Contemporary small hotel by the Seine in rural Normandy

La Maison Plûme / Villequier / France

The most common question M asks me when we are arriving at a new hotel is: ”How did you find this place?” Most of the time I know exactly how and where but sometimes, like with this one, I can’t for the life of me remember, but man am I glad I somehow did find it. The hotel I am talking about is La Maison Plume.

La Maison Plume is a super cute boutique hotel, situated right on the Seine river in Normandy, France. It is run by Simon and Jeanne who are also the creative masterminds behind this gem (or actually Simon shared that Jeanne is the one that has the ideas and he is the one that executes them). They used to live in Paris until they came across this old hotel in Jeanne’s childhood village and decided to leave the city life and start a new chapter. Now it is 4 years and two kids later.

So what is it that is so great about this place? Let me tell you. First of all it is a small hotel with only 5 rooms which you know I love. Second of all, it is the personal touch both when it comes to the design but also the service. It is great to see and feel how much Jeanne and Simon loves their hotel and how that manifests in the attention to detail. This is also evident in how they approach us as guests. Welcoming and attentive without it becoming too much. Third I love the Frenchness of it all. All the other guests were French, the hotel info was only in French. And finally it is the relaxed vibe. It is like we slow down to match the gentle pace of the mighty Seine that is ever present at the hotel, considering it is right by the door step. There are no TV:s, tablets or phones. Just calm. We realized that we started to speak in a lower volume after a while.

The room we stayed in was called Douce which means gentle in French. What a great name for a hotel room and it was so spot on. The soft, dusty pink and blue colors created such a gentle feeling, framed by blush velvet curtains and rustic wood furniture. And don’t get me started on the pink tiles in the bathroom. I almost wish we pulled them down and brought them home. :-)

The days at La Maison Plume are spent relaxing in the lush courtyard, bike rides along the Seine or a slow walk through the cute village. A perfect receipt for a relaxing weekend off the beaten track.

The “reception” and bar area. Can we please talk about the color scheme! So on point!

There is a great honesty bar where you can just help yourself and settle the tab upon departure. Love that!

A glance through the window of the cozy court yard.

The color scheme in the corridor is a gentle greenish blue.

We stayed at the room called Douce, which means gentle. The colors says it all.

Everything in our room was so gentle, soft and tactile.

This was actually the reason why I booked this room. I knew that M would go crazy over these tiles. And he did. I almost had to stop him from pulling them down from the wall.

This was the view from our room. Almost hypnotizingly beautiful.

Dusty pink and soft coral tones set the tone in the hotel. So beautiful!

Breakfast is served. I am kind of obsessed with the tiled floors. In combination with colorful rugs and mismatched old wood furniture it is a look I really love.

The Seine is always there, right outside the window setting the pace.

My favorite spot at the hotel were the two white chairs under the balcony. To sit there in the rain with a glass of wine and a book…

The main street of the village of Villequier where the hotel is located.

M biking slowly along the Seine taking in the views.

Normandy has so much to offer. Simon recommended us to go to Des Grandes Dalles. And we did. And we had a swim in the warm sea. And we loved it.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…want to get away from it all and enjoy a couple of days in hotel and environment that invites you to relax. Both the design of the place as well as the location and the service really invites you to kick back and tune out.

My favorite thing about this place…

…is the design. It is not what you would expect when seeing the hotel from the outside. It looks like a traditional, French house by the river but inside it is contemporary with bold colors, velvet curtains, a mix between new and vintage furniture as well as a quirky personal touch.

The quality booster…

…is Simon (we never got to met his wife Jeanne). He went beyond to make sure we would have a good time. I love when the people that own a hotel are the ones working there. How the passion they have for their place is seen and felt by us staying there.

What not to miss when staying here is…

…to bike along the Seine. There are bikes waiting for you in the courtyard so just hop on. There is a bike path along the river in both directions. The goal is that in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024 there will be a bike path all the way from Paris to Le Havre by the coast.

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