Chalet Clos Gauthier

The landscape is lovely, but the chalet’s setting means you look toward neighboring chalets instead of getting an open mountain view. It’s also up a slight slope, so with snow on the ground and summer tires, we had no chance of driving away. The ski lifts are too far to reach on foot, and there are no free ski buses like at some other resorts. The small paid shuttles weren’t convenient, so we had to rely on the car. The apartment itself was small, inconvenient, and uncomfortable, with old furnishings. There was no toaster, hair dryer, or even an electric kettle, and naturally no fondue set or raclette grill. We were charged extra for bed linen, meaning the pillows and blankets may have been used by previous guests without covers. Final cleaning was another extra, though you can do it yourself. The shared corridor and basement were filthy, and our room had a visibly dirty floor and dusty shelves. There was a naphthalene smell, which made me think it had been a long time since anyone stayed there. The price was definitely too high. I think it may be a local problem, since this chalet and the nearby ones were either closed or only about 25% occupied during my January stay. We needed to stay one additional day, and the price we were quoted was significantly higher than the average daily rate we had paid through booking. At that moment, ours was the only occupied apartment. If you’re after a peaceful, charming French-style apartment, this might seem like the right place at first. Almost… “Chalet clos gauthier” felt somewhere between a workers’ dormitory and a roadside hostel.