A chic new hotel in Basse-Normandie — theguardian.com

It's not immediately obvious who's in charge at D'une Île, so we linger awkwardly in the courtyard for a few minutes. A demanding retriever drops a stick at my feet. The hotel cat takes a drink from a silver wine cooler under a table. A blond boy comes running up to his father to show him the butterfly that's just landed on his shoulder. It's as though I'm in some sort of pastoral dream sequence… Eventually, Michel emerges from the kitchen in a vest, chef's trousers and clogs. He shakes our hands vigorously and pours us two icy, homemade elderflower cordials. "Welcome to our island," he says, proudly, before heading back to the stove.

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