The Place
A recent revisit confirmed all our good feelings, and more. It’s a place of great first impressions, starting with charming entrance through the mellow perimeter wall, followed by relaxed, competent reception. Times may be hard, but Christian and Lindsay Germain and their team (including right-hand man in the kitchen, Sam Pesquet) are keeping up standards and prices are competitive. We liked the well-kept, rather English gardens, including the large open space at the back, our light country house style bedroom, and of course the food. It was warm enough to eat outside, and this was pleasantly relaxed compared with the pretty but serious dining room (appropriate for a chef of Christian’s standing). The food was superb and inventive, as expected from a ‘spontaneous’ chef (Christian’s own description of his style).
English visitors go on loving this place not only because it’s less than an hour from Calais, perhaps also because they sense its British connections. Lindsay is English; Christian was chef at the Waterside Inn, Bray, before setting up here, and the Roux brothers helped underwrite Montreuil when it was launched. Their daughter runs Jeroboam, a ‘gastro-pub’ in the town.
Apart from bedroom No 212, we would try to book the charming and timeless No 1, with its unusual copper ceilinged bathroom, or No 4 with monkey decorations, plus another copper bathroom ceiling.
Watch out for the out-of-season, midweek bargains, and consider the cottage in the garden if you are a family or small party.