Holiday Home, Holiday Apartment, France, Brittany

Manoir des Petites Bretonnes

Pink granite rocks frame small sandy coves. Over thousands of years, wind, waves, and tides have sculpted the stone along Brittany’s northern coast into curious shapes. This is where Valérie Delalande spent her childhood summers. Many years later, she returned with her husband and children—this time, as she puts it, for an aller sans retour – a one-way journey. Today, she welcomes guests to Manoir des Petites Bretonnes in Saint-Quay-Perros, about a mile inland. The manor house, barn, and outbuildings date from the 17th and 19th centuries. The estate now has eight vacation rentals, a mix of cottages and two-level apartments: les petites Bretonnes—Blanche, Eugénie, Marie, Violette, Louison, Ninon, Léonie, and Madeleine. Each has her own palette and personality. In Marie, you sleep under the eaves where straw bales were once stored. Blanche has a refectory table in front of a granite fireplace, while Violette keeps her garden tucked behind a stone wall. The original beams, natural stone, and wood paneling remain, joined by vintage furniture, modern armchairs, and open-plan kitchens. Around the houses stretch 11 acres of gardens and meadows, with fruit trees, hydrangeas, and blue agapanthus. Goats, donkeys, and Shetland ponies live in the pasture, where the children soon become regular visitors. Order breakfast, and a basket will be hanging at your door in the morning. After a baguette with homemade jam and fruit from the garden, you can find a shady spot beneath the apple trees and settle in with a good book. Eventually, it’s time to hop on a bike and head for the sea: the beaches and granite rocks around Perros-Guirec are an easy ride away. Once you’ve spread your picnic blanket on the sand, you’ll probably linger until the evening light brings out the warm pink tones of the rocks. P.S. If you’d rather wake up to the sound of waves, this welcoming family business has two more apartments in the seaside town of Perros-Guirec—overlooking Trestraou Beach, with sea views and a private staircase down to the water.

WHAT WE LIKE MOST:

How the renovations have preserved the historic character of the cottages and apartments while adding modern comforts.
The little details that give each place its character: Louison’s glass-enclosed sitting room overlooking the garden, the old fig tree by Ninon’s entrance, and Madeleine’s exposed roof timbers above the wood-paneled walls.
Dried flowers and fresh bouquets tucked into the rooms—a little country-house charm that feels perfectly at home here.
Children’s bedrooms in some of the accommodations, furnished with antiques and toys from Grandma’s day.
A garden all to yourself: each cottage has a private outdoor space with a dining area, lounge chairs, and a grill—a little retreat for reading, unwinding, and enjoying whatever you’ve brought home from the local markets.
Being just five minutes from the spectacular Côte de Granit Rose, surrounded by green hills and picture-book villages.
Breakfast with eggs from the family’s hens and fruit from the organic garden. Choose a breakfast basket or brunch; the Breton blackberry blossom honey is hard to beat.
A seafood platter for dinner, ordered ahead: whelks, pink shrimp, langoustines, and spider crabs, served with toasted bread, salted butter, and mayonnaise. A proper taste of the sea.
Valérie’s feel for what guests need, shaped by her work as a tour guide and in upscale hotels. With deep roots in the region, the family looks after guests with care and shares personal recommendations for beaches, coastal walks, and good crêperies.
The option of staying in the two sister apartments, with sea views and rustling palms. Set in a historic building in Perros-Guirec, they have the beach right on their doorstep.

GOOD TO KNOW:

The grounds around the manor house are home to four vacation cottages and four two-level apartments, sleeping two to five guests, depending on the accommodation. For a stay right by the sea, book L’îlot de Lancelot or Le Rêve d’Adèle in Perros-Guirec, each for two people.
Families will find plenty to love in the accommodations around the manor house: cribs and high chairs, games, children’s books, and sand toys are available. Outside, there are swings, a climbing structure, and a ping-pong table. Best of all, there are plenty of friendly farm animals.
Within a ten-minute drive of the Manoir you’ll find sandy beaches with crystal-clear water, the GR34 coastal walking trail, an 18-hole golf course, a tennis court, a riding school, and the Roz Marine Thalasso Resort.
A local rental company can deliver e-bikes directly to your accommodation.
You can leave the guidebook at home: the hosts have gathered their favorite recommendations in a digital booklet.
For groceries, there’s a supermarket about a quarter mile from the Manoir. Market day is Thursday in Lannion and Friday in Perros-Guirec.
Private parking and electric vehicle charging are available on the property; charging costs extra. From Lancelot and Adèle in Perros-Guirec, the nearest charging station is about a third of a mile away. Lancelot and Adèle sind es 500 Meter bis zur nächsten Ladestation)
There’s plenty to explore nearby, including the little harbor village of Ploumanac’h, and Lannion, with its half-timbered houses and lively weekly market. The car-free islands of Bréhat and Batz are also well worth a day trip.
Head to Trestraou Beach for sailing and surfing lessons, kayak rentals, and a diving center.
The nearest airport is Brest, about an hour’s drive from the property. Rennes Airport is about two hours away.