No single hotel epitomizes the epic grandeur of Deauville like the Royal Barrière. Push through its gilded revolving doors to find photo portraits of a thousand famous former guests: Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Barack Obama, among them. Guest rooms and suites are a palatial medley of crushed red velvet, plush carpet, and cool marble. Guests enjoy complimentary access to the Royal’s beach club and Olympic-size pool or a golf lesson at the prestigious Golf Barrière Club. Non-guests may sit at Deauville’s top table by dining at Restaurant l’Etrier (fixed-price menus 67€–115€). This temple of seafood gastronomy is overseen by chef Eric Provost, a one-time understudy of Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon.