The Normandy Barriere is a striking and swanky hotel with a whopping 290 rooms. It's located in an enviable position in the heart of Deauville overlooking the seafront. On-site dining is excellent and facilities are impressive, though they lack any real wow factor. Some rooms are worn and lack air-conditioning, but many have lovely sea views. Two fine-dining restaurants and a cocktail bar are on-site, as well as a fitness center, small business center, and meeting rooms.

Villa Lara Hotel is a charming and intimate four-pearl boutique hotel with 28 rooms located in the historical center of Bayeux. The property is popular with tourists visiting World War II sites in the area. Though the building is small, there are some great features including an on-site gift shop selling locally made gifts and textiles, a fitness center, and a breakfast room with a bar in the library-style lounge. Spacious rooms are individually decorated and spotlessly clean. Each is air-conditioned and has varying views of the cathedral. Wi-Fi and parking are free, but breakfast and laundry services cost extra. The neighborhood is walkable and loaded with restaurants, shops, and cultural sights.

The Adagio Caen Centre is an upper-middle-range, 120-apartment hotel set in the modern, and not particularly attractive, center of Caen. The picturesque historical center is just within walking distance, however, and it's easy access to and from the nearby train station. Apartments are smart and modern with excellent kitchens and bathrooms, though beds are a letdown. Overall, if you want self-catering close to the station at very reasonable rates, this place is a strong option -- just don't expect too much in the way of charm.

This large, contemporary complex sits in a wooded park that's about an hour and a half from Paris, and a mile outside the small town of Forges-les-Eaux. It offers a large selection of features, including a small golf course, an adjacent lake with pedal boats, indoor tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a spa. The rooms here, some of which are slightly worn around the edges, are large, and comfortable, though a bit generic. There is a casino across the street, and plenty of handsome park grounds for lounging and strolling. The property tends to attract families and couples on vacation, but is also a venue for corporate retreats.

La Maison de Lucie is a charming and intimate boutique property built in a historic 18th-century house within walking distance of the equally charming village of Honfleur. Couples stay here for the stylish rooms lovingly decorated with antiques and curated art, though some rooms are small and storage is hard to come by. A simple breakfast is served for a fee in the lovely courtyard gardens and there's a romantic hot tub in the basement level. Parking requires reservations in advance and costs extra, though both practices are common in this region.

Les Terrasses Poulard is one of a number of no-frills inns available to tourists wishing to spend the night within the walls of Mont Saint-Michel. The 29 basic rooms here are spread across three separate buildings. Rooms are on the plain side, though some have charming historical touches such as decorative fireplaces and crown molding. The on-site restaurant receives better reviews than most on the island. There is a small business center with Internet access available to guests.

The 19-room Ivan Vautier Hotel is a luxury boutique built around its renowned restaurant. Set on a somewhat drab, residential street away from central Caen, location certainly isn't its selling point -- though rooms are smart and appropriately high-end with excellent bathrooms and amenities. The spa area is good enough for the caliber of hotel (with steam bath, sauna, and hot tub) but the restaurant is, of course, the highlight and the food certainly won't disappoint. Overall, the hotel is swanky without quite hitting seriously upscale, but reasonable rates do tend to reflect this. 

The Augeval Hotel is a mid-range property with 32 rooms spread over two buildings. Exteriors are charming and traditional and the garden and pool area are small but pleasant, but some interiors could use a little love. The hotel is located within walking distance of most of Deauville's attractions and is a 10-minute walk to the beach. A modest spa, jetted tubs in some bathrooms, and 24-hour room service are unexpected extras for this level of hotel, and it's a good-value alternative to the many more expensive options closer to the beach.

This small, charming, family-run value hotel of 43 rooms overlooks Normandy's port of Treport, offering fantastic views of the harbor and sea. The simple rooms, some of which can accommodate up to five people, are decorated in brightly colored textiles, and include large wooden armoires and desks, high ceilings, and large windows. Be aware, though, that the hotel, especially the street-facing rooms, does get noise from the surrounding restaurants and bars. A daily buffet breakfast (for a fee) is served in a nautically themed room that overlooks the harbor. The hotel also offers  free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, and billiards (either French or American style).