A chill wind is whipping in from the sea, stirring the light dusting of sand on the boardwalk running parallel to the beach.

A lone kite flutters crazily yards from the water’s edge, its colours vivid against the vast grey sky.

It’s out of season, and improbably quiet for one of the most prestigious seaside resorts in France.

Indeed, we’re the only people wandering along the famous Planches de Deauville, a wooden boardwalk edged with art deco bathing cabins bearing the names of actors who flock here for the annual Festival of American Films.

With many of the town’s properties used as second homes, Deauville really comes alive during the summer holiday season, when colourful umbrellas spring up along the golden sands, and visitors flock to one of the most glamorous jewels on the Normandy coastline.

Just 125 miles from Paris, Deauville has been a fashionable holiday resort for Parisian high society since the 19th century.

With its annual film festivals, casino, sumptuous hotels, and more designer shops than you can shake a stick at, the town is a mecca for the glitterati.

But that’s not all that draws in the crowds. The countryside around Deauville is the main horse breeding region in France, and the town itself is internationally known in horse racing circles, with two famous tracks, annual races, and yearling sales.

But the beauty of Deauville and its environs is that you don’t have to be a film buff or a racing enthusiast to enjoy a holiday here – although it does help if you have deep pockets and plenty to fill them!

The town itself is beautiful; magnificent villas line the ocean front, jostling with small, charming houses built in the traditional Normandy style.

The pretty, half-timbered town hall is fronted with flowers, and there’s an information board which states there are defibrillators dotted around Deauville as part of a health initiative. They’re mostly in public sporting areas, but I like to think they’d be very useful for unsuspecting husbands accompanying their wives around those designer boutiques.

Luxury names like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Cartier and Dior sit next to a host of smaller boutiques and Printemps, France’s most famous department store. There’s also a farmers’ market twice a week, where rural French vendors sell home-made products like cheese, bread and wines.

Tired out with all that shopping, there are plenty of bars and restaurants where you can kick back with a café.

And if even that seems too strenous, you can always retreat to the newly reburbished Les Manoirs de Tourgeville, a luxurious hotel just a few miles away.

Driving through a succession of pretty villages and down some increasingly narrow country lanes, you’ll certainly need your satnav to guide you to your luxury retreat.

Fomerly belonging to Claude Lelouch, director of the 1966 film classic Un Homme Et Une Femme, the hotel is now owned by Groupe Floirat, which has created five circular, half-timbered ‘manoirs’ in a beautiful, seven-hectare slice of the Normandy countryside. Four of these either have spacious bedrooms or plush suites with private terraces, and the fifth houses the hotel’s panoramic restaurant, 1899, which has far-reaching views over the grounds.

In the main building, there are huge flagstones and crackling fires. With quiet corners and squashy sofas, ticking clocks and chinking glasses, the overall feeling is that you’ve come home. And this is exactly how the owners want you to feel. As the friendly staff show you to your room, they hand you a proper key on a chunky fob, so you can open your very own ‘front door’, each bearing the name of a French or American film star.

Our suite is arranged over two floors.

The ground floor is spacious and luxuriously appointed, with a plump sofa and a sparkling bathroom. Upstairs, a galleried landing opens onto a charming bedroom decorated in shades of dusty pink and red, with beautiful views across the grounds.

We’ve had a hard day shopping in Deauville, so all we want is a quick something to eat in 1899 before hitting that enormous, luxurious bed.

But any thoughts of a speedy meal are soon dispelled as we wander across from the main building into the restaurant. With its rich colours of coral and plum, more of those cosy sofas and an enormous fireplace, the whole atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried.

And it quickly becomes apparent you really do need to take time to savour every mouthful of the delicious cuisine.

Starters of translucent scallop carpaccio and a velvety soup are followed by melt-in-the-mouth sole meunière, expertly filletted at the table, and a sticky, butter-soft slab of beef. Cloudy waffles and a sweet apple Bourdelot with sharp Isigny cream round off one of the most relaxed meals we’ve ever had, and it seems only fitting that we should retire to the bar for a leisurely glass of something smooth to wash away the last strains of the day.

Travel factfile

A Manor Room at Les Manoirs de Tourgéville, Deauville, costs from €152 per room per night on a room-only basis based on two adults sharing.

For reservations and booking information call +33 2 31 14 48 68 or visit lesmanoirstourgeville.com

Brittany Ferries operate five routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to western France.

Return trips start from £198 per person based on two people travelling with their car. For more
information visit brittanyferries.com or call 0871 244 1400.