CallieLe Mont-Saint Michel, France
The best way to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mont Saint Michel is to stay overnight in one of the historic lodges on the island itself. By doing so, you’ll have the unique opportunity to see the island without tourists and explore the cobblestone walkways while they’re virtually empty at night! It makes an already magical visit even more magical. Come explore the whimsical hotel that is Hotel le Mouton Blanc.
In order to stay at this unique hotel you’ll need to book reservations well in advance-at least 8 months to a year in advance. The island only has a couple of hotels and each hotel only has a couple of rooms. Le Mouton has 5! So make sure you let your travel advisor (ME!) know as soon as you start planning your trip to France! You’ll need to call the hotel on your drive to the island to get an access code to the parking area for hotel guests. Once you park in the secure area I recommend storing larger luggage in your rental car and bringing only an overnight bag with you onto the island due to the incline walkways and steep stairs. Learn from my mistakes!
You can either walk across the walkway-but mind you it is far or take the free shuttle bus. The shuttle bus does not go the entire way but takes you almost to the island. It’s important that you’re mindful of this and if anyone in your party has mobility issues or you have young children when planning your trip. If you have young children I recommend you baby wear them as opposed to using a stroller because you won’t be able to use strollers on the island.
Once you exit the shuttle and walk the remaining distance you will enter through the gates and walk past the post office on the left.
Right after the post office you’ll see a set of stairs on the left with a sign for the hotel reception check in office. This office serves are the check in area for all of the hotels on the island.
We checked in and got a key and a key code for our hotel which was just a ways down the road.
Remember how I told you to pack light? Our room was at the top of 5 flights of stairs-no elevators and small stairs-but so worth it!
We were on the top floor with a double bed….
A twin bed….
A desk and television….
We also had a private bath and shower and bathtub-full sized. The most amazing view out to the street!
The view out of our other window-we could watch the tide come in and out….
Our hotel also had a restaurant attached to it which served dinner from 6-8 every night which was nice! Make sure you get the island specialty which is the fluffy omelet!
See that window at the top? That’s our room!
The best part of staying on the island overnight? No crowds-late at night or early in the morning!
The hotels do not have air conditioning so you may want to bring a travel fan with you and you can leave the windows open but in the summer there tended to be flies and bustling workers in the early morning so having the windows open meant you were going to be up early. A continental breakfast was included which was really nice. Parking while available is NOT included and is $25 a night so make sure you’re prepared for that. You’ll pay for parking upon exiting the parking area.
You are able to store your bags at the hotel check in area if you area before check in or if you’d like to explore the island after you check out of your hotel which is nice.
Need help planning your trip to France? You can find me on Facebook at Callie at Wanderkeep Travel or on Instagram at Wanderingwithcallie or you can email me at callie@wanderkeep.com and as always my services are complimentary when you book through me!
