Family stays
Family reunion holiday in Normandy: choosing the house and planning a cousins’ get-together
Bedrooms, a big table, a garden, budget, invitations, programme, games and keepsakes: the complete guide to choosing a house and planning a family reunion where every generation feels at home.
Published November 2026
A family reunion holiday brings cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents together under one roof for a weekend or a few days’ holiday. Meals, games and the conversations everyone misses during the rest of the year are shared around the same table.
For a few days, grandparents tell the family story, children discover cousins of their own age and everyone meets at the same table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To make these moments last, you need a house that welcomes everyone and brings everyone together.
This guide helps you choose the right house for a family reunion, then plan it step by step: the date, the invitations, the bedrooms, the budget, the programme, the meals, the games and the keepsakes. It draws on a real example, the Château de Bernières, a 4-star family house 100 m from the beach at Bernières-sur-Mer, in Normandy.
What is a cousins’ reunion?
In France, a cousins’ reunion is called a cousinade: a family gathering that brings the cousins together with their parents, their children and often the grandparents. First cousins, second cousins, aunts and uncles all meet up.
Some families organise one every year, others every two or three years. It usually lasts a weekend, sometimes a week during the summer holidays.
Why hold a family reunion in a holiday house?
A one-day reunion in a hall or a restaurant leaves little time to talk. In a house rented for a weekend, the family lives together: breakfast, walks, games, dinner and the evening by the fire.
Over several days, cousins who barely knew each other take the time to get acquainted. Grandparents enjoy their grandchildren without rushing. And everyone keeps their own bedroom to rest.
Where to hold a family reunion?
Two approaches often compete. The first: choose a central region to keep everyone’s journey short. The second: choose a destination that makes people want to come, by the sea, in the countryside or in the mountains.
To decide, note where each branch of the family lives and work out each one’s travel time. A destination under three hours away for most families is a good compromise. Think about stations too: cousins without a car appreciate a nearby station where someone can collect them.
Normandy has a lot going for it: beaches, villages, historic sites and large houses to rent. From the UK, the ferry ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg make the journey simple, and Caen is about two hours by train from Paris Saint-Lazare.
How to choose a house for a family reunion?
A good house for a family reunion lets you live together while giving everyone a little privacy. Here are the eight things to check.
Real capacity, in bedrooms and bathrooms
Count the bedrooms and bathrooms, not just the beds. A sofa bed is no match for a bed in a proper bedroom. One bathroom for every two or three people makes mornings run smoothly.
A whole house rather than several lets
A single large house keeps everyone in the same place, from meals to evenings. Nobody sleeps in a hotel or has to drive back at night.
A big kitchen and a table for everyone
Meals are the highlight of a family reunion. A large kitchen lets several people cook together. Two ovens, two fridges and two dishwashers save precious time. A big table brings every generation together for the same meal.
Shared rooms for rainy days
A sitting room where everyone fits, a fireplace and a games table let you enjoy the house when the weather turns. Card games there can last all afternoon.
An enclosed garden to play outside
Enclosed grounds let children run around while the adults chat. Allow room for outdoor games, shaded garden furniture and a barbecue for summer lunches.
Exclusive use
A house rented just for you, with its garden and parking, lets the family live at its own pace. Children play freely and nobody worries about disturbing the neighbours.
A clear price, services included
A clear price that includes bed linen and towels, beds made up, cleaning and heating avoids unpleasant surprises. Once the house is booked, you can forget about it and enjoy the stay. For a large group, our guide to a large gîte in Normandy for 15 covers these points in detail.
Activities within walking distance
A beach, a village, a footpath or a site to visit a few minutes from the house means nobody needs the car. Groups form according to everyone’s wishes: a beach walk for some, a nap or games for others.
How to plan a family reunion: a step-by-step timeline
A family reunion takes several months to prepare. This timeline helps you forget nothing.
- 12 to 9 months before: form a small planning team, with one person per branch of the family. Suggest three or four dates with an online poll (Doodle, for example).
- 9 to 6 months before: set the date, estimate the number of guests and book the house. For July, August and bank holiday weekends, book as early as possible.
- 6 months before: send a “save the date” to the whole family, with the date and the place.
- 3 months before: set up a group chat (WhatsApp or Messenger) and appoint a contact person for each household. They confirm who is coming, dietary requirements and special needs: a cot, a ground-floor or quiet bedroom.
- 1 month before: share out the bedrooms, meals and shopping in a shared spreadsheet. Prepare the games and the family tree.
- The week before: send everyone the address, arrival time, a list of things to bring and the programme.
- After the reunion: share the photos and float the idea of the next one.
Keep the programme flexible. One shared meal a day, one suggested activity and some free time are enough for a successful stay.
How to invite the whole family?
Start from the family tree and ask each branch to fill in the addresses and phone numbers of its members.
The invitation gives the date, the place, the length of the stay and the deadline for replies.
How to share out the bedrooms?
Decide who sleeps where before you arrive: it avoids hesitation when the suitcases come in. A few simple rules help:
- grandparents in the quietest bedrooms, closest to the stairs or the ground floor;
- parents of young children near a bathroom, with a cot;
- one couple per double room, with its own shower room where possible;
- cousins of the same age together, in a dormitory.
Children remember these nights in the dormitory with their cousins for a long time.
How much does a family reunion cost and how to fund it?
The budget for a family reunion has three main items: accommodation, meals and activities. Accommodation is the largest. To compare, work out the price per night, then check what is included.
An online kitty, opened as soon as the house is booked, lets everyone contribute at their own pace.
What programme for a family reunion weekend?
Here is a sample programme over two nights, to adapt to the season.
- Friday: staggered arrivals in the late afternoon, settling into the bedrooms, a simple dinner of large salads and savoury tarts.
- Saturday morning: a long breakfast, then a beach walk for some and games in the garden for others.
- Saturday lunch: the big family lunch, followed by the family photo.
- Saturday afternoon: family Olympics, then a quiz on the family’s history.
- Saturday evening: barbecue dinner or a private chef, then an evening round the fire pit.
- Sunday: brunch, a last walk and tidying up together before leaving.
Leave free time between activities so everyone can enjoy the stay at their own pace.
Which games and activities for cousins?
Choose games that work across ages, so that young and old can join in together.
Outdoors: family Olympics
Form teams that mix branches and generations. Run short events: pétanque, mölkky, table tennis, spikeball, football, sack races or tug of war. A small trophy for the winning team and a medal for everyone are enough.
A treasure hunt in the garden is always popular too. The clues can draw on the family’s history: a date, a first name, a home village.
Indoors: cards and board games
Bring a few games that are easy to explain and played in a group: card games, party games, jigsaw puzzles. A games table by the fire soon becomes the afternoon meeting point.
Around the family’s history
These activities often make a reunion special:
- a family tree on a wall, where everyone sticks their photo;
- a quiz on the family’s history, prepared by the grandparents;
- a “guess who?” game with everyone’s childhood photos;
- a map of the places where the different branches live and have lived;
- a moment when the grandparents share their memories, recorded for the family.
If it rains: history visits as a family
For a family reunion in Normandy, a rainy day is a chance for great family visits about the history of D-Day:
- the Juno Beach Centre, at Courseulles-sur-Mer, which tells the story of the Canadian soldiers of 6 June 1944;
- the Canadians’ House, the first house liberated on 6 June 1944, and the Remem’Bernières trail, at Bernières-sur-Mer;
- the port of Arromanches, with the remains of the 1944 Mulberry harbour and its D-Day museum;
- the British Normandy Memorial, at Ver-sur-Mer;
- the Caen Memorial, devoted to the history of the 20th century.
Our visits page brings these visits and the D-Day beaches together, with distances from Bernières-sur-Mer. Back at the house, a card tournament or a slideshow of old family photos rounds off the day.
The reunion meal: how to feed everyone?
For a large group, go for simple dishes that are easy to make in quantity: big salads, gratins, tarts and barbecued meat. Give each meal to a different family, so nobody spends the stay in the kitchen. One branch can also bring a speciality from their region.
Note allergies and dietary requirements from the start, then prepare the shopping lists meal by meal. For a dinner without cooking, a private chef can come and cook for the whole family.
How to keep a memory of the family reunion?
A few ideas to keep a record of the stay:
- the family photo, taken in the same spot at every reunion;
- a shared online photo album where everyone adds their pictures;
- a guest book where each family writes a few lines;
- a book of family recipes, gathered before the stay;
- the grandparents’ memories, recorded on video;
- an updated family tree, sent to everyone after the stay.
The Château de Bernières: a house for a family reunion by the sea
The Château de Bernières is a family house rented as a whole, in the centre of Bernières-sur-Mer, in the Calvados. It hosts a family reunion of up to 15 guests in 6 bedrooms: five bedrooms with a double bed and shower room, and a dormitory of five single beds with a bathroom. A cot is available on request.
The 55 m² kitchen, with its central island, wood-burning fireplace, two ovens, two fridges and two dishwashers, is made for big tables. The sitting room has a gas fireplace, and a table football awaits the children.
The 2.5-hectare walled grounds include a pétanque court, a table tennis table, football goals, badminton, mölkky and spikeball, a large barbecue, two large tables and three sets of garden furniture. The house is rented for your exclusive use, with private parking.
The beach is 100 m away, a five-minute walk. The house is available from €990 per night. Bed linen and towels, beds made up, fibre broadband, heating and end-of-stay cleaning are included. The house is a 4-star classified furnished tourist accommodation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cousinade?
A cousinade is the French name for a family reunion that brings the cousins together with their parents, their children and often the grandparents. Some families hold one every year, others every two or three years. It usually lasts a weekend, in a large house rented for the occasion, and revolves around shared meals, games and time spent on the family’s history.
How does a family reunion weekend usually go?
A family reunion usually takes place over a two-night weekend, sometimes over a week in summer. On the first evening, everyone arrives, settles in and shares a simple dinner. The next day combines a walk, a big family lunch, a group photo, team games mixing the generations and an evening by the fire. On the last day, brunch comes before a final walk and tidying up together. Over a week, you can add outings and visits.
Where should you hold a family reunion?
For a family reunion, choose a place under three hours’ travel for most families, or a destination that makes people want to come, such as the seaside. A large house rented as a whole lets everyone live together throughout the stay. Normandy, within easy reach of the UK by ferry, offers beaches, historic sites and large family houses to rent.
How do you choose a house for a family reunion?
To choose a house for a family reunion, first look at the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, not just the beds. Then check the size of the kitchen and the table, the shared rooms for rainy days, the enclosed garden for children, exclusive use and the services included: bed linen, beds made up, cleaning and heating.
What is the difference between a family reunion house and a group gîte?
A group gîte is often designed for large numbers, with dormitories and shared halls. For a family reunion, a family house rented as a whole offers more private bedrooms, a big kitchen and the feel of a real home, appreciated by grandparents and children alike. The choice depends on the number of guests and the level of comfort you want.
How much does a house for a family reunion cost?
The price of a house for a family reunion depends on the season, the capacity, the length of stay and the services included. To compare, work out the price per night and per person, then check what is included: bed linen and towels, beds made up, end-of-stay cleaning and heating.
How do you fund a family reunion?
To fund a family reunion, set a budget when you book the house, counting accommodation, meals and activities. An online kitty opened several months ahead lets everyone contribute at their own pace. Giving each meal to a family and choosing a house where linen and cleaning are included limits unexpected costs.
When should you book a house for a family reunion?
Book a house for a family reunion 6 to 9 months before the date, and earlier for July, August and bank holiday weekends, which are in high demand. Start the date poll 9 to 12 months ahead, so that every family has time to get organised.
What games can cousins play together?
For cousins, choose games that mix the ages. Outdoors: team Olympics, pétanque, mölkky, table tennis, spikeball, football or a treasure hunt. Indoors: card games, board games and a quiz on the family’s history. A family tree on the wall and a “guess who?” game with childhood photos entertain every generation.
What should you plan for a family reunion meal?
For a family reunion meal, plan simple dishes that are easy to make in quantity: big salads, gratins, tarts and barbecued meat. Give each meal to a different family and note allergies and dietary requirements from the start. For a dinner without cooking, a private chef can prepare the meal for the whole family.
What can you do during a family reunion in Normandy?
During a family reunion in Normandy, the family enjoys the beaches for walks and swimming, and the historic sites for visits: the Juno Beach Centre, the port of Arromanches, the British Normandy Memorial or the Caen Memorial. On fine days, the garden hosts games and outdoor meals; on rainy days, the D-Day museums keep every generation busy.
Key takeaways
- A single large house keeps the whole family together, from meals to evenings.
- Count the bedrooms, bathrooms and places at the table, not just the beds.
- Start planning 9 to 12 months ahead, with a contact person for each branch and household.
- Plan games that mix the generations and a keepsake to take home.
Conclusion
A successful family reunion comes down to a house that brings people together and simple planning. A big table, a garden to play in and some free time are enough to create lovely memories.
Choose the house, set the date, then let the family do the rest.
For a family reunion 100 m from the beach, discover the Château de Bernières and its availability.
