Our story

Bénerville Beach. Sunset

A painter of seascapes and skies, Eugène Boudin embodies an entire place: seaside Normandy. The artist devoted considerable attention to studying the sky and clouds, as well as depicting the rocky formations in which the imposing Vaches Noires cliffs can be glimpsed in the distance. A plein air painter, Boudin adopted the pastel technique before the Impressionists, a flexible medium that enabled him to capture quickly the ever-changing spectacle of cloudy skies.

In 1894, he painted this famous work, now exhibited in Giverny.

Proust in Bénerville

From 1908 to 1912, Marcel Proust made frequent visits to Bénerville.

Despite having a second home in Cabourg, he enjoyed excursions to this fashionable town and became friends with the man who would become his publisher, Gaston Gallimard. In the following years, the bond between the two men grew stronger, and in 1912 Marcel Proust naturally proposed to the manager of La Nouvelle Revue Française (NRF) that he publish the first volume of his novel, Swann’s Way.

The neighbouring villas seem conducive to learned discussions blending poetry and philosophy in the soft light of the Normandy Coast.

The meanders of time

In 1908, François Stephen-Ribes, a wealthy Parisian stockbroker and husband of the equally wealthy heiress to the Desmarais oil fortune, commissioned the construction of Castel Bénerville.  Henri Goury, architect to the Hachette family, was entrusted with this ambitious project.

After fourteen months of work, construction was completed. The central part of the Manor is occupied by the vast hall, with an uninterrupted view of the sea. Benerville became a favourite holiday destination for illustrious visitors, painters, bankers, writers, politicians, musicians, ...

The Côte Fleurie inspires fashion

In spring 1912, Deauville caught the attention of the young milliner Gabrielle Chanel.

The Belle Époque saw the rise of seaside resorts and outdoor leisure sports. Deauville charmed visitors with its Anglo-Norman architecture, its beachfront promenade and its affluent population. Gabrielle Chanel made a grand entrance there on the arm of Boy Capel, an English polo player who became her lover and with whom she was madly in love. Two years earlier, with his support, she had opened her hat shop in Paris and dreamed of establishing a second one. From 1913 onwards, Deauville would become her showcase.

Jacques Rivière and his family stay in Bénerville

In 1913, the Gallimard family welcomed Jacques Rivière, novelist, critic and essayist, his wife Isabelle and their daughter Jacqueline to the Manoir de Bénerville. Their stay forged a friendship between the two men that was as unlikely as it was surprising.

During the First World War, the French Navy occupied Mont Canisy from 1916 to 1918 to establish an anti-submarine defence post.

Even before the end of the conflict, Rivière worked with his friends to revive the NRF. In 1919, he was appointed to lead the journal, and the first post-war issue was published under his direction on 1 June 1919.

November 1922, Jacques Rivière publishes a first novel inspired by his love for Yvonne Gallimard: “Aimée”. The book is published by … Éditions Gallimard

In the 1930s, François Sporturno Coty, founding father of modern perfumery, and his wife, Mrs Yvonne Le Baron, a Parisian milliner, settled in Bénerville-sur-Mer. Le Castel was renamed “Le Caniset” in 1934.

Yvonne Le Baron remarried Léon Cotnareanu in 1933 and hosted lavish receptions in Bénerville. The seaside resort’s vibrant atmosphere encouraged all of Parisian high society to discover the Côte Fleurie.

In 1940, the German army took possession of the Mont Canisy batteries. The Manor and its outbuildings were occupied by the General Staff until 1944.

At the turn of the millennium, in 2001, the Manoir de Bénerville, a vestige of the past, regained its splendour. Meticulously restored, it opened its doors to travellers eager to discover the history embedded within its walls, transforming into a warm haven dedicated to guest rooms. 

The dawn of a new era

In 2023, Emmanuelle Bourgueil, like a guardian of time, breathes new life into the manor. A passionate restorer, she transforms the former establishment into a luxury hotel, adding a new note to the captivating melody that resonates within the walls of this historic residence.

La Maison Douce Epoque is born. The Manoir de Bénerville continues to write its story, earning a 5-star rating from its opening in June 2025.

The year Maison Douce Époque and its intimate world overlooking the Côte Fleurie opened. Officially awarded 5 stars in October, the hotel also hosted the filming of Jaime Adams’ Only What We Carry, starring Quentin Tarantino, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Simon Pegg and Sofia Boutella.

A landmark year in which hospitality, dining, wellness and cinema came together within the walls of Maison Douce Époque.