OK, have persuaded dds into bed now. Just to say that the house was nice and spacious (as I mentioned before my parents were there for some of the time too), with good facilities (dishwasher, good cooker, plenty of pots and pans, etc.), and a big garden. The decor was a bit 'tired', but, hey, that's hardly vital. It's near Bricquebec (so not right on the coast) but it's 10 mins to Barneville (the 'town-y' part) and about 15 mins to Carteret beach (fab!). It is a bit in the middle of nowhere (in a hamlet of about 5 houses, nearest village doesn't have a shop), but a nice place to stay.
In general, I'd recommend the Cotentin to anyone (in fact, I should be on the payroll of their tourist board!). Lovely for families, not too hot (we're a family of fair-skinned sun-haters!), lots to do near at hand (beach, walks by sea, donkey riding/carts, markets, etc.) and further afield (aquarium in Cherbourg, Bayeux tapestry, Barfleur is nice, zoo near Villedieu les Poeles, lots of D-Day stuff if your kids are old enough to be interested (dd1 - who was just 5 - went to the D-Day landing museum at Utah Beach and was very interested, though afterwards she got a bit mixed up with the Bayeux Tapestry and thought that King Henry landed in Normandy with the Germans and was beaten by William the Conqueror!). We loved it there and will definitely be going back sometime soon.