Deauville is a small seaside town in Normandy, Northern France. It has a population of approximately five thousand people. Perched on a superb sandy stretch of coast, which you can not find even on the Azure Coast, it wears a unique charm and felling of elegance and style. The Pearl of La Manche, as the town is often called, is the charming rival of Cannes. Every year the town is a host of the famous American Film Festival, established in 1975. The festival gathers many of the Hollywood celebrities and the town becomes a place where diamonds are always genuine, the cars are the latest models and the champagne is Dom Perignon.

Three centuries ago Deauville was founded on Mont-Canisy, a small hill by the sea, as a little farming settlement. In 1858 the Duke of Morny, who was a half-brother of the Emperor Napoleon III, visited the neighboring town of Trouville. The duke was inspired by the idea to create a fashionable seaside resort near Paris, a real "kingdom of elegance" for the high life of France.

Deauville was the right place for this. Situated on a picturesque hill over La Manche, it is surrounded by an endless stretch of sandy beaches, with sands as fine as flour, which can not be found even on the Azure Coast. The resort was built for 4 years by Duke of Morny. Soon the fame of its casino and excellent horse racecourse spread all over France. The place became a favorite seaside destination for the rich citizens of Paris and even for aristocrats from foreign countries.

The charm of Deauville is hidden mainly in its old buildings in Norman style, untouched by the time, well preserved and regularly renovated. The visitor has the feeling to be in a fairy-tale world with graceful white houses, lined by dark or colored wooden beams, covered by steep roofs with original decorative finials and surrounded by flower carpets on the carefully cut fresh green grass. Motley flower waterfalls go down from each window and the street lamp are also decorated with flowerpots. The trim centuries old buildings have housed elegant boutiques of word most famous designer brands.

One of the town's landmarks is the wonderful beach and the promenade. In 1921 the town council announced a competition for the renovation of the wooden bathing cabins along the beach. The winner, Charles Adda, constructed the amazing complex called the Pompeian Baths. It comprises 250 bathing cabins, a bar, shops and Turkish baths. All of them are situated around a splendid atrium with graceful arcades and mosaics, all reflecting the best of the antique traditions. There is a bench with the name of a Hollywood celebrity in front of each cabin. All famous name of the American movie industry from the beginning of the last century until present day are marked there. The boardwalk promenade Les Planches is 643 meters long. It is built of wood very resistant to decay and specially imported for the case from Madagascar. The beach is exceptionally beautiful with endless rows of umbrellas in blue and red, the colours of Deauville. The scene of the sunset is a very romantic moment. During the summer season it can be watched around 23:00h.

Deauville is famous for its yachts, horse races and casinos. The picturesque setting of the resort determines its role of a magnet for rich yachtsmen from around the world. The casinos are an essential complement to this style. The old Casino, between Deauville and Trouville was built in 1864 but in the 90s of the same 19th century it was demolished. In 1912 on the site was built a new casino, a real architectural masterpiece of the Second Empire style. Later in Deauville was opened the Casino Barriere, smaller but more shining and much more modern. The number of elderly gambling venerators is impressive in the both casinos. It is not an unusual scene to see elderly ladies, on wheel chairs, with natural pearls and diamond necklaces, arguing with slot-machines which have taken their money.

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