Arnaud is a friendly sort. I like to think he’s always smiling but it’s hard to be sure because of the mask as we stay with him for two nights under Covid conditions. We’d received good communications with him leading up to the stay at his AirBnB in the small hamlet of Beauvoir, on a slight rise overlooking the bay containing Mont Saint Michel (MSM) on the border between Brittany and Normandy in France.
We’d taken almost every form of transportation to get there from Edinburgh: a flight to Jersey, a ferry to Saint Malo, a train to Pontorson and a bus to La Greve which turned out to be a cluster of restaurants on the main road to MSM, a ten minute walk from Beauvoir.
When we arrived we could see a family enjoying the late summer sun in the orchard under the apple trees and Arnaud came bustling along to show us the facilities and where our room was.
The Room
I was surprised by the room: it was exactly as the photos had shown it but the photos did not show the size and airiness of the room. There was a very comfortable couch beside the open air wardrobe. I wasn’t sure if Ange liked it because it was so comfortable or because it matched the palette of her clothes: muted aqua and stone marl.
The bed was huge. The flatness of the pillows wasn’t an issue, and I couldn’t figure out what the effect he was going for with the four posts, but there was no disputing the comfort or the size of the bed, we slept well both nights we stayed there.
The bathroom again was huge and new. We could have done with a soap dispenser of some sort in the shower, but it was easy enough to take the pump dispenser from the sink inside when we washed. The shower itself was close enough to brand new and the water pressure good.
Breakfast
Breakfast time is where Arnaud shined. He put on an impressive spread with cereal, yoghurt, croissant, rolls, pain du chocolate, baguettes, some sort of sweet loaf, an assortment of jams and marmalades, camembert with freshly made coffee and juice. Just what you need before walking the thirty minutes to where the free shuttles take you the rest of the way to MSM.
We were impressed by Arnaud’s flexibility also. When he discovered we’d exhausted what we wanted to do in MSM, he suggested we have a free late check-out to enjoy the comforts of our room before we headed off for the train station in Pontorson. No attempt to squeeze money out of us for the privilege, just being hospitable.
I’d definitely return if I was to visit Mont Saint Michel again. It’s far enough away from MSM to not have the premium that places try to charge, and yet it’s close enough to make it to the free shuttles without any fuss. While there aren’t any restaurants in Beauvoir, there are plenty a mere ten minute walk in La Greve. But mainly I’d return because of Arnaud and his hospitality.
