The Place
Everything we like. It’s a charming oasis opened 2023 by Hadrien and Alexia in a handsome 19thC grand bourgeois mansion. The essentials are all in place: super-comfortable beds; gleaming contemporary bathrooms; stylish-yet-unpretentious furniture and decoration; easy chairs and a table for the laptop. He is French, she is Austrian but English university educated. They came into hospitality from successful careers in e-commerce and financial services, looking for a fresh way of life for themselves and their young family – with bonus of the coast being 15 minutes away – they’re kite surfing addicts.
The house divides naturally into two parts so you are virtually unaware of the family life going on in parallel. The downstairs salon is spacious, like the five bedrooms. But the key ingredient is the outgoing teamwork of the hosts. They know how to engage, when not to intrude and above all the importance of the right atmosphere. We suspect there is nowhere quite like the Petit Chateau Vercourt within a radius of maybe 80 miles and think it’s now the choice for an overnight either before or after a Calais crossing (Le Shuttle, about one hour).
There’s plenty to do all year round, even in winter, not least the outstanding Baie du Somme wildlife. Although they aren’t open as a bed and breakfast Nov-Feb, you can get in touch about exclusive use of the entire little chateau all year round.
Approaching in the dark is an experience: you’re aware only of vast green fields – could there really be a welcoming place to stay in this empty landscape? Then suddenly you’re in Vercourt (95 inhabitants), outside the chateau’s gates.