Deauville, Normandy is one of the closest beach town to Paris and it makes for a really nice weekend getaway. The town of Deuville is considered to be the heart of the Norman Riviera. I personally didn’t know that the Normandy area of France boasted a “Riviera.” Normandy, to me, conjures up images of D-Day and Mont-St-Michel. A visit to this little town, however, changed my mind. It will probably change your mind as well.

It is because of Deauville’s proximity to Paris, the city has been a popular stomping ground for vacationing Parisians for over a century. It is referred to as the lady of the French coast, and lays claim to the birthplace of the Coco Chanel handbag craze for it was here that Chanel opened a little boutique and began selling her bags. The town is also famous for horses, so it is quite easy to see a race or polo match in between sunning yourself on the beach.

We chose to base ourselves in the very pleasant Hotel Le Trophée. The hotel, which has 35 recently renovated rooms, is in the middle of downtown a few hundred feet from the beach. Our room was large and well maintained and included a Jacuzzi and balcony. The staff was quite polite and most everyone spoke enough English to make up for my French. The highlight of the hotel was undoubtedly its gorgeous little swimming pool.

While Deauville and the Hotel Le Trophée make for a great getaway from the city, there is one word of warning… Deauville is considered by many to be the unofficial 21st arrondissement of Paris and prices reflect this fact.