The Mont Blanc Hotel has a prime position in Chamonix; elevated just back from the village centre and facing the famous mountain range. Given that it also has 4 star status and a chef and restaurant staff who would grace London's finest restaurants, you could be forgiven for expecting a real Alpine treat - particularly if, like us, you paid out the best part of ?3k with Inghams for the privilege of a week's half-board, travel, ski hire, passes, etc. Unfortunately, our overriding feeling after checking out was disappointment. Our tiny twin room (2 star) reeked of cigarette smoke for the duration of our stay, despite a member of staff telling us it was a non-smoking hotel. (And what is it with the French and twin beds? They'd have us believe they're a nation of lovers and yet they look at you with amazement when you expect a double bed.) The walls were paper thin as too the curtains which wouldn't close. There was a choice of lighting: too-dim-to-read by the bedside or blinded by the striplights behind the pelmets. The bathroom had bulging wall tiles with missing grout and a stained bath. The towel fitting was half hanging off the wall, and it was impossible to run a bath without an overflow from the shower firing down the side of the tub and soaking the floor. The hotel sets a higher standard in its public areas, displaying a 4 star charade that suckers in unsuspecting guests. Ironically, its publicity material is proud to show off a magnificent fireplace with roaring flames in the drawing room. And yet, despite the sub-zero temperatures, the perishing thing was rarely lit. The one time it was, I did it myself. The front desk told us this task usually lies with the barman - the poor sap who also has to run around serving drinks, chopping wood and ensuring the sauna is switched on and clean towels are provided in their postage stamp health centre (in fact a lean-to conservatory annexed onto the bar). Should you visit it, you may find the pool and sauna a little overcrowded - and if you don't recognise any faces from the hotel that's probably because they are visitors the hotel allows to use the facilities providing they spend some money in the bar. Or so one told us. The hotel's saving grace is its restaurant which served up first rate haute cuisine. Its restaurant staff are extremely efficient and courteous and yet, on one evening, they let a red-faced buffoon with a camera in to the restaurant to harass diners into having their pictures taken. After making a nuisance of himself he then repaired to the bar where staff obviously knew him. So here's the nub of the problem with the Mont Blanc Hotel: it has the potential to be a great hotel but is let down by clueless management.

My husband and I have just returned from a week in the Hotel Mont Blanc and feel nothing but bitter disappointment. Granted, the weather we had was lousy which didn’t help, but not being a very keen skier myself, we chose the Hotel with the idea that we’d only ever ski half days and spend time in the hotel the rest of the time. When we arrived, the concierge was pleasant and showed us to our room. He pointed out that we had twin beds, pushed together and told us that they’d change it over to a double bed the following day. Immediately on entering the room we noticed other problems, the wall paper was peeling in several spots, the grouting in the bathroom was mouldy and blackened in many areas, the bath was limescaly and stained, the heating was not on – surely this is a little strange in March in the mountains…? The beds had been made up with a sheet and blanket as opposed to a duvet / quilt which left us shivering even after adding on the extra blankets from the cupboard and the bedspread and turning on the heater. The walls were very thin and we were woken on a few occasions hearing other guests next to us or up above. We were booked in for bed and breakfast but a couple of days in to our stay we thought we would check out the restaurant, the menu looked interesting and this was something that they’d been keen to promote on their website and in email correspondence with us. We were told that they were fully booked. Fair enough.. WE went along a few days later and were told the same thing. It was about 8.30pm and LOTS of the tables were still empty. When I questioned if all those tables were booked he man replied (I think rather insincerely) that yes, people were coming to all those tables. We asked if we could order something to have back in our room and were informed that when the restaurant was busy room service was halted. Firstly I find this very strange, surely the restaurant will be busy at mealtimes and people will also be wanting room service at the same time..?? Secondly I found it insulting and hostile to be refused a table twice when clearly they were not fully booked and we were guests in the hotel. The service in the bar was slow and faltering – I am half French and have been brought up bilingual and for some reason they struggled to comprehend my order for a mint tea. More than once. It was only after we left yesterday and breathed a sigh of relief that it occurred to me that we should have said something about the bed situation. They had not, as promised given us one double bed; they’d simply made up the twin beds with a double sheet. Hardly romantic sleeping on the bed seam feeling like you are going to fall through the middle all night! They boasted a lobby area and a pool on the little tour they gave us on arrival. The seats in the lobby were desperately uncomfortable and the fire here and in the dining room was never lit – NOT was we had seen on the website, nor, logical given the dismal weather we had. The pool was small, off a little conservatory through the bar and overlooked by a major road. We were made to book for a minimum of 7 days due to the time of year and paid 50% upfront. Had this not been the case, I guarantee that we would have left and gone somewhere else. For what it was it was very overpriced, disappointing, upsetting and above all deceptive. This is categorically not a 4*hotel. If you are looking for a luxury getaway in the Alps and somewhere to relax and be well looked after in comfort and style, then this is definitely not the place for you.

We just walked into this hotel as we did not book for a drive from Italy to Paris. We paid a very reasonable rate (€150/nt for two with breakfast included) and had a large room with excellent view of Mont-Blanc from the balcony, and funky (also good-sized) bathroom with full tub and all the other expected items as well. The pool was too cold for me even though heated, although my travelling companion did swim a little. There is a sauna that was the same temperature as the ambient air but heated quickly. The hotel is in a good location in the town, parking was free, wi-fi was free, and the grandeur of the place was obvious. I'm sure this hotel would be a lot more expensive in ski season but for us, it was a welcome bit of pampering. Would stay here again without hesitation.

My son and I stayed here for 8 days, the last week in March through April 2, 2007. I had once stayed here (with my mom) about 30 years ago, and wanted to repeat the experience. This is supposed to be a 4-star hotel, so expectations are higher than what to expect from a 3 or lower star hotel. We booked our stay via a package from the town tourist website (---). The service was absolutely exemplary. The rooms were cleaned twice a day, the beds prepped for sleep each evening and chocolate and the next day’s weather forecast deposited on the bed. The staff is always smiling and friendly. Sitting in the living room area (next to the lobby), the bar person is very attentive. The reception staff was very helpful, well-informed, and spoke English reasonably well. The lobby is beautiful and historic looking. The breakfast (included for all hotel guests?) is excellent – cereals, three different bowls of fresh fruits, eggs (scrambled and whole), sausage / ham / bacon / variety of meats, different breads / danishes / croissants, baked garlic tomatoes, wonderful coffee and hot chocolate. Service was simply outstanding. And such pretty female servers too! I tipped 4-5 euros each day, even though it wasn’t necessary. A private hotel bus took us to the slopes each morning. The hotel bus did not run on Saturdays, but not a big deal since the public bus stop is right behind the hotel. Location is excellent. It is right next to the tourist office, right next to the bus stop, and an open plaza to sit around in right next to the hotel. The Brevent lift is just up the street (a couple of hundred meters). The bus/train station is about a 10 minute walk; although on ski boots is more like 15 minutes. The Aigulle du Midi is about a 12 minute walk, 15-20 in ski boots. We suggest walking in slip-on shoes if possible and carrying your ski boots around, and just switching when ready to ski (lots of people do this). The ski room was a little tight but the lockers were large enough for our 4 pairs of skis. The lockers also had pegs to hang ski boots, and the room had a rack of electric boot/glove dryers (not necessary to use – the room was dry enough). The lockers do not have individual locks. We brought our own recoiler locks to lock up our skis (world cup race skis) to the boot peg rack inside the locker. There is no tuning bunch. The only reason that I cannot give our stay 5 out of 5 is that the rooms are a bit dated. The furniture was a bit beat up, the carpet in the room a little old-looking, there were only two drawers for clothes (skiers have lots of clothes!), the bathroom layout a little strange (see the pictures), and the room can be very hot. In fact, the hotel staff would jam a crystal in the large picture window to keep it open during the day, so that the room doesn’t cook. The TV (which could be bigger) could use more English channels - especially since approx 75% of the tourists in Chamonix are English. As mentioned in other reviews, the beautiful lobby does not match the outdated rooms. We were in their basic room, so maybe the higher-end rooms are better. If you have dinner in the hotel’s famed restaurant Matafan, you must make reservations (it is not open for lunch). We tried to dine there on our last evening, even dressed up, but were brusquely turned away by the host because we didn’t have reservations. Very odd since only about a half-dozen tables were occupied (out of 20 or so?), and there were only two of us. Also, none of the hotel staff mentioned that reservations were required at Matafan despite talking about this restaurant several times with the staff. The very prominently displayed menu in the lobby does not mention reservations required either. We dined at fancy restaurants all week without making reservations (this is low season, after all), so were disappointed to be turned away at Matafan. I’ve owned 3 restaurants in the past, and don’t understand how a restaurant that could handle a lot of people cannot handle 2 walk-ins. Maybe that’s why the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy like the many other establishments in town. Here are also some of our dining experiences around Chamonix: La Caleche Excellent service, great food, nice interiors. It’s much bigger inside than what can be viewed from the street. The wait staff has these cool wireless order pads. We ordered drinks, she tapped them into her electronic pad, and while still discussing what to order for a main meal with her (she never left the table), another server brought our drinks already! Highly recommended. I used to own 3 restaurants – this place will not disappoint. L’Atmosphere Spotty (brusque) service, very jammed tables, ok food. The place does look nice inside with windows overlooking the river. There are better choices around town. Hotel du Montevers Restaurant This place served the best meals we had in our 8-day stay around Chamonix (albeit the price to match). The views are wonderful (of Mer de Glace) – we ate twice on the deck for lunch. The Cassolette Escargots was wonderful. We also had various meals such as the Tartiflette, Ecorce Sapin, and Poitrine Veau Farcie – all great. The cheese served with the meal is a made special for the restaurant and not served anywhere else in Chamonix (see picture of our meals). It can be a bit slow but worth the wait (wonderful way to end a ski run of the Vallee Blanche). Cost came to a little over 100 euros for 3 of us for lunch, which included a bottle of wine (approx 24 euros for the bottle we ordered). For some background, I used to own 3 restaurants – this place will not disappoint. Taverne Looks nice from the outside, but forget this restaurant. Le Bartavel Cheap Italian eats (cheap for Chamonix that is), good for families with kids. Service friendly, quick, and bustling. Pizza and pasta was decent (although cannot compare to the Italian food in Coumayer just across the border). Diner-like (fast food) interiors. Great location right on the main shopping street of Chamonix. 5 out of 5 for cheap eats in Chamonix. Mojo's Cheap internet sandwich place with excellent sandwiches. Has outdoor seating, good spot for people watching.

I didn't stay at the hotel but at an affiliated one that had a dine around program. The credit we received basically covered our cocktails but it was worth the splurge for one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. Most of our table did a tasting menu but they served the extra courses to those at the table that didn't so that we were all eating at the same time. A memorable evening.