In the 19th century, Houlgate was only a small village on the right bank of the Drochon. The site, dotted with dunes and tamarisk trees, started attracting investors in 1850. They wished to establish a new seaside resort destined for Parisians. From 1890 to 1914, rich villas in eclectic styles combining Gothic, Renaissance, or Norman lined up along Avenue Landry. This period constituted the Belle Époque of sea bathing. Marcel Proust lived there in a villa called Les Mouettes.