THE SITE

The www.sosdispos-normandie.com website is published by LB SERVICES company, which, thanks to its almost 6 years of experience with its own developed availabilities online platform in Normandy, intends to share this useful information with the online visitors looking for accommodation in Normandy and especially last minute availabilities. Having tested the online booking myself, came to me the idea to propose a website as simple and as quick to use as possible to avoid what is generally found on the web (and which really gets on my nerve !!!), I mean, messy websites where "too much information kills the information". That's why on www.sosdispos-normandie.com visitors will only find accommodation displaying availabilities at the requested dates and NOT a hotels or B&B listing (with no idea of vacancies then!). So don't be surprised with the numbers of the accommodation displayed as a result of your request, these are the ones with availabilities... So simply ask for your dates and the area where you want to stay ... and as a result, you'll get available places (hotels or "chambres d'hotes" (guest houses) or self-catering, ...) at the place you want to be or in the neighborhood... LB SERVICES has been working with hotels and guest houses (Bed & Breakfast), self-catering and cottages, campsites as well as with the tourist offices of the Normandy region over this last 6 years and can ensure visitors of the liability of its partners. The website displays both chain hotels and independent ones, small and large capacities, charming or standard ones, from no star up to 4 stars... for every taste...and with no fee at all... So just click... and book online ! NORMANDY

From the creation of the Dukedom of Normandy in 911 by the Vikings ("Northmen") of Rollon, Normandy has been ceaselessly shining on the History of France. Starting with William the Conqueror, called the "Bastard", born in Falaise in 1027 who became Duke of Normandy at the age of 8 and who was crowned King of England on December 25th,1066 after having defeated King Harold during the famous battle of Hastings (UK) on October 14th, 1066. Followed many architectural buildings to impose his power: monuments such as Men's and Lady's abbeys in Caen, Bayeux Cathedral, many churches, production of the Bayeux Tapestry, a 70 meters embroidery relating the well-known battle of Hastings and listed as "Memory of the World" by UNESCO. In these times was also built the Saint Michael Mount abbey by Benedictine monks, which still nowadays attracts millions of pilgrims from all other the world. Incorporated within the royal domain in 1204, Normandy paid a heavy toll during the Hundred Years War as well as during the religious wars as among the Norman were a lot of protestants (due to the territorial proximity with England). The Dukedom of Normandy came to an end in 1469 with King Louis XI. The return of peace in Normandy eventually revived the Norman spirit of conquest and Normans, to be sure after the Spanish and the Portugueses, left to discover the New World from the beginning of the 16th century. Dieppe and Honfleur served as departure harbor for great explorers (Paulmier de Gonneville, Jean Denis, Verrazano, Champlain, Belain d'Esnambuc, Cavalier de la Salle, ...). It is at that time that Normandy saw, as a sign of prosperity, richly decorated housefronts flourishing as well as gothic churches enlarging (Saint Maclou in Rouen, Notre Dame in Louviers, Notre Dame in Alencon, Rouen Parliament, Evreux belfry). Divided in 5 departments since the French Revolution (Calvados, Orne, Manche, Seine-Maritime, Eure), Normandy region acquired its nowadays characteristics during the 19th century: agricultural country, bocage landscape and tourism. It's indeed in the 1st half of this century (much earlier than the French Riviera) that Normandy welcomed its first foreign visitors from England...Sea swimming was launched by some aristocrats in Dieppe before some modest coast villages turned to becoming seaside resorts: Etretat, Deauville, Trouville, Cabourg, Houlgate, ... 19th century also saw two economic development axis: on one hand, cattle breeding enabling the development of the milk industry (butter, cheeses: Camembert, Pont l'Eveque, Livarot, Neufchatel, ...) and on the other hand, industrialization and urbanization, mainly in the textile industry (cotton), spreading out its factories and its working-class districts (especially in Seine Maritime, around Rouen, Le Havre, Elbeuf or Bolbec). At last, the end of the 19th century recognized Normandy as birthplace of the impressionist painting, the name of this painting movement coming itself from a Monet work called "Impression, soleil levant". From Giverny to Le Havre, through Dieppe and Honfleur, norman landscapes inspired ceaselessly painters (Claude Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet, Sisley, Gauguin, Degas, Caillebotte, Van Gogh...) The XXth century in Normandy then left its indelible mark in the contemporary History of the world with the D-Day and the Battle of Normandy which ended the nightmare of the German occupation and initiated the end of WWII. Launched from the allied command based in England, the Overlord military operation enters the History in being the largest battlefield in the history of humanity. The historical area of the Battle of Normandy gathers all the museums, sites and memory locations dealing with the D-Day landing beaches and the battle of Normandy. This date of June 6th, 1944 will ever remain as the date of the beginning of the release of European countries and Normandy paid a heavy toll to this worldwide event : Caen, Saint-Lo, Le Havre were so bombed that they were destroyed at 75%. Reconstruction lasted then longer in Normandy than anywhere else in France. The occasion to experiment different ways of urbanization (Caen and Le Havre), to modernize the agriculture and to reorganize industrial and harbor areas. In 1956, creation of the French regions didn't lead to a unique Norman region corresponding to the former Dukedom of Normandy but created two regions: Lower (Calvados, Manche and Orne) and Upper Normandy (Seine-Maritime, Eure).