ecological champion from the word go, is a standard-bearer of authentic Flemish fare steeped in gourmet flavours, albeit with a creative, instinctive spin. In a dining room, refurbished fram top to toe with exposed rafters and overlooking the West Flanders hillsides, the chef unveils his passion for ember roasting, which he carries out in front of diners. Firmly committed to local produce, he strews his creations with flowers and plants from the region. His Maroilles fries covered with a thin layer of caramelised onion have attained almost legendary status, Rich in gourmet delights!”

4. Brasserie Vivat

They’ve been making beer on this spot in Le Cateau-Cambrésis for 1,000 years, with monks being the original brewers. There are 21 different beers available, ranging from blondes, ambrées, stouts and IPAs to much more fruity numbers. The on-site restaurant will pair your food with your beer. You can also take a brewery tour.

5. Le Carô

Opposite the old Wallers-Arenberg mine is this bar restaurant run by Juliette and Théo. The menu, which changes regularly, offers burgers, rack of lamb, sea bass, arancinci and vegetable tarts. There’s also a boulodrome for post-prandial pétanque.

6. L’Eclusier

This great restaurant beside the canal in Gravelines specialises in aged meat. Currently on the menu is beef tartar with chorizo, grilled tripe, brochettes of beef and duck and a wagyu bavette.

7. Au Baron Brasserie

This bar and restaurant in Gussignies, with a lovely terrace overlooking the Hogneau river, offers mainly salads and meat dishes, alongside its famous artisanal beers. You can also join a brewery visit.

8. Aux Merveilleux de Fred

Droolworthy confections await the sweet of tooth at this Lille establishment helmed by master pâtissier Frédéric Vaucamps, who has reinvented the classic Merveilleux to moreish acclaim.

From France Today Magazine