What a lovely week we had.

Emma and Andy made us very welcome, the gite was very comfortable, very clean - just what we wanted. After travelling most of the day it was lovely to find a welcome pack in the gite which saved us going out to find provisions until the next day.

The area around Ivy House, which is very close to Utah beach, is beautiful and very peaceful - a great base to explore Normandy and it's amazing history. We will definitely return in the near future.

Sue Strange
Derby, England

Ivy House visit - 19/09/2010 - 23/09/2010
Comment from TripAdvisor

I have to say we were a little apprehensive about this holiday, having read the not-very-favourable review a few below this one, and then receiving an email that Ivy House had been sold (having the ferry company cancel the service we’d originally booked didn’t help) - was this going to be the holiday from hell?

Well, it turned out to be exactly the opposite from the very first minute we arrived at Ivy House. The new owners, Andy and Emma, were extremely welcoming - if a little nervous as we were their first guests since taking over the business - and couldn’t have been more helpful. A nice touch was a ‘welcome pack’ of essential goodies which was much appreciated as we arrived around 7 pm after a three-hour drive from Dieppe.

The gite was clean and comfortable, if a little ‘bijou’ - although Andy told us he has plans to alter that - and there is a nice garden area to sit out in the evening and enjoy a glass of wine and admire the view over open fields to Utah Beach, or have a game of boules on the large gravelled drive.

The museum at Utah Beach is an easy walk away, and the other landing beaches are all within easy driving distance so if you’re on a tour of WW2 sites it’s a very good base, but if you’re traveling from the UK I’d recommend the ferry to Cherbourg (40 minutes drive to Ivy House) rather than Dieppe! St.Marie du Mont is a delightful little town, just a few minutes drive away, with a couple of very interesting small museums and plenty of information signs around the town (in French and English) giving little insights into what happened there on and around June 6 1944.

We travelled with our grown-up younger daughter and her boyfriend so did not require any baby-sitting, but I can confirm that Andy and Emma’s au-pair does exist and that service is definitely available should you need it.
In conclusion we all agreed that this was a fantastic holiday, made all the better by our welcoming hosts. We really enjoyed our stay at Ivy House, which we would highly recommend - oh, and I don’t think we saw a single FLY all the time we were there!

Peter Osbourne
Thame, United Kingdom

Ivy House visit - 11/09/2010 - 18/09/2010
Comment from TripAdvisor

We woke up on Saturday morning and wanted to go on an adventure outside of Paris. We knew that Normandy was accessable and so after a bit of quick research we decided on Utah Beach, Normandy.

We found a link for Ivy House and it seemed like it could fit our needs - child friendly and very close to the beach and other attractions. When we phoned for more information, we met Andy the new owner and he was so friendly and inviting that we booked.

The accomodation was perfect for our family and it was a great base for our 24 hour trip. Andy and his family were really nice and warm and we would definately recommend it. It's probably best to book for 2 or 3 nights to allow time for a bit more of a visit.

Ryan Lighter
Paris, France

Ivy House visit - 04/09/2010
Comment from TripAdvisor