My wife and I stayed at the Churchill in September 2008 for 4 nights. We really liked the hotel as a base for exploring the beaches and other D-day areas by car. The very ample and safe free carpark at the back of the hotel was easy to use and we never had trouble getting a space. I'm not sure how that would be in the peak seasons because it was pretty full in the shoulder season. Do be sure to check directions because our satnav also sent us to the front door on a pedestrianised street. We did not have Place du Quebec in ours but if you look for the parking near the Tapistry you should be ok.

Monsieur Daniel is wonderful, a real credit to the hotel. We were able to describe for him what we wanted each evening for dinner and he always sent us to just the right places. He is a jewel, and it would be well worth staying there just for his knowledge and experience.

The entrance lobby is very pleasant as is the boutique and so are the stairs. You will use the stairs because there is no lift (elevator). No worry, there are dozens of excellent WWII photos on every wall to keep you interested and amused. That'll slow you down so you're not out of breath.

Breakfast is fresh and tasty, and sufficient. Two kinds of cold cereal (a chocolate muesli and corn flakes), plenty of fresh fruit (no fruit salad), plain yogurt, and a bowl is brought to you with a baguette piece, a croisant, and a pain au chocolat for each person. Jams and honey, etc are on the table or buffet. Fresh coffee, tea, or chocolate brought by the pleasant and competent attendant. More of everything is offered but even I, not a small person, usually found the first round plenty.

Our room, number 206, was up the main staircase to the first floor (2nd to Americans), along a corridor, then up some quite steep and narrow stairs to the only room up those stairs. It is under the eaves and while not small the roof slopes down steeply and my wife and I could only stand under it in about 2/3 the room. There is one very small window high above the double bed, and a larger one in the dormer window. Lighting was adequate (not too much natural light) but I could forsee a problem with air circulation in this room in hot weather. Besides the double bed (quite comfortable) there is a single under the low roof. Good for us to put out stuff but my wife hit her head on the beam. Because of the limited English language programming on the flat screen TV we used our laptop and disks we had brought along. The room was very quiet at night but we noticed we could hear the entry area with the windows open in the early evening.

The bathroom is where this room really could do with an update. Unlike some photos we have seen on TripAdvisor of other rooms, ours had a large but ordinary sink, with taps that work backwards. Push down for on, pull up for off. Eventually you'll find the plug knob behind the tap. Same in the small, sliding door shower cubicle. I'm afraid that the shower hasn't joined the europe wide battle of the showers that we experienced everywhere else in France, Switzerland and Italy this year. It is more like what we used to have in English B&B's a few years ago. I did not think there was sufficient flow to comfortably wash my hair or reliable temperature and I waited until we reached our next hotel. A power shower or a modern shower head would go miles. The bathroom was spacious,and the iron table with plenty of room for everything was a great idea. The only other downside to the bathroom was the toilet paper dispenser. Made of metal and forever losing the end so you have to open it and feed it through again, it was a real loser. I've been more successful in public loos. I've seen photos here of more simple home style ones. Maybe this room is on the list for refurbishment?

So, to sum up: fantastic location, wonderful staff, good nosh, great setting, tough stairs to our room, our room needs to come up to the standards of the rest of the hotel.

Would we stay at the Churchill again? In a heartbeat.