Eugenia Maria de Montijo Guzman countess of Teba was born in Grenade 5th June 1826.

She married Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte emperor of the French in 1853.to whom she bore a son: the Imperial prince in 1856.

Camille de Saint-Phale met the empress Eugenie when she became mistress of the duke of Morny in the 1850’s. From their meeting a beautiful friendship would be born. In 1871, it was the flight towards England. Camille and Eugenie both met in London. Camille bought a house in Chelsea where their friendship was sealed.
During a walk to Kensington, the two friends met Claude Monet at a painter’s shop. From this meeting would be born little by little the return to France for Camille who later settled at the Villa Saint Clair where she hosted incognito the ex-empress. This room, in the tower of the Dungeon, gives onto the village, the sea and the cliffs of Etretat across the maritime pines.

The baldaquin bed creates the impression of living a true fairy story with, in the grand bathroom, a corner balneotherapy bath and atmospheric music to rhythm your stay at the Normandy seaside.

Born Rosa-Maria Kollinsky in Warsaw 7th June 1875 to Keshavan Kollinsky, officer to the Tsar Nicolas II and to Katarina Mietchetiovny, dame of honour of the Tsaress Alix.

She gallicised her name to Rose-Marie Collin. Rose-Marie dreamt of a great romance without ever finding it. She was in love with Monsieur Paul without it being reciprocal.

Her friends
The only friends she could count were at the Villa Saint Clair and that sufficed. Rose-Marie left Russia and wandered a time in central Europe alongside her sisters, actresses at the theatre. She was a costume maker when she discovered London, but her contract was sold to Paul Poiret’s all new fashion house in Paris. Rose-Marie taken with London went downhill in Paris. There she met Mademoiselle Baker and Marguerite de Neuhof who became friends and confidantes. The DeNeuhof’s already installed at the resort of the Domain Saint Clair, asked Camille to welcome Rose-Marie. Camille, big hearted, opened her door to her and Rose-Marie found life once more at Etretat beside the devil-may care major.

The view of the room gives onto the sea and the valley. The bathroom is equipped with a balneotherapy bath and the bedroom with music.

Flora was born in New-York 7th March 1888 to Mathew Morrow and Virginia Maysley.

Her friends
Isadora Duncan and Camille de Saint-Phalle Madeleine, the elder sister of Camille de Saint-Phale left to live in New York in the 1840’s and struck up a friendship with the Morrow’s.
Each time that Camille visited her sister, she was invited to the Morrow’s and became godmother to Flora, their younger sister.
Camille followed her education very closely, her parents desired to inculcate European and above all French values in her. It was said that at eighteen years old, Flora became a lady’s companion to Camille in France in order to learn its enriching culture there. Flora was the last arrival to the Villa Saint-Clair, the year when the major Van Dongen bought the neighbouring property, The Dungeon.

Flora’s room under the rooftops in tones of rose-grey is very modern, even coquettish. It is equipped with a balneotherapy bath and music.

Alphonse Van Dongen was single and had a pension from the Belgium colonial army. Born in Brussells 7th October 1854 to Adrien Dinant, a soldier married with children and to Mieke Van Dongen, nurse at Gand, and single.

His friends
Guy de Maupassant, Pierre Loti, Marcel Proust, Oscar wilde, Emile Verhaeren, Mistinguett, Victor Horta.
The Major was introduced to Camille de Saint-Phale by Guy de Maupassant in 1884during the visit of a maharadjah to Etretat. The three guys would experience many hearty times in this charming village.

When Camille bought the Villa Saint Clair in 1890, the major was invited to take his retirement from the colonial army to live by her side. Their friends and acquaintances settled progressively in the villa which became too small. The Major then acquired in 1906 the neighbouring property, The Dungeon, it was the birth of the Domain Saint Clair.

With an independent entryway on the side of the villa, this room is the copy of a colonial chamber in Southern Africa. The old furniture, the trophees, the paintings, a world map, emphasize the elegance of his character. A room with a balneotherapy bath and music. The room has the advantage of a private terrace.

Maximilien was born in Strasbourg on 13th July 1858 to Friedrich De Neuhof and Valentine Ketel. Marguerite was born in Paris 9th April 1870 to Désiré Freyssin and Léontine Monschau. She married Maximilien De Neuhof I 1887.
They have two children: Emilien born in 1890 and Sophie born in 1897.
Emilien, taken with the adventures of Jules Verne, followed him one day to his house. He rang and waited in the antechamber. Jules Verne would appreciate his youthful and casual demeanour and would introduce him to the doctor, François. Emilien would introduce the doctor into his family circle hoping thus to renew contact with his too distant father. Alchemy did its trick and they became friends with the doctor. The latter proposed that they stay on holiday there and rent an apartment in the Villa Saint-Clair at Etretat near to the Major and Camille. The little troupe could thus better meet each other and exchange their maddest ideas. Sophie, who was younger, dazzled the whole household with the assurance with which she looked the adults up and down. Impish and not in the least shy, she was the favourite of Camille who nicknamed her Kali.

This room gives onto the steps of the villa with an access from the rose garden of the type Claude Monet was wont to like. The young childstyle decoration gives freshness and the bathroom emphasizes the detail of the characters. It offers a balneotherapy bath, atmospheric music and a sofa settee.

Claude Oscar Monet was born in Paris 14th November 1840. He married Camille Doncieux in 1870, Gustave Courbet was his witness. For his second marriage he married Alice Hoschedé in 1892. He would have two sons: Jean 1867 and Michel 1878.

Camille de Saint-Phale was in exile in London after 1871. In the company of the ex-empress Eugénie, his friend, she met Claude Monet at a painter’s stall. From this meeting would come about little by little the return to France for Camille who would later settle at the villa Saint Clair where she would host Claude Monet. Together the three of them represented the elder generation of the Villa, the mature ones as Camille liked to call them. Camille always avant-gardist, encouraged the first steps of these mad impressionists as they were qualified by the academia of elder painters. Although Camille never chose to paint reality, she found it extraordinary to paint in the open air.

This room has just been renovated and it benefits today from its ‘Spa Privé’. This mini ‘Resort’ of well-being allows you the possibility to have a sauna and get a massage. There is atmospheric music in the room and a beautiful terrace that gives onto the sea.