We stayed at the Grey House for a week in August (family of 2 adults, 2 teenagers and dog). We’ve done lots of house rentals before, but usually in the countryside – this time we were aiming for a ‘French townhouse’ trip. The Grey House and Honfleur are both excellent choices, and we had a great week.

The location is great. Honfleur is easy to get to, and a good base for trips out. It’s a beautiful town, full of old timbered buildings and narrow streets, with restaurant tables surrounding the old harbour. It’s clearly a tourist hotspot – there aren’t many ‘everyday’ shops, but there are endless galleries, art studios, patisseries and restaurants. The Grey House is located just a short walk from the town centre so we just wandered out for anything we needed or just a stroll along the waterfront to the beach. We got breakfast pastries and baguettes fresh every morning from the excellent boulangerie that’s just a few steps away. When we got back to the house after a day trip, we could leave the car at the house and walk down to a choice of restaurants for dinner (there’s a list of recommendations provided).

The house itself is lovely. It’s spread over 3 floors – modern kitchen on the ground level, living room, bathroom and main bedroom on the first floor, and teenager-zone on the top floor with the cinema room. Plus a small courtyard garden outside. It was recently renovated so everything is in good condition, well-equipped and clean. The kids enjoyed changing the colour of the lights and having music playing in the shower.

There’s lots to see in Normandy - we had trips to Rouen, Bayeux for the tapestry and the WW2 landing beaches, Etretat and Deauville for the coast – early morning at Deauville for horse riding on the sand (dog allowed before 10 am). All recommended. Honfleur is centrally located for all those, but they’re mostly an hour or more away, so we covered quite a distance in a week and accumulated quite a few toll tickets for the roads and the Pont de Normandie.

Other practicalities – There’s a decent convenience store supermarket just a few minutes’ walk away at the bottom of the hill, and also a vet – handy for the return check/tablet needed before heading back to the UK. Another reviewer mentioned that the access to the parking space is narrow - it’s behind the house through a gate. I have a Toyota RAV4 4x4 with a roof box, and that went in easily. It might be a squeeze for a large 4x4, but is fine for any family car. Our deposit was returned promptly in full. I exchanged a couple of emails with Francois (the owner), and he replied quickly and helpfully.

All in all, highly recommended.

The house was everything you could wish for on a break to Honfeur , from location to decor everything was spot on.The house is a stones throw from an excellent boulangerie and another minute walk to a well stocked local supermarket as well as a short stroll to the shops and harbour with it's many restaurants.
The house itself is extremely well equipped in the kitchen and the cinema room proved excellent entertainment for the kids.I particularly liked the middle seating area with a beautiful open fireplace as it meant while the kids were upstairs watching cinema quality dvd's before going out in the evenings the adults could either quietly read a book while sitting on some of he very comfortable sofas or chairs on the middle floor or drink wine at the table in the kitchen area without even hearing the kids.
It is worth mentioning that the insulation and heating in the house is of the highest quality as the temperature outside was very cold during our break but only short sleeves were worm when in the house at all times as it was so warm.
Francois , the owner responded quickly to any questions which was helpful and his housekeeper Lawrence arrived exactly on time when needed.A five star rating and would definitely stay here again if I return to the beautiful Honfleur.

A wonderful place to stay in the centre of Honfleur. The house has recently been refurbished and it is modern, while retaining its character. We particularly enjoyed the music system.

The grey house is immaculately clean and has all the amenities you need. There is a garden with table and chairs which is a real bonus when in a town house. There is also parking but be aware it is tight to get into the lane. At the bottom of the street is a lovely patisserie for your morning croissants. It takes about five minutes to walk to the main quai area with many restuarants. There are two small super markets within a five minute walk for other provisions.
The technology in the house is very modern but slightly confusing for us 'oldies' however we did manage to use the home cinema. We had a very enjoyable stay in the Grey House but would add a cautionary note for people who are older and who,like me, have a hip problem. The stairs are very steep and challenging. The house is ideal for younger people especially those with a young family who would love all the gadets.