Domaine Du Val

Domaine Du Val Overview

You know what? I wasn’t expecting much when I first pulled up to Domaine Du Val – honestly, the approach through Grand-Laviers is pretty unremarkable, just typical Picardy countryside with those endless fields stretching toward the coast. But then you turn onto Chemin Du Val and suddenly there’s this charming property tucked away like someone’s well-kept secret. The building has that classic French country manor feel without being stuffy about it, and I mean, you can actually hear birds here instead of traffic, which is saying something when you’re still close enough to Amiens that you could drive there for dinner.

The thing that really got me was how the staff seemed to actually remember your name after one conversation – not in that forced hospitality way, but genuinely. My room overlooked their gardens (well, sort of gardens mixed with what looked like the owner’s personal vegetable patch), and I’d wake up to this soft morning light filtering through these old-style shutters. The rooms themselves are what you’d expect from a solid 3-star – clean, comfortable beds, decent wifi that actually works, though the shower pressure could be better if I’m being honest. But there’s character here that you just don’t get in chain hotels. The floorboards creak in a good way, and someone clearly put thought into the decor instead of just ordering everything from a catalog.

What really sealed it for me was the location – you’re basically at the edge of the Somme Bay area, which means you can drive to those incredible coastal spots around Le Crotoy in maybe twenty minutes, but you’re staying somewhere quiet enough that you’ll actually sleep well. The little villages around here don’t get the crowds that hit the more famous parts of northern France, so you feel like you’re discovering something. Plus, parking is never an issue (trust me, after dealing with city centers all week, this matters), and they have this informal breakfast setup where you can linger over coffee without feeling rushed. I ended up chatting with other guests – a mix of French families doing weekend getaways and a few international travelers who’d clearly done their research. The kind of place where an 8.9 rating makes perfect sense once you’ve been there, because it’s not trying to be fancy, it’s just genuinely good at what it does.