It's a peculiarly British pursuit, isn't it? Buy a run-down farmhouse in a pretty corner of northern France, and then spend every spare moment zipping back and forth across the channel, slaving away at making the house a home. Why gussy up a glorified shed when there are any number of beautiful buildings in bucolic surroundings just waiting to welcome me? Let the DIY crowd keep their projects, I say. I'm off to the Domaine de Villers & Spa, a mellow timber-framed country house on the outskirts of genteel Deauville.
A grand country seat with demure wooden beams criss-crossing its elegant façade, the Domaine de Villiers is welcoming and quietly luxurious.
Stepping over the threshold, the interiors are cosy with warm wood, rich fabrics, warm tones with a bias for crimson. The rooms are sumptuous gems with a subtle maritime motif expressed through the mahogany panelling and model ships. From the balcony, the sea stretches away beyond the trees of the park, less than a mile from the hotel. Escape to the beach and fill your lungs with salty air or stay inland to walks across the green and plentiful fields.
Having seen and sampled the fruits of the land, head back to the Domaine de Villers fizzing with anticipation for lunch at the sea view restaurant. Normandy is never more beautiful than when laid out on a plate!
Your blissful experience will continue in the spa, where Zen philosophy mingles with Feng Shui alongside a hammam, infrared sauna, a bubbling hot tub and an array of luscious treatment options. Choose between Ayurvedic or Polynesian traditions, between elixirs for beauty, youth or serenity... even if the choice is only which to do first.
Forget the worthy satisfaction of the do-it-yourself brigade, at the Domaine de Villers & Spa you won't have to lift a finger, all in the picturesque surroundings of beautiful Normandy.