L'Ermitage Mont Saint Michel – Blog

Brittany Ferries conmfortable ships are a great way to travel to Mont Saint Michel for a week-end.  The details below are from english week-end newspaper ‘The Independent’.

Portsmouth high-speed services

Up to three days away from £119 return for car and two passengers

Speed across to Cherbourg daily from Portsmouth in just three hours and enjoy a few days exploring historic Normandy.

Example itinerary:

Thursday: depart Portsmouth 09:00, arrive Cherbourg 13:00. Visit the Bayeux Tapestry, Mont St Michel, the poignant D-Day beaches, or simply explore the Cotentin peninsular – all within an easy drive.

Sunday: depart Cherbourg 17:00, arrive Portsmouth 19:00.

Other itineraries available – see website for details.

Book online here or call 0871 244 0394, quoting ‘Independent’.

Terms and conditions

Book by 30 April 2012 for travel until 12 July 2012. Travel exclusions: ex UK 31 May, 1, 2 and 14 June. Ex France 7 May, 9, 18 June. Additional charges apply for additional passengers, vehicles over 1.83m high and/or 6m long, trailers and caravans. Terms and Conditions apply including full payment at the time of booking. Amendment fees apply and bookings are non-refunadable in the event of cancellation. For full Terms and Conditions visitwww.brittanyferries.com/independent. Promoter: Brittany Ferries

Cross the Channel to Mont Saint Michel

Plymouth flagship sailings

Up to three days away from £139 return for car and two passengers

Cruise from Plymouth aboard Brittany Ferries’ flagship, Pont-Aven, and enjoy award-winning service and facilities before spending a few days in Brittany.

Itinerary:

Thursday: depart Plymouth 20:45, arrive Roscoff 08:00. Cruise overnight and make the most of the ship’s many facilities before retiring to your cabin. On arrival venture south to Quimper, or the coastal resorts of Carnac and Concarneau, or go east and discover the Pink Granite Coast.

Sunday: enjoy a choice of return day sailings to Plymouth.

Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer que L’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel a finalement obtenu la permission de faire atterrir un hélicoptère a proximité de l’hôtel. Un service qui plaira à nos client VIP qui veulent venir rapidement depuis Paris.

Les coordonnées GPS de l’hélisurface sont 48°36’09.35″ N – 1°30’46.56″ O, à un petit kilomètre de l’hôtel.

Heliport pour L'Ermitage Mont Saint Michel

Venir à L’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel en hélicoptère:

Informations qui devront nous être communiquées au minimum 24 heures à l’avance pour enregistrement au Registre des Mouvements afin d’obtenir l’autorisation :

1 – Date d’arrivée (éventuellement créneau horaire),

2 – Immatriculation de l’appareil,

3 – Type d’appareil,

4 – Personne Physique ou Morale propriétaire de l’Hélicoptère

5 – Nom du Pilote (+ N° de Téléphone portable souhaité)

6 – Compagnie d’Assurance – N° de police d’Assurance – Date de Validité (une copie de la quittance au format PDF est idéale)

7 – Nombre de Passagers.

Attention: Pas de Refuelling possible sur place (Dinard-Pleurtuit (LFRD) à 22 nautiques pour Avgas 100 LL ou Jet A1)

Pour Mémoire : Assurance Responsabilité Civile de la machine à jour.

RAPPEL : L’utilisation de l’hélisurface est de la pleine responsabilité du pilote, L’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel ne peu en aucun cas être tenu responsable de l’utilisation de cet héliport.

Hospitality is a people business.  Nothing new there you might say.  Well, at least this is true in the middle and upper segment of the business. Some may be familiar with those ‘Formula 1′ hotels in France (part of Accor group) where you could stay for very cheap and basically not see anyone.  However, for anyone aspiring to provide more than just a bed, a bathroom and a TV, the human touch is essential.

The human touch. A hard to define concept, yet so unmistakably obvious when you are at the receiving end of one of these gifted waiter, reception attendants, hotel managers, concierge, etc.  As with most skill, experience and training are important, but some individuals are clearly more equal than others. Nowadays it is fashionable to refer to it as ‘emotional intelligence’, unequivocally implying that some have it, some don’t.  A radical statement of this kind may not be politically correct, but the reality simply speaks for itself.  Yes, some people get it. L’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel was co-founded by such a person – Claude.  Now in his sixties, Claude has a wealth of experience covering all 5 continents.  An experience on which he draws naturally to build  a rapport with our customers.

Personalised service at l'Ermitage Mont Saint Michel

Why ramble on about such truisms I hear you say?  Well, simply because this week we receive some amazing feedback from some very happy customer, for whom we’d ‘gone the extra mile’ as they say.  They were charming, and during the first week of January the hotel was not busy, so Claude had plenty of time to look after these charming guests from the Southern Hemisphere.  They enjoyed their 3-day stay so much  that they left the most amazing review on tripadvisor.  Now, at L’Ermitage we are no big fans of this company who is using every trick in the book to establish themselves as intermediaries between hoteliers and their customers, but this it’s different (!).  [Well not really, we are also pragmatic and follow the old adage according to which it is sometimes better to join those you cannot beat.]  So without further ado, you can find below a copy of this wonderful, which had brought some sunshine in our hearts in the middle of a cold and -too – quiet winter – we can’t wait the high season to come back !

From trip advisor: 

We stayed for three wonderful nights in the quieter first week of January. English speaking owner Claude, much travelled and charming, met us at the station, assisted with bags and gave us a personalized welcome tour of Ermitage. His elegant taste and flair have directed the decor of this boutique hotel where frequent touches of luxury pamper the guests. With his team of local staff, Claude has set out to provide a calm, relaxed and rejuvenating luxury retreat which highlights the much celebrated food, wine and hospitality of Normandy, close to the extraordinary Mont St Michel and lovely towns like St Malo. The tour buses from Paris pass regularly 11.00am-4.00pm but the overwhelming atmosphere at Ermitage is one of rural peace and relaxing; our junior suite on the second floor was a quiet, cozy nest. The newly established garden and outdoor terraces offer opportunities for sun. Ermitage’s talented young chef trained both at his family’s restaurant and also at an overseas Michelin starred one. His menus focus on the very best seasonal produce and dishes are well presented (see photos). The restaurant only seats 20 and so service is attentive. Any lack of staff sophistication is balanced by their friendliness and genuine desire to make your stay a happy one. Our breakfasts (in your suite or in the dining room) and dinners were delicious and we enjoyed the small but interesting wine list. We can also recommend the welcoming ‘French kiss’ cocktail with it’s fresh raspberries. As a proud Norman, Claude is happy to direct you (or even to drive you) to neighboring towns and to the best regional producers of quality food and wine. He transports guests to and from Mont St Michel and provides tickets to avoid the
queues. We had a great time on a visit to St Malo with the entertaining tour guide Claude, including stopping off on the way for a feast of the freshest oysters with local cider and wine at one of his favorite oyster farmers. If you are lucky enough to spend time with this most generous and amiable of hosts then it is a memorable and laughter filled experience. Enjoy Ermitage and be treated as very special before it becomes too hard to get a booking!

Portsmouth has always been a gateway to the sea for England, it is after all one of its main Navy base, and the city history and fortunes has been linked with the sea traffic for several centuries.  It is therefore not surprising to find the Portsmouth actively promoting the tourists spot s which are Le Mont Saint Michel and Saint Malo.

Full article below

Fortified city of Saint Malo - 55km from Le Mont Saint Michel

“At this time of year, when you tend to need a few extra additions to the wine cellar, many a hardy traveller will make a pilgrimage across the Channel.

But it needn’t be an extended version of Supermarket Sweep with a flying visit to a hypermarket and a boot-load of booze. In fact, Dale Winton needn’t even get off his sunbed.

While the French know a thing or two about wine, they have plenty more to offer for those who want to enjoy a rather more relaxed trip with some culture, gastronomy and a bit of shopping thrown in for good measure

With Brittany Ferries offering the hassle-free route direct from our doorstep in Portsmouth on the overnight ferry to St Malo in Brittany, your trusty car can be packed up – or left as empty as possible – to suit your needs on the outward trip.

Leave home shores mid-evening and wake up in north west France the next morning. It couldn’t be easier.

Once ashore, the pretty coastal town of St Malo awaits and the Hotel Beaufort – situated about 10 steps away from the most glorious sandy beach – is an ideal location for a base.

With its walled city dating back to medieval times, the cobbled streets and mazy passageways no longer serve soldiers attempting to protect the country from those nasty English invaders.

Instead, it now serves the modern generation of tourists, including the not-so nasty English who are even prepared to pay for the privilege of helping themselves to the local goods on offer these days.

With a Christmas market running at the picturesque Chateau from December 16-24, late gifts and a range of stalls boasting all kinds of food and crafts will help you find something for even the most difficult of relatives.

If you’re happy to explore farther afield and take your chances driving on the wrong side of the road, there’s a wealth of interesting coastal locations within easy reach.

The magnificent Mont St Michel and its 11th century abbey – less than an hour away but in neighbouring Normandy – is well worth visiting.

Perched on an island and towering into the sky, it’s an incredible feat of engineering, boasting of its links to a time from the dim and distant past.

But the French cuisine remains a standard-bearer.

As a less than enthusiastic lover of seafood in previous years, painstakingly pulling odd creatures apart before you actually get to the smallest edible morsel tended to point me towards those big, juicy steaks elsewhere on the menu.

But considering that St Malo boasts the highest concentration of seafood restaurants in Europe and, encouraged to broaden my horizons, I was soon eyeballing a gigantic platter of what appeared to be the recently-deceased cast of Finding Nemo.

To a paid-up member of Captain Birdseye’s fan club, it’s all you could wish for with the fresh catch from that day brought to your table a few hours later.

Some of it tasted great, some of it didn’t. But even after fumbling around with those things that look like nutcrackers and not actually finding any nuts to crack, it was a whole new experience to do battle with a lobster’s claw.

But as a region, regardless of the time of year, Brittany retains an easy-going and welcoming feel to it.

Just remember to grab a few bottles of locally-produced wine as a souvenir of your trip.”

Vous pouvez maintenant réserver votre Réveillon de la Saint Sylvestre a l’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel sur notre site internet.

Notre Chef Guillaume Leroux a concocté un menu gastronomique spécialement pour cette occasion.  Le diner sera suivi d’une soiree dansante anime par un DJ.

Le réveillon est ouvert aux clients de l’hôtel, aussi bien qu’a la clientèle extérieure. Cela dit, le premier groupe n’aura pas le soucis de savoir qui prend le volant pour rentrer.

Ambiance raffinée pour célébrer 2012

Chef Guillaume Leroux

Réveillon de la Saint Sylvestre

New Year’s Eve 

MENU

Amuse Bouche de la Mer

Appetizers of the Sea

Foie Gras et ses Toasts

Foie Gras and Toasts

Aumônière de Homard & Saint-Jacques au Beurre Coraillé

 Purse of Saint-Jacques Scallops & Lobster with Coraille Roe Butter

Granité au Calvados

Calvados Granita

Emincé de Filet de Cerf à la Truffe Fraiche, Cèpes et Potimarron

Sliced ​​Venison Fillet with Fresh Truffle, Porcini and Butternut

Vacherin Mont d’Or, Salade à l’Huile de Noix

Vacherin Mont d’Or Cheese, Salad with Walnut Oil

Croustillant au Chocolat, Citron Vert, Sauce Suzette et Glace Vanille

Crispy Chocolate, Lime, Suzette Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

Mignardises et Chocolats

 Sweets and Chocolates

130.00 €

Boissons non comprises / Drinks not included

Taxes et Service Compris / Taxes and Service Included

Réservations / Booking 33 (0) 2 33 89 09 99

info@lermitagemontsaintmichel.com

3 months have passed since L’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel has opened its doors, and things are going pretty well. Most importantly, the overwhelming majority of our customers are very satisfied. They appreciate the comfort and the style of the place, the delicious restaurant and most of all the personalised service they receive.

The Hotel l’Ermitage Mont Saint Michel has so far received visitors from an incredibly wide range of locations. Juge for yourself: Russia, Japan, Argentina, Bresil, US, Canada, Germany, Belgium, British, Ukrainian, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Australia,…

Of course, this is only a reflection of the power of attraction of Le Mont Saint Michel. Despite the crowds, absolutely everyone is awed by the mystic beauty of this small tidal island. Indeed, during troubled times like these when there is so much uncertainty about the future, the physical presence of the Mont Saint Michel, which has now been around for about a thousand year, is soothing.

Clearly having le Mont Saint Michel on your doorstep is a blessing for a hotel, or indeed anyone is the hospitality industry.  At the top end of the market however, it is important for each place to develop its own personality. L’Ermitage must also become a destination in its own right.  Unsurprisingly, this require work… and patience.  Fortunately we are making progress:  following the signing of the partnership agreement with Quintessential announced in a previous entry of this blog, we are delighted to announce a great new partnership with London based concierge BonVivant.

The restaurant at l’Ermitage is equally pleased to be represented by La Fourchette. Now only in its second year, la fourchette has taken over 6 million (!) restaurant booking.   Just like Facebook was not the first social media internet service, they are not the first people to offer a restaurant booking service online. They have however found the right formula, which makes it a runaway success.  We look forward to serving many customers booked through ‘La Fourchette’ !

Yours,

R

Some of you may have been lucky enough to witness the amazing ‘grandes marées‘ (very high tides) in September.  This very predictable natural event, change the landscape and the colours around le Mont Saint Michel and invariably create and eerie atmosphere.

The great tides on the Bay of Mont Saint Michel are the highest to be found in Continental Europe, with up to 15 meters difference between the high point and the low point, when the sea will retire as far as 15 kilometres from the coast line.

Great tides take place two or three times a year, typically close to equinox.  The strong Atlantic tide surge into the Channel and clashes up against the natural barrier offered by the Cotentin Peninsula (this is the bit of land with Cherbourg on top!).  This results in dramatic tidal movements in which tourists often get caught (sometimes with tragic consequences). Despite numerous sign and warnings, visitors somehow forget to remove their cars from the car park, which is submerged a high tide (although this will no longer happen once the new car park is opened in Beauvoir). A look around YouTube will show plenty of videos of floating vehicles and panicking owners.

Le Mont Saint Michel during a very high tide

...compare with Mont Saint Michel at low tide.

Another great features is know locally as ‘le mascaret’, when the tidal creates a wave into rivers estuary on the Bay.  This creates perfect conditions for surfers and kayaks to have fun.

The next Grande Marées  will be on October 28th and 29th 2011. This conveniently falls on a Friday and a Saturday.  It’s not too late to book !

Yours,

R