Regions of France : Brittany - Hotels Brittany

This most westward region of France, where the Bretons speak their ancient language and carry on age-old traditions, always seems a little out of step with mainstream France, but the many attractions welcome visitors in their thousands year after year.

Jutting defiantly into the Atlantic, France's northwest corner has long been culturally and geographically distinct from the main bulk of the country.
Known to the Celts as Armorica, the land of the sea, Brittany's past swirls with the legends of drowned cities and Arthurian forests. Prehistoric megaliths arise mysteriously from land and sea, and the medieval is never far from the modern.

A long, jagged coastline is the region's great attraction. Magnificient beaches line its northern shore, swept clean by huge tides and interspersed with well-established seaside resorts seasoned fishing ports and abundant oysterbeds. The south coast is gentler, with wooded river valleys and a milder climate, while the west, being exposed to the Atlantic winds, has a drama that justifies the name "Finistère" , - the end of the earth. Inland lies the Argoat - once the land and the forest, now a patchwork of undulating fields, woods and rolling moorland. Parc Régional d'Armorique occupies much of, central Finistère, and it is in western Brittany that Breton culture remains most evident.
In Quimper (Hotels Quimper), and in the Pays Bigouden, crèpes and cider, traditional costumes and Celtic music are still a genuine part of the Breton lifestyle.
Vannes (Hotels Vannes), Dinan (Hotels Dinan) and Rennes (Hotels Rennes), the Breton capital, have well preserved medieval quarters where half-timbered buildings shelter inviting markets, shops, crèperies and restaurants.
The walled port of St-Malo on the Côte d'Emeraude recalls the region's maritime prowess, while the remarkably intact castles at Fougères and Vitré are a reminder of the mighty border-fortresses that protected Brittany's eastern frontier before its final union with France in 1532.
 

Hotels Saint Malo - Last Minute Hotels Saint Malo

Anne de Bretagne Saint Malo  Located in the heart of the fortified town of Saint Malo, Inter hotel Anne de Bretagne is just a short walk from the beach. The hotel beckons you to discover this pirate district within the old walls along with its restaurants, shops, lifestyle and romantic sunsets. The cordial staff at the hotel will do its utmost to ensure you have a pleasant stay at Anne de Bretagne, which also offers a cosy bar exclusively for guests. You can also park in the hotel's closed car park. Click here for last minute offers Click here for more information and Booking Details »

Carnac, Gulf of Morbihan

One of the foremost prehistoric centers, the seaside resort of Carnac is famed for its megalithic remains from the Neolithic period. In addition to 2792 menhirs, massive stones erected by tribes who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Gauls, the area is studded with burial places, semicircles, and tumuli.

Located ten miles off the southern coast of Brittany, Belle Ile ("Beautiful Island") is Brittany's largest. Buffeted by storms and fringed by rocky cliffs, it is an isolated natural paradise whose inhabitants are known for their hospitality. The medieval city of Vannes, at the head of the Gulf of Morbihan, is a perfect base from which to explore this magical inland sea and its many islands.

Gastronomy

As a major supplier of France's vegetables and seafood, Brittany rewards visitors with hearty, fresh fare from the earth and the sea, and with its famous crepes filled with sweets like chocolate or fruit, or savory mushrooms, cheese or eggs.

Brittany excels, with abundant oysters (particularly the meaty ones from Belon and Cancale), shrimps, crayfish, crab and scallops. And lobster is the mainstay of Breton menus, prepared in a cream sauce or grilled. The seafood platter tops the bill in Brittany's best eating-places. In order to ensure freshness and variety, restaurateurs have signed a charter guaranteeing an "authentic Breton platter of fresh seafood"

Memorable meals include slat meadow lamb and poultry, accompanied by the region's wonderful vegetables: artichokes, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, endives and lettuce. Vegetables blended with pork in a hot pot is Calfedpotfe.

Sweet or savoury? There are many different ways to prepare the "galette de sarrasin" (buckwheat pancake) or "crepe de froment" (wheatflour pancake) and even more ways to serve this traditional dish! The perfect drink to accompany a crepe is the Breton cider: cidre brut bouche.

There's the "far Breton", a custard pie; a sweet, buttery pastry called "kouign amann"; and "galettes bretonnes", homemade crunchy butter cookies.