Pros

  • Michelin-starred restaurant with terrace seating
  • Smart, contemporary rooms with high-end amenities
  • Sleek bathrooms with Italian showers and high-end toiletries
  • Modern spa area with steam bath, sauna, and hot tub
  • Private, secure parking free of charge
  • Free Wi-Fi throughout
  • Half-board rates available
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Cons

  • Uninteresting area away from center
  • Some noise in rooms
  • Wi-Fi can be patchy
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Bottom Line

The 19-room Ivan Vautier Hotel is a luxury boutique built around its renowned restaurant. Set on a somewhat drab, residential street away from central Caen, location certainly isn't its selling point -- though rooms are smart and appropriately high-end with excellent bathrooms and amenities. The spa area is good enough for the caliber of hotel (with steam bath, sauna, and hot tub) but the restaurant is, of course, the highlight and the food certainly won't disappoint. Overall, the hotel is swanky without quite hitting seriously upscale, but reasonable rates do tend to reflect this. 

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Oyster Hotel Review

Ivan Vautier Hotel

Scene

Contemporary hotel focused on the gastronomy of its acclaimed restaurant

Although not the easiest place to find, once you do there's no mistaking the Ivan Vautier Hotel -- on an otherwise unexciting street, an unassuming terrace of houses has been converted into this restaurant-hotel property with a bold, wave-roofed extension topped with international flags and fronted with its signature lime green signage. 

The hotel was added in 2009, but the restaurant dates back to the late 1990s and has established itself as amongst the world's finest -- attested by its Michelin star. Stepping into the lobby, the gastronomic focus is immediately clear with several shelves of high-end liquors and gourmet ingredients and products available for guests to peruse and purchase. Interiors are smart contemporary with an artistic as well as culinary emphasis, featuring paintings and modern art pieces predominantly by local artist Catherine Riff.  Low-it hallways lead to a furnished courtyard as well as a small, secluded garden area for al fresco dining. The mood is intimate -- there are just 19 rooms -- and guests arrive to a handwritten welcome envelope providing them with information about the restaurant's specials. After all, the food is why most people come here. 

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Location

Situated in a quiet residential area 10 minutes' drive from Caen's historic center

The hotel is located on a fairly busy road in a quiet, residential area about 10 minutes' drive from the center of Caen -- the capital of France's Lower Normandy region. There's not a great deal within walking distance though buses into town are quick and easy. Beside the historic city center -- featuring the impressive Caen Castle -- guests can visit the D-Day beaches about 25 minutes' drive away while Bayeux and its famous tapestry is just 20 minutes away by car. 

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Rooms

Smart, contemporary rooms with appropriately high-end amenities

The hotel has 15 rooms and 4 suites in total, all of which are decorated with smart, contemporary styling, simple modern furnishings, and dotted with bronze sculptures. Amenities are what you'd expect for a hotel of this caliber -- free Wi-Fi, minibars, and flat-screen TVs with cable and DVD players (and DVD library available). Sleek, tiled bathrooms come with robes, slippers, and high-end bath products -- walk-in Italian showers and tubs with bath salts are nice touches. One downside is despite double glazing, road-facing rooms can suffer from some traffic noise. Poor Wi-Fi connectivity has also been reported in some rooms. 

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Features

Michelin-starred dining with open kitchen and al fresco terrace

The main focus of the hotel is its Michelin-star restaurant, where guests can enjoy a breakfast comprising locally sourced and homemade products (it's not generally included, though half-board rates are available). The restaurant also offers regionally inspired lunch and dinner menus as well as an open kitchen and an outdoor terrace for al fresco dining. The hotel's sleek, contemporary spa provides a hammam, sauna, and hot tub, as well as massage and beauty treatments (booked in advance). A private and secure parking lot is free of charge to guests and free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. 

See More Features

Oyster Hotel Review

Ivan Vautier Hotel

Scene

Contemporary hotel focused on the gastronomy of its acclaimed restaurant

Although not the easiest place to find, once you do there's no mistaking the Ivan Vautier Hotel -- on an otherwise unexciting street, an unassuming terrace of houses has been converted into this restaurant-hotel property with a bold, wave-roofed extension topped with international flags and fronted with its signature lime green signage. 

The hotel was added in 2009, but the restaurant dates back to the late 1990s and has established itself as amongst the world's finest -- attested by its Michelin star. Stepping into the lobby, the gastronomic focus is immediately clear with several shelves of high-end liquors and gourmet ingredients and products available for guests to peruse and purchase. Interiors are smart contemporary with an artistic as well as culinary emphasis, featuring paintings and modern art pieces predominantly by local artist Catherine Riff.  Low-it hallways lead to a furnished courtyard as well as a small, secluded garden area for al fresco dining. The mood is intimate -- there are just 19 rooms -- and guests arrive to a handwritten welcome envelope providing them with information about the restaurant's specials. After all, the food is why most people come here. 

See More Scene

Location

Situated in a quiet residential area 10 minutes' drive from Caen's historic center

The hotel is located on a fairly busy road in a quiet, residential area about 10 minutes' drive from the center of Caen -- the capital of France's Lower Normandy region. There's not a great deal within walking distance though buses into town are quick and easy. Beside the historic city center -- featuring the impressive Caen Castle -- guests can visit the D-Day beaches about 25 minutes' drive away while Bayeux and its famous tapestry is just 20 minutes away by car. 

See More Location

Rooms

Smart, contemporary rooms with appropriately high-end amenities

The hotel has 15 rooms and 4 suites in total, all of which are decorated with smart, contemporary styling, simple modern furnishings, and dotted with bronze sculptures. Amenities are what you'd expect for a hotel of this caliber -- free Wi-Fi, minibars, and flat-screen TVs with cable and DVD players (and DVD library available). Sleek, tiled bathrooms come with robes, slippers, and high-end bath products -- walk-in Italian showers and tubs with bath salts are nice touches. One downside is despite double glazing, road-facing rooms can suffer from some traffic noise. Poor Wi-Fi connectivity has also been reported in some rooms. 

See More Rooms

Features

Michelin-starred dining with open kitchen and al fresco terrace

The main focus of the hotel is its Michelin-star restaurant, where guests can enjoy a breakfast comprising locally sourced and homemade products (it's not generally included, though half-board rates are available). The restaurant also offers regionally inspired lunch and dinner menus as well as an open kitchen and an outdoor terrace for al fresco dining. The hotel's sleek, contemporary spa provides a hammam, sauna, and hot tub, as well as massage and beauty treatments (booked in advance). A private and secure parking lot is free of charge to guests and free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. 

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Cabanas

  • Cable

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Pets Allowed

  • Room Service

  • Spa

  • Swim-Up Bar

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.