We’ve been in Chamonix the last few days, and it’s seriously felt like a dream.  From the drive in, to checking in to the most beautiful hotel, to eating amazing food, to finding ourselves on the top of Aguille du Midi, it’s been an experience I will never forget.  Chamonix actually holds claim to the introduction of the “resort” concept, set in the French Alps among the most amazing views.  If there is any way for you to do this trip in your lifetime, do it!

OUR HOTEL

Often, I write hotels off as essentially a storage room and a bed—somewhere I’ll frequent as little as possible. That mentality disappeared as soon as our first concierge said “Bonjour, how was your drive?” with the loveliest French accent and obvious commitment to making our stay perfect.  Truly, this hotel was a defining part of our experience in Chamonix.  Lisa crowned it her “favorite hotel I’ve ever stayed in, and I’ve stayed in some pretty amazing hotels” ;).  We stayed at the Hotel Mont Blanc, right in the heart of Chamonix.

Location. As far as location, it couldn’t have been better – we were walking distance to everything we did.  Parking was a breeze – they had a parking lot which we could have easily parked in ourselves, but when we pulled up they handled our luggage and parking for us before we even knew what was happening!

The Staff.  Everyone who worked at the hotel was so kind and accommodating.  They all spoke amazing English and made us feel comfortable about our lack of French (something I’ve felt so self conscious about in France in the past!)  Everything we wanted to do – our excursions and meals – they booked for us and had ready and waiting.  We were there for Blake’s birthday, and it’s tradition in his family to have cheesecake on your birthday,  When I told the reception desk, they even helped me look for a cheesecake to celebrate.  Apparently, cheesecake is “not a French Specialty,” so this was quite the feat. 

The Hotel.  I think the artfulness and thoughtfulness put into the design of the hotel is amazing.  Pictures don’t really do it justice, but we tried to snap some.

Our room was beautiful – it was two stories, so we slept downstairs and Lisa slept upstairs.  There was a steam shower and a sauna in our room – which sounds amazing, but feels even more amazing when you’ve been out in freezing temperatures all day.  The view was unreal – I could see Mont Blanc and Aguille du Midi from my bed when I woke up in the morning!  Again, photos don’t do it justice, but here are some anyways:Teddy & Robe from Eberjey

The Restaurant, Bar Lounge, and Library

“Le Matafan” is the restaurant located in the hotel, and it was perfect.  Chef Mickey Bourdillat, a Michelin Star chef, keeps an amazing seasonal menu with his own spin on local gastronomy.

(Pardon the iPhone photos of the food below, but I had to show you!!!)

The Bar and Lounge is near the restaurant, and such an easy comfortable place to hang out and order drinks and snacks.  Next to that is the Library, which was my FAVORITE place in the hotel.  I loved to cozy up in there in front of the beautiful fire place after coming in from the cold.

The Spa.  One of my favorite things about the hotel is that the spa is accessible to anyone staying in the hotel – you don’t need a special spa day pass or booked service to use it.  There’s a beautiful relaxation room, a steam room, a sauna, an experience shower, a workout room, a heated indoor/outdoor pool and jacuzzi with a view of Mont Blanc.  The Spa is actually by Clarins, which has super nice product lines for both men and women.  (Their products are also in the hotel rooms!)  I had an amazing deep tissue massage while I was there – it’s crazy how much better a massage feels when you’ve been out and about on the cold mountain all day!  You can read more about their massages and other spa services here.

Other Information –

How to get to Chamonix.  We’ve been road-tripping through the Swiss Alps, so we drove in from Switzerland.  The drive was absolutely breathtaking with all of the fresh snow, but if you plan to come in the winter I highly recommend a car that can handle some frozen roads.  Those high mountain passes are no joke!

A few other options – you can fly into Geneva (Switzerland) and hire a car or take a transport from there.  You can also fly into Paris and take a train – you’ll find more helpful information here.

Activities in Chamonix.  More posts coming soon on this…