Auberge Balcon Blanc

The room was very clean and well kept, but the long, steep path to the entrance was completely iced over, with no salt, gravel, or other effort to clear it. I had to take my suitcase up the snowbank to avoid slipping, and still slipped while stepping from the bank to the entrance.

The bathroom was huge, and the room was comfortable, clean, and very nice. It’s close to the center of Saguenay. Check-in was self-service, so we didn’t meet anyone. The one drawback was that there’s no private parking.

The two bedrooms were the only part we found acceptable. They weren’t as appealing as the photos, but at least they were tolerable. We’d booked the two-bedroom apartment for two nights for over 900 CAD, so we expected a decent standard. Instead, the property looked run down from the start, with wooden stairs that seemed unsafe and poorly maintained. Inside, there was an unpleasant, ingrained smell. The furniture looked old, mismatched, and lacking any charm. Despite being advertised as “bright” and “charming,” it was dark because of the window placement, and the atmosphere felt unwelcoming. Using the third bed left no living space at all. The bathroom was especially disappointing, with stains in the sink and elsewhere that showed the apartment’s age and poor upkeep. We chose not to stay and found somewhere else. When we tried contacting the people responsible, we got no answer for three days. The agency eventually said its work week only starts on Wednesday, apparently leaving guests without support from Saturday through Tuesday. After several exchanges, and only after we asked, the sole compensation offered was the 25 CAD per night cleaning fee, since we hadn’t stayed. They called it a “gesture of goodwill.” They refused a partial refund, claiming that everything except the kitchen had “brand new” furniture and flooring, which seems highly questionable given what we saw. Both the apartment and the customer service were deeply disappointing. At over 900 CAD, the experience felt misleading at best and intentionally deceptive at worst. We strongly advise potential guests to take the negative reviews seriously and set their expectations accordingly.

The house is beautiful and sits on the most prestigious street in Chicoutimi. The location is perfect, and the rooms were clean and well organized. Still, the rooms are small, and there’s no door separating the bed from the bathroom. There aren’t proper shared spaces either, and the balcony shown in the photos isn’t accessible. There’s no parking. The website didn’t explain these things clearly, which was disappointing. For what we paid, I’d probably have picked a hotel room instead. EDIT: I’m very disappointed by the AI slop reply from the owners 👎 It sums up their “all autonomous” experience, which really means it’s hard to reach someone when you need anything.