Deauville had a notam Saturday that the west side of the grass park is wet/muddy and grass taxiway Alpha entry closed, still taxiway Bravo is open to get you there leaving tarmac room for other $-clients
I would not have taxied onto the grass at Deauville under power even if there had been no rain for 10 years. Pushed manually, no problem, but you need to be sure you can find a Geoff Capes (or Daniel Craig, for the lady pilots 
) to get you off (get you off the grass, I mean) afterwards
Yes I got the impression they were reserving the tarmac for the $ users…
You saw more light activity because it was a weekend, and Deauville is a big destination for pilots. It is kind of the typical first place you take friends to after your PPL. When they get more seasoned they go to Le Touquet (because of the bike rental making a nicer-less-ripoff trip).
Interesting… I would not say there is any difference in the complexity between the two. LFAT has the massive advantage of not needing a taxi. The 20min walk is considerably less than the wait for a taxi at LFRG, and pays for a lunch for everybody.
