In Dannes, a village in the Pas-de-Calais within the Caps et Marais d'Opale Regional Natural Park, an old flour mill stands on a large body of water. So, essentially a pond. Of the milling past, only the waterwheel remains, and the name. Jérémy Zitelli and Nicolas Marion – an optician and a retail designer – traded Lille for this property and opened a guesthouse there in the spring of 2022. The main building has four rooms, named after the owners' grandmothers: Anne-Marie, Élia, Nina, and Claude. In an adjacent section, at garden level, lie two suites, each with its own terrace. Also located at the same address is La Maison du Meunier, a self-contained cottage with a kitchen.

Nice, but we fell mainly for the mouth-watering combination of the interior and exterior. As for the furnishings, the muted colors are beautiful: sage, mustard, dusty pink… And then there are the Cesca and Baumann chairs, Pipistrello and Vertigo lamps, and bathrooms clad in Zellige tiles. Downstairs is a small shop with home goods – the best souvenirs. The roof is partly slate and partly tiled, and a brick section adjoins a piece of natural stone covered with ivy. Outside, the pond beckons, along with all the seating areas and fire pits surrounding it.

Breakfast is served as a buffet in the common area between eight and ten: bread from the village baker, eggs, granola, cheese, honey, and apple juice. If you have booked one of the suites, you can also choose to have breakfast delivered to your door in a basket. There is no restaurant, but there is a pantry to eat from and the option to order seafood platters, oysters, or a cheese board from local suppliers. And there is a honesty bar.

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Bicycles are ready for use; the house is located directly on the Vélomaritime and the beach is three kilometers away, with Boulogne-sur-Mer just over twenty minutes away. From October to March, the hotel is only open on weekends and – please note: the house accepts guests aged fourteen and older. Children and babies are only allowed if you rent the entire property – this may explain why you might not see availability for your dates via booking.com: Booking automatically filters out the children's ages.