Le Clos de Tournes

Le Clos de Tournes

At breakfast, Caroline puts jam made from fruit grown in the orchard behind the farmhouse onto the table, alongside local cheese, juice and fresh pastries, before guests head out to explore the Côte d'Opale. Le Clos de Tournes is a converted farm in the Boulonnais countryside outside Echinghen, run as an eight-room hotel by Caroline and François, who take the time to talk through the history of the property and the region and point guests toward the coast. That personal welcome, and jam that never came from a jar, is the one thing this place has that a bigger hotel cannot offer. The garden and terrace come with outdoor furniture, a barbecue and a picnic area, and there is a point on site to charge an electric car. Rooms include a standard double with a garden view. Boulogne-sur-Mer, with its medieval ramparts and the Nausicaá aquarium, sits fifteen minutes away, as do the cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez and the beaches at Wissant and Hardelot; golfers have courses at Le Touquet and Wimereux within reach, and two waymarked trails, the chemin d'Aline and the chemin de la Marguerite, loop through Echinghen. Families are catered for with family rooms, and a restaurant and laundry service on site mean guests do not need to get back in the car for every meal or errand. This suits couples, families and hikers who want a quiet countryside base near the coast; it will not suit anyone who wants to be based in a town center, steps from shops and restaurants, without needing a car. What stays with you afterward is the taste of that homemade jam, not a list of facilities. Le Clos de Tournes is a converted farmhouse outside Echinghen with eight rooms and hosts who make jam from their own orchard. It suits couples, families and hikers wanting a quiet base near Boulogne-sur-Mer and the Côte d'Opale, not those wanting to stay in a town center.