La Licorne & Spa

Located just 100 kilometers to the northeast of Paris, but a world away in a village of Norman timbered houses and cobbled streets, is a dear inn. It has an absolutely storybook timbered exterior of old beams set into salmon-pink stucco, a decorative wrought-iron sign of a unicorn, and an inscription indicating that it has been an inn since 1610. You enter into a cozy hallway with a large old trunk set on the sienna and cream tiles, all under old beams. You will want to linger over breakfast as the breakfast room is so cozy and intimate with its large open fireplace, handsome copper pieces, and wonderful corner grandmother clock. Opposite is a salon where you can sit on red velvet sofas or grab a stool at the bar. In warm weather it is also lovely to sit at tables nestled in the shade of the back garden. While three of the guestrooms are found in a cottage off the garden, most (16) are up a creaking staircase with a marvelous heavy old banister. Under new ownership, guestrooms that I previously described as “a bit dated in décor”, are now being remodeled! Rooms are clean and bright, enjoy private baths, and for the price are appealingly spacious. I especially liked rooms 5 and 6: both were large, had a sitting area, and overlooked the activity of the front street and old central market.