Our house is not young (1829) and this first point is already close to my heart: preserving the heritage and bringing what already exists to life rather than creating something new.

Isn't the best waste that which we don't produce???

My grandfather and his ancestors were farmers in Quettehou (3km), so it would never have occurred to them to neglect their land and the goods they owned. My grandfather was respectful of his land, why pollute his environment: "It will pay you back one day or another" he always said.

My grandfather practiced the circular economy every day before it became a whole philosophy, just because I think he had "farmer's common sense": leftovers, vegetable peelings, sauce bases... everything went to the farm's pigs, which themselves returned to the plates of the customers of the hotel…. It could hardly be better in terms of the circular economy!

I grew up with these values that are dear to me, I had the chance to travel, to see the wonders of the world and to realize how much the Cotentin is a magnificent region and above all still very preserved. Today, my goal here is… to coexist with the Earth of my parents and to raise my children there while trying to leave as little trace as possible behind me! Because we are only passing through… let’s not forget that. “We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.”

In the Family, talking to birds, flowers and insects is like feeding babies…. it’s vital and so natural! Between a mother who is passionate about gardens and a father who is a farmer and foodie, we have inevitably inherited an unusual place that we strive to preserve and make a little more respectful of its environment every day!

That is why for a long time we have been trying to implement cost-saving measures based on one of the fundamental peasant principles mentioned above: "common sense"! A real prehistoric animal, that one!

Buy quality products and appliances, if the maintenance is done well: well, it lasts, it lasts... my dryer is basic but indestructible, it is efficient and dates from April 1, 1981!!!! Even my supplier who still does the maintenance is urging me not to change it... that's saying something! It is true, however, that it is entirely mechanical... Not an ounce of electronics! A word to the wise! But it works! Never sick... the only thing is that it doesn't yet offer an option, like "automatic laundry folding" or even more crazy "storage directly in the cupboards" ;-)

Some ecological principles don't appeal to me... I don't agree at all with wind turbines for example, photovoltaic solar panels, or electric cars.... On the other hand, spending €18,000 on a simple solar water heater delights me, it works, it's simple, effective and probably indestructible. Buying quality local products at a higher price maintains employment and local life. It's less heavy on carbon footprint and so much better than products made on the other side of the world and under what conditions????

Our fish is not organic... yet it is local and wild (caught mainly in St Vaast) why is it not stamped ORGANIC??!!

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the actions implemented within our establishment, not counting the list of our producers available at reception and in our menus. We can always do better or say that it is not enough, but if everyone makes an effort then everything will be better... Do you know the Legend of the Hummingbird?

Regular maintenance of the refrigeration units, cleaning of the grilles and gas leveling

Lighting: gradual replacement of all bulbs with LEDs, detectors in the corridors, in the parking lot, in the garden, clocks for the facade lighting

• Heating:

We still have our old boiler, once again well maintained and of very good quality, I check it regularly to see if it runs like clockwork. Thanks to the Normandy region and the European Union as part of the FEDER REACT-EU scheme, two wood pellet boilers have been installed and 100% financed, but will there be enough wood in the future for everyone???? Will we have to cut all our hedges which make up the crazy charm of this region and which ABOVE ALL possess so many agricultural qualities!!

After major interior insulation work in the main part, we can see the reductions in energy consumption.

Double glazing almost everywhere 80%.

We intentionally do not heat the premises too much in winter, We reduce the temperature in the middle of the night and in the middle of the day. In winter we give priority to the rooms in the main building which are better insulated, this for the comfort of everyone and especially that of our planet! When the rooms are not taken we do not heat them or very little.

Additional heaters & extra blankets are available for those who are more sensitive to the cold at reception.

We have never had heated parasols which for me are an aberration for the small comfort of a few (we heat the clouds!!!) We have blankets. We are in Normandy and what's more by the sea (what a privilege) so a sweater in the evening is obviously a must.

A large part of the heating pipes (insulation) have been protected by foam to avoid heating the foundations (1m of uninsulated 34mm diameter steel pipe in which water circulates at 70°C and which travels through an environment of 20°C has a loss equivalent to the consumption of a 60w light bulb!!!!)

The hot water in your shower (main building) is partly solar-powered, as we have installed a solar water heater since 2019, thanks in particular to aid from the Normandy region.

We have equipped all the bathrooms with water savers (sink 3 liters / minute and shower 9l / min)

In the Feuillantine and Fantaisie building, we have a "loop" that circulates domestic hot water. This is a big waste of energy, which is why it does not run 24/7 but at optimal service times (from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and in the evening from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.). Outside of these hours, you have to draw water for a long time... Refer to the small calculation below:

In the main building there is no loop, so outside of peak hours you have to "empty" the water pipe around 30 liters, despite the loss of drinking water is more economical (in energy and carbon) than a loop...?

Small calculation: 30 liters at 3l/min = 10 minutes before having hot water at the sink... take a shower, it's a 3 minute wait?

Every winter we take advantage of the fact that the establishment is closed to do a leak search with the consumption/day and the insulation of the parts.

For the cleaning of the linen, everything is done in-house except the duvet covers and as I often say: it's catastrophic because we wash clean things all the time... the sheets and towels are washed every day except for long stays (every 3 days)... suffice to say that they are clean or almost, so we lowered the washing temperature to 60°C and the cycles are shorter and we use less detergent. We have thus reduced the consumption of water, electricity and chemical products.

Use of the ironing machine only once every two or three days (To take advantage of thermal inertia)

Drip irrigation for the garden with a programmer for night watering.

This winter 2022 and thanks to the Normandy region and the European Union as part of the FEDER REACT-EU scheme we received 100% funding to install a 10M3 rainwater recovery tank in the garden, or 10,000 liters, to water the garden in summer... because it rains a lot here in winter ;).

Thanks to the same FEDER-REACT program and the Normandy region, we are also installing a new 100% funded washing machine, which is much more economical (in water, electricity, etc.)

We have installed Eco pumps in all the bathrooms. I am researching suppliers to find refillable ones...

No single-use materials (tablecloths, no plastic cups, no plastic bottles in the rooms, etc.).

Policy for reusing bath linens displayed in each bathroom.

Other projects to reduce consumption are being studied, for example: no more systematic re-beds, with a reduction on the following nights....

Pre-dosed cleaning product in the kitchen and for the rooms with a reusable sprayer.

Maximum use of returnable glass (water, soda, etc.)

Reuse of containers for "homemade" honey.

BIB production of 5 liters of our "nothing" apple juice & "homemade".

Purchase of maximum organic and local vegetables (La Verdura) in reusable plastic crates

Partnership with La Verdura to process damaged fruit to make jams, compotes or desserts.

Delivery of fish as much as possible in reusable plastic auction crates.

Waste sorting, weekly drop-off at the recycling center or by tricycle to the containers.

Taking into account customer plate returns to adapt the portions.

Reuse of peelings, meat trimmings to make sauces and other stocks.

Some of the green waste from the garden is composted / shredded to make mulch.

The tomette (terracotta tile) that you will find on the ground floor is produced near St Lô, by the FAUVEL company with local clay.

Reuse of old furniture, brought up to date day or not, don't hesitate to ask my wife for the right addresses for second-hand goods!

Once again, thanks to the Normandy region and the European Union as part of the FEDER REACT-EU scheme, this winter 2022, we are installing a 100% European Union-funded greenery on the flat roof of the veranda to provide better insulation and provide flora conducive to biodiversity.

No use of chemicals in the garden.

Weed by hand.

We install nesting boxes for birds and bats.

We scare away cats.

We have a small watering hole for birds.

We produce honey with 7 beehives on our family farm.

To the many small gestures that make all the difference (closing doors in winter, ventilating rooms every day, etc.)

Lids on pots (to keep 1.5 liters of water boiling without a lid, you need 720Watts with a lid 190Watts 4 times less!!!!)

Oven used for several cooking operations.

Glass washer and dishwasher turned on when necessary.

Water from ice buckets and water pitchers not used are used for planters.

Installation of duvet holders and bed lifters to facilitate work in the room.

Cleaning product (rooms, kitchen and common areas) pre-dosed in automatic dispensers to avoid waste and overconsumption of chemicals, steam cleaner and brush cleaner to reduce chemicals.

Beware of waste, consumption water.

Maintains VMC and ducts every year.

Bike rental and partnership with "les locations du Val de Saire"

Provision of maps, routes, local walks, bike rides, boats...