Need to know
Rooms
16, including 10 suites.
Check–Out
Noon, but flexible until 3pm; check-in is at 3pm, but flexible from 11am. Early check-in and late check-out times are subject to availability and an additional charge.
More details
Rates don’t include breakfast, but buffet and à la carte options are available daily from €29 a head.
Also
Unfortunately, this hotel’s historic layout makes it challenging for guests with limited mobility.
Hotel closed
Verneuil La Douce closes annually for three to four weeks in January.
At the hotel
Gardens, living room with books and board games, events space, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: air-conditioning, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, clothes steamer, bathrobes, slippers and bespoke bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Local artist Margot Gillot is to thank for the soothing, hand-painted wallpapers that define each of Verneuil La Douce’s individually designed bedrooms. Rêverie is the sweetest of the smaller options, but if you're looking to indulge, we'd go for the Eden Suite with its suntrap conservatory.
Poolside
A mosaic-tiled still life by Ben Arpéa graces the base of the hotel’s outdoor heated pool, where plush sunloungers are shaded under pastel-toned parasols and a 200-year-old plane tree. There’s a second heated pool indoors at the spa for adults-only dips. Both are open year-round from 9am to 8pm.
Spa
Treatments at the hotel’s small spa (open 9am to 8pm) are hosted by French beauty brand Holidermie, in an intimate room softened with hand-painted murals and verdant garden views. There’s a sauna and steam room, too, if you fancy lingering a little longer.
Packing tips
Palettes and portable easels — inspiration is bound to strike with these walls as your artistic surroundings.
Also
Be sure to check the Orangery’s schedule before you arrive — there’s often a roster of engaging events to attend, including screenings, readings, recitals and workshops.
Pet‐friendly
Dogs are allowed in all rooms, and everywhere else in the hotel, for €35 a day. See more pet-friendly hotels in Normandy.
Children
Children of all ages are welcome at Verneuil La Douce, courtesy of a kids’ club and array of family-friendly rooms. An overhead projector and play teepee can be supplied, on request and subject to availability.
Best for
Over-fours will have the most fun here.
Recommended rooms
Cots can be added to every room, and extra beds to all but the Palette Room. Some Rêverie Suites have built-in bunk beds for younger children, but the two-bedroom Family and Connecting Suites would be our preference.
Crèche
The Little Artists’ Workshop entertains four- to 12-year-olds with an abundance of hands-on, creative activities. It's €25 for a three-and-a-half-hour slot, scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30pm until 1pm; there’s an afternoon slot on Saturday, too, between 2.30pm and 6pm, which also includes snacks. All childcare workers at the kids’ club are fully licensed and insured.
Swimming pool
The outdoor heated pool is child-friendly. There isn’t a lifeguard, so kids will need adult supervision, and outside of opening hours, the pool is covered and equipped with a safety alarm. The indoor spa pool is for over-18s only.
Meals
Child-approved menus are available at the restaurant.
Babysitting
External babysitters can be arranged with notice for an additional charge.
No need to pack
Leave Monopoly behind — there’s a batch of free-to-borrow board games in the living rooms.
Sustainability efforts
At Verneuil La Douce sustainable practices are prioritised: beehives have been installed around the grounds to encourage natural pollination, in line with the hotel’s zero-tolerance policy for phytosanitary products; buildings are fitted with geothermal systems for low-carbon energy, while high-performance heat pumps and wood-burning stoves provide insulation. Consumption is reduced further with LED lighting, thermostatic mixers, a ban on single-use plastic and recycling schemes. Chefs work closely with small-scale, organic suppliers, and donate all leftover food to local charities.
