Paris1972-Versailles2003

Let me tell you about classic Deauvilleone of the most chic of French cities and is not in the south riviera! This is Normandie at its best , and we like it. This is glitzy and old charm town but it is very famous with the upper class and under, I found me more pics in my cd rom vault and should be here for you and me, Do read my other posts on the City, Therefore, here is my take on curiosities of Deauville !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The City of Deauville in the Department 14 of Calvadosin the region of Normandie and in my belle France. It is 17 km from Honfleur (many times on this route), 93 km from Rouen, 190 km from Versailles, and 356 km from my current home, It is considered, with its casino, its palaces, its classic villas, its racing fields, its marinas, its convention center, its American film Festival, its golfs and its discotheques, and the beach as one of the most prestigious city in France.

In 1912, the Hôtel Le Normandy opened, The hotel is located in the city center of Deauville, facing the beaches of Les Planches,(see post) close to the seaside road. Around 1912, at the time of the development of French seaside resorts, François André founded the Barrière group, with his partner Eugène Cornuché (owner of the restaurant Maxim’s in Paris, and director of the casino in Trouville-sur-Mer) It is the first of the city’s grand palace hotels, Coco Chanel sets up her Chanel hat boutique within the hotel grounds, This hotel is built in a traditional regional architecture of Anglo-Norman manor-cottage style with pastel green half-timbering and stone checkerboards. It has 231 rooms, 33 suites, and 7 family apartments decorated by interior designer Jacques Garcia, inspired by the Belle Époque style. 19 lounges can host conferences, receptions, cocktails, or gala evenings. The suite “A Man and a Woman” is preserved as a souvenir and tribute to the legendary love scene from Claude Lelouch’s 1966 film, with Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The establishment has a restaurant “La Belle époque”, an American piano bar offering a menu of 123 varieties of whiskey, a fitness center, a spa, and a children’s club “Le Studio by Petit VIP”. Disclaimer, I have not stayed here but did had drinks in the bar coming from the beach.

The official Le Normandy Hotel : https://www.hotelsbarriere.com/en/deauville/le-normandy

The Villa Strassburger ,the former Villa Rothschild, was built between 1907 and 1912 for Baron Henri de Rothschild, a great racing enthusiast. The latter chose to settle near the racecourse. The villa is built on the site of the Ferme du Coteau (farm), property of the Gustave Flaubert family. It can be visited from June to September and by appointment. Otherwise it is an event group rental, Initially named “Villa du Coteau”, it was later called “Villa Strassburger” because it became, after being purchased in 1924 from Henri de Rothschild, the Deauville residence of the American billionaire Ralph Beaver Strassburger. They received many personalities, such as the composer Vincent Scotto, the actress and singer Suzy Delair, the industrialist Marcel Boussac, Prince Ali Khan, the businessman Pierre Wertheimer and the Count of Niel, Ralph B. Strassburger died in 1959 and his widow, heiress of Singer, in 1975. Their son Peter donated the residence with its furniture to the city of Deauville in 1980 ,which has been providing it since its management and maintenance On the ground floor, there are two lounges separated by a small operetta colonnade and a dining room, where are placed on a console table plates and dishes made of Lunéville porcelain. Ralph Strassburger’s office contains a vintage telephone, a diary from 1957 and a telephone directory from 1952. On the first floor, his bedroom is separated from his son’s ,by a bathroom that was very modern for the time, including a canvas sauna. Family paintings, portraits, photographs and watercolours of horses hang on the walls. Madame Strassburger’s bedroom has a Louis XVI-Empress style bathroom. On the second level are the guest bedrooms.

The Deauville area tourist office on the Villa Strassburger : https://en.indeauville.fr/la-villa-strassburger

The Mairie or City/Town Hall located at 20 rue Robert Fossorier is probably the most photographed building in Deauville after the Promenade des Planches (see beach). In 1861, one year after the birth of Deauville, the municipal administrative services were transferred from the historic town of Dosville, located on the Coteau to the new town, Deauville, where they successively occupied several rented premises. The City Hall was finally built in 1880. The building, rectangular in plan, is located in the center of a garden that was enclosed at the time. A first wing was added around 1900, intended to house the Post and Telegraph administration, then a second in 1910 to house the police station. In 1950, the central body was clad in bricks and stones on the ground floor and with a false vertical timber frame in the upper parts. At the same time, the enclosure was transformed into a square. The west wing was built in 1961 in the architectural spirit of hinterland manors. Quant nice area and great architecture indeed.

The Deauville tourist office on the City hall (mairie) : https://en.indeauville.fr/la-mairie

You must walk along rue Eugène Colas to reach this mini-square full of architectural history. The casino, built in 1912, is a legendary place. Since its inauguration by Nijinsky and the Ballets Russes, its Italian-style theater now hosts, among other things, the programming of the City’s Cultural Season. On the opposite corner, the Le Normandy Barrière hotel offers its entrance on the Cour Normande side. Coco Chanel opened her first boutique there in 1913, and invented Chanel beige in reference to the wet sand of the beach. Among the must-see shopping spots, Au Printemps at 104 rue Eugène Colas. An institution present in Deauville since 1912, a true architectural gem with its Art Deco style. Auguste Eugéne Colas was the son of Eugène and Jeanne Hamon. He joined the Navy in 1930. He married in 1932 and had an only son. In 1940, he was second helmsman on “La Bourrasque”; he was injured when the ship was lost and on 30 May 1940, evacuated and treated in England. On 12 July 1940, he joined the Free French Forces on board the battleship “Courbet”. On 9 September 1940, he was assigned to the division of submarine hunters based in Cowes; “Q43”. On June 11, 1941, he boarded the “Chasseur 11 – Boulogne”. He drowned on February 3, 1942 in the port of Newhaven (England). His body rests in the cemetery of Pleurtuit, Ille-et-Vilaine (dept 35 Brittany), body repatriated in 1945.

The City of Deauville on its history/heritage : https://www.mairie-deauville.fr/ville/les-atouts-de-lhistoire

The Deauville tourist office on its heritage :  https://en.indeauville.fr/les-lieux-incontournables-de-deauville

The Normandy Tourist Board on Deauville:  https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/unmissable-sites/deauville/

There you , if refinement is your taste ,this Deauvilleis for you, even more than Paris. This is old money here ,even if lately some well to do families do come and some curious ones too. Like I said is an alternative to vacations in Francefor anyone.Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Deauville !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!