Hôtel Au Grand Duquesne

“Lovely location, room, no wifi”

Dieppe is a beautiful microcosm of nautical France; it's a proper mediaeval town with centuries of history, an air of hedonism and bohemia, but also a Victorian seaside town with a port, harbour and beach. It was the site of the failed 1942 raid by the good old Canadians, and this episode of recent… more

Dieppe is a beautiful microcosm of nautical France; it's a proper mediaeval town with centuries of history, an air of hedonism and bohemia, but also a Victorian seaside town with a port, harbour and beach. It was the site of the failed 1942 raid by the good old Canadians, and this episode of recent history is rightly and faithfully commemorated by the Dieppois. Incidentally, the locals pronounce the town's name "dyEPP" and not "Dee-Epp". Actually sounds like JEPP. We've stayed in many hotels in Dieppe over the years; the Grand Duquesne is definitely a good one. Great location in the Place St. Jacques, a huge XVI century church. Take note; the bells are loud, so you will find it hard to sleep-in. The seagulls are loud. The refuse lorry is loud. The street-sweeper is loud. Dieppe is clean, and loud. Compared to our first visit 35 years ago, there are few revellers, though. We had a balcony room on the 4th floor with a tres charmant view of the Place and the street. You'd be in bother if you had any mobility issues, though. Lots of narrow, steep, winding stairs. We use the internet a lot, and WiFi was essential to our stay. Unfortunately, it was de panne/bust during our stay, and even when fixed, it was limited to one device. No UK TV channels. The beds were extremely comfortable; the whole place very clean, and the breakfast was good: hot, strong coffee and good bread and croissants. I was served beautifully fried eggs on request. There is a bar, and a restaurant, but the latter was closed the entire time we were there. Gilles, the Patron, was very friendly when we checked in late, and he speaks impeccable English. I loved it there, and if he could guarantee the WifFi, would re-book in a shot.

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“Nice hotel in the centre of town (under new managment)”

This was our third visit to Au Grand Duquesne. It is under new management and the new owner (Gilles) and his wife could not do enough to make our stay more comfortable. We arrived on a late ferry. Gilles waited up for us to arrive and a nice touch was a bowl of fruit in the room if we fancied a sn… more

This was our third visit to Au Grand Duquesne. It is under new management and the new owner (Gilles) and his wife could not do enough to make our stay more comfortable. We arrived on a late ferry. Gilles waited up for us to arrive and a nice touch was a bowl of fruit in the room if we fancied a snack on arrival. Parking can be a problen in the old part of town, but Gilles was able (for a small daily fee) to provide private parking in a safe secure area close to the hotel. As we only wanted to explore on foot, this was a perfect solution to trying to find a car park. We had the top (family) room that was comfortable with nice cotton bed linen. Bathroom and shower were fine, indicating that some renovation was taking place. Breakfast was simple baguette, croissants and jam. Dinner was tasty, A small menu, but none the worse for that, with everything individually priced so that you could mix and match if you wished. The hotel is 5 mins from the sea front and 5 mins from the harbour so good for everything that we wanted to do and see. Our return ferry was not until the evening so we agreed with Gilles to collect the car at 2 pm. Sure enough, at 2 pm, the car turned up. The only drawback was that the area can be a bit noisy, especially on Saturday morning when the market traders are setting up (it is a great market, especially the food- worth visiting). We enjoyed our visit and would recommend it. With the continuing renovation under Gilles guidance, I am sure Au Grand Duquesne can only get better.

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