This is a classic example of not doing enough research aforehand. I chose this hotel from an internet review for a significant wedding anniversary. Having driven over the mountains from Lyon and around the lower end of the lake, we were astonished to then find that the entire town of Aix les Bains is not on the lake but a couple of kilometers uphill, and that this hotel is a further couple of kilometers outside, uphill and not within walking distance from the town/lake - unless you like hiking.

The exterior is beautifully maintained patios with flowering plants and water features. The inside looks interesting - but.

We were greeted by a very friendly person who turned out to be (in a 3-day stay) the only friendly person on the premises. We were offered a choice of rooms and chose the one I had reserved - a twin with balcony overlooking the gardens. The bedroom was very nice but the bathroom was the tiniest I have ever encountered in any hotel anywhere. The lavatory was right next to the small bathtub which is rather too intimate for two people sharing even if they have been married for a long time.

We were really looking forward to dining there for potentially all 3 nights. But one glance at the menu somehow told me that it had not changed in a very long time (~10 years?) and worse, that it would not change while we were there. One side of the menu is labelled both Gourmet and Gourmand with the first character off each line missing (due to poor print-out) which made it hard to read. The other side of the menu is a la carte, containing more or less the same items as on the facing page. Uh huh........

We changed for dinner and needn't have bothered: there were other people there in shorts and trainers. There was one waiter running about 30 tables with one elderly assistant. As a result his entire mission was to sit people down and rush them through their meal as fast as possible. He succeeded in this mission too - on the first night he had managed to clear the dining room by 10.15pm and on the second night did even better. The place was completely empty by 9.30pm. We were astonished, and very disappointed with the complete lack of ambience and worse, the so-called gourmet/gourmand meal. It seemed to us that they plate up all the little vegetables (very pretty but completely tastless) and then whack on whatever the customers have ordered - lamb, beef, fish - all main courses come with the same accompaniments whatever you have ordered. This is not gourmet dining.

Additionally, there is nothing to do once you have been rushed through your meal and left the dining room. There is no bar. There is a lounge (empty) and a serving position, but no one attends to it except the receptionist. The only option is to go back to your room, or sit outside with coffee. They don't like customers sitting outside after dinner, we found. They turned all the lights out, leaving us in the dark garden.

Breakfast makes you blink, slowly. They charge €14 per head for a completely unstaffed area with rock-hard bread rolls (the same as in the restaurant), tiny flaking croissants, some cheeses which look left-over from the restaurant, plain yoghurt, huge urns of tea/coffee and if you want anything hot you have to boil the egg yourself. But there is no alternative for breakfast unless you are prepared to hike ~2km into town.

The overall impression is that looks are not everything and that they are resting on their (presumably years ago) laurels with the tastless and over-cooked food. They need more waiting staff, a new chef and a complete revision of the menu. They should also at least pretend to care when 3-night customers tell them that their establishment was chosen for a significant anniversary.

Very disappointing. Not recommended.

Booked a room here that supposedly had a garden view (paid quite a bit more for it). Our balcony was too high to see over without standing up. The bed was very old and lumpy. We did not have a shower, just a bath with a shower spout. The room smelled bad (old and musty), and there was no air conditioner. Would have opened a window if there were one, but alas there was only a double door to the balcony, and too many bugs would have come in. I DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Classy hotel with lots of character (aka old) we loved the old building with its staircases and corridors(not to everyone's taste). The double rooms were on the large side and I think the views get better the higher the floor.

The grounds appear to have vintage cars dotted around them and there's a good pool and spa in the new section.

We ate in the hotel and the food was very good.

The staff were friendly and had no problem providing secure parking for our motorcycles on site.

We booked a junior suite here thinking that "OK - it's only a 3 star but maybe the suite will be nice". We didn't see the standard rooms, but my advice would be not to bother spending the extra money on a suite. It was just a slightly larger room with the smallest double bed that I have EVER slept in, although the bathroom was spacious and well appointed. I couldn't understand why they put such a small bed in an otherwise spacious room. The bed was so small that when positioned between the light switches you couldn't actually turn the lights off when lying on the bed. The suites are situated in an adjacent villa which is linked to the main hotel by the pool and sauna area. This meant that the villa smelled strongly of chlorine and bleach. Thankfully, this smell didn't reach our room, but our suite did smell of smoke. Obviously, the previous occupant was a heavy smoker. The overall ambiance of the hotel was nice and the restaurant seemed to be very popular with locals as well as with tourist. The food was very nice, although I wouldn't bother ordering a menu with lobster for 19 euros extra. The lobster was small and quite dry (like it had been forgotten in the oven), but the rest of the menu was delicious.

Remember, this is a 3 star for a reason. It is nice, comfortable, but quite basic in the grand scheme of things. The pool and sauna areas are a pleasant way to pass time, although the hotel didn't seem to care about the incredibly slippery floors. I can recommend booking in for a massage - this was just so relaxing!

Our "cheap" weekend getaway cost us 1000 euros (2 nights in a suite + 2 dinners + 2 massages) and in hindsight, if I'd known that it would have cost that much, I'd have gone somewhere else.