Au Domaine Normand

We stayed at Alapalmeraie - 18 people (including children) on a family vacation. Upon arrival, we did not recognise the place as it looked quite unlike most of the online photos, which were mainly of a couple of bedrooms, one bathroom, the pool room and the garden area. The rest of the house looked quite dated and a little unkempt - there were cobwebs in the kitchen cupboards and some of the bathrooms smelt unclean with dirty shower trays. The place could do with a deep clean. Two of the showers in the main house didn't work very well, there was just a trickle of water as the hoses were leaking. There was also water dripping from the ceiling onto the staircase when one of the showers in the main house was in use. When we advised the host of this, we were told that they were aware of this and it only happened because the shower curtain wasn't placed inside the shower tray; however, the problem persisted even when this was done. When booking through Francois, we were advised via the terms & conditions that there would be additional charges for electricity, bedsheets, towels and a per person per night tax. Having rented a few other houses in France without such charges, these additional charges were a surprise to us. We were advised that they were standard additional charges and as Francois seemed like a genuine and trustworthy host, we didn't quibble further. However, upon departure we were shocked to be charged approx €24 for 14 toilet rolls, which was both unexpected and expensive (especially as we'd seen the same pack of toilet rolls in the local Carrefour for a fraction of the price). Overall, whilst we enjoyed the time together with family and Francois was very helpful as a host, the house wasn't to the cleanliness standards that we would usually expect and therefore we regret to say we will not be returning to Alapalmeraie.

I organised a trip for myself and 15 friends and decided to book the whole Alapalmeraie location. The houses and separate Chalet are fantastic, with more than enough facilities to look after a large group. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a small paradise in Normandy to book this. I am sure I will be back.

Stay from December 24th to 26th, 2025: We had a lovely Christmas in this large gîte. The property is beautiful. The surrounding countryside is beautiful. The croissants from the bakery in Lieurey are excellent. There were 20 of us. We simply and pleasantly found everything we needed for playing, chatting, having fun, cooking, eating, and sleeping. Access to the upstairs bedrooms in the main house wasn't always easy for the older members of our group, but it wasn't really a problem for our short stay. We managed without any issues the numerous times (at least ten in two days) when the main house's electricity meter tripped. Despite the helpful explanations from the person who greeted us, as well as the equally helpful phone calls from the owner, we were unable to get the heating working in the upstairs bedrooms of the main house. As it was very cold outside, both nights were quite chilly for some of us. The heating finally started working only during the final inspection upon our departure. We'll have to come back, but in the summer...