Les Balcons du Savoy

We spent three nights here in late August with our family. It's a beautiful, well-kept apartment hotel within walking distance of the town's pedestrian streets, restaurants and shops. A lovely park where paragliders land is nearby and adds to the lively feel. The area is green and quiet, and dark at night, so there was no disturbance while sleeping. Our apartment comfortably fit four, and the balcony was a nice outdoor space. There's also an indoor heated pool, gym, kids' playroom and parking garage. Staff were friendly and professional. The breakfast room is rather small and gets crowded, though breakfast itself was fresh and tasty. The women serving were excellent, but at €14 per person, it didn't feel worth it, especially if you don't eat meat. There were a number of issues that kept this from a five-star stay. Our refrigerator was switched off when we arrived, and no one told us, so the food we bought didn't fare very well. The kitchen worked well, but had no coffee, tea, sugar, oil, salt, pepper, napkins or paper towels. It would be helpful to provide those basics for short stays, since guests may not want to buy large packages at the overpriced city supermarket. We also found no password-protected WiFi. US plugs need adapters for the European outlets, and there's no night light, so bring one along with an adapter. We weren't told there were no pool towels, either. We went downstairs, then had to return to our room to get some. The receptionist sent us to a local paragliding operator who only took cash. With the banks closed for the weekend, we had to walk a long way to two ATMs to withdraw more than 500 euros. I wish the operator had accepted cards and that the referral had been handled more professionally. The beds were a bit too firm for us, and sleeping wasn't very comfortable. The air was dry, and no lotion was provided, which would have helped with sunburn. We had to walk to a pharmacy in town, where parking is scarce. These details may be familiar to European visitors, but Americans may not expect them. It would help to explain things clearly, ideally before guests book. At €300 a night the price was somewhat high, though fair for the overall quality. Recommended!

Our one-bedroom apartment was clean and comfortable, with a magnificent balcony view of the glaciers and nearby paragliders landing. The staff were kind and helpful, and the indoor pool was a nice bonus. There's also a washer and dryer, with tokens available from reception for €5, and we appreciated the mid-stay cleaning. The hotel is well placed near the center of Chamonix and lots of restaurants and coffee shops, with the Brévent cable car within walking distance. Having a dedicated space in the underground parking for each apartment was very convenient. The only downside was that one of the living room single beds wasn't very comfortable.

I've never written a review like this, but the experience was deeply disappointing and felt unfair. We had just arrived at the hotel to meet our clients when a staff member approached us aggressively, accusing us of parking in a space reserved for others. We hadn't parked at all. The Mercedes she kept referring to is the vehicle we use to take clients on tours, and it had just arrived with them, so it couldn't already have been parked somewhere else. She continued blaming us, asked for two license plate numbers and raised her voice in front of many guests in the lobby. It was extremely embarrassing, especially with our clients there. We repeatedly assured her sincerely, even swearing to God, that we'd just arrived, but no evidence was shown to support the accusation and we were still treated as if we were at fault. A different team had arrived earlier in a Volkswagen van only to drop off luggage. They didn't park, had no parking card and left soon after, so there was no reason for them to park. Being loudly accused without evidence was unprofessional and unacceptable for a hotel of this standard. We felt disrespected and unfairly treated. I hope management takes this seriously and improves staff training so situations are handled professionally and respectfully.

Jade gave us outstanding service at check-in, and this has been one of our favorite family stays ever. We loved the apartment's design, the cute rooms and the amazing Montblanc view from the balcony. The hotel is beautiful and peaceful, about a five-minute walk from the start of Chamonix's commercial area. With so much snow on the streets when we arrived, the parking beneath the building was especially important.