I can't really draw fault on this hotel,for a three star it really offers a service that is pushing 4star. Superb spa facilities, (15m pool, sauna, steam, jacuzzi), a large lounge area with open fire, bar, pool table.

What did it for me was the attention to detail in all the fixtures and fittings, from tables made from old sleds to carved marmotts peeping out of holes ;-) the hotel oozes warmth and a feeling of a chalet rather than a hotel.

The hotel is in Argentiere, not Chamonix, but this is why we booked it. It is a hotel placed for those that want to ski (lifts and bus network on doorstep), and that may prefer entertainment from quality food and wines rather than clubs and pubs (that said there are a couple of bars that in the village for a late night bevvie)

Breakfast as others have said is continental, but then you are in afterall in France, and the selection offered and quality of the food was excellent.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone, but if you are after a lively resort hotel, then this is not for you, head to the main town.

I've ski'd the chamnonix area for the last 6 years and this is the first time we've stayed outside chamonix itself and can't believe we havn't done it sooner. It's excellent location means you feel you are tucked away in a quiet corner of Argentiere and yet you are literally 3/4 mins walk from the Grand Montet cable car. There was so much snow when we were there we managed to ski (up and down hill) from the hotel to the lift.

The hotel itself was reasonably priced, had comfortable, clean rooms, an excellent health spa (pool, sauna, steam room, outdoor jacuzzi), very nice lounge area with roaring open fire for having an apre ski beer, bar, ski room with a free locker with a built in boot warmer for 4 pairs of boots and skis. On the last day they allowed us to store bags in the store room and use a shower in the laundry room - which was very handy.

The staff were generally very nice, in particular the guy who lit the fire every night and served behind the bar. We did have a minor "challenge" with a lady on reception when we asked for directions to a local restaurant.

Breakfast was good, no egg and bacon or waffles with cream but you're in France! so it's charcuterie and cheeses, baguettes, great coffee, fruit, pastries, cereals, fruit juice etc. Restaurant doesn't do evening meals so you need to venture outside.

The hotel does ski passes but you can also get them from the cable car station at grand montet where you can also hire skis.

On restauarants we did the circuit of restaurants recommended by a multitude of people. First up and arguably the best was "La Cremerie" - fantastic fondue - it's primarily a cheese based restaurant, finding it though isn't easy, it took us over an hour! Once you know where it is I reckon it's a 15-20min walk but well worth it. From the hotel you walk up to the cable car station, swing behind it onto the finish area of the piste and then walk up the left side of the piste, you should hit a road and see the tunnel that the piste goes over, follow the road to your left for another 5mins. You'll be in the pitch black, in the middle of a forest and feel you're about to be attacked by a weirwolf but be brave, stick with it and eventually you'll pass upon the warm glow of La Cremerie.

The great thing about Argentiere is it's about a third cheaper than being in Chamonix and yet you can still ski the same area. The Grand Montet is literally outside the hotel and Le Tour etc is only 5mins away. If you want to ski the Brevent area, best bet is to go to Flegere, uplift from there and traverse down the valley to Brevent. Advantage is free parking (if you are in a car) less transport time and more ski time. Parking in cham costs 8 euros roughly for abut 6 hrs.

If you're 21 and want pink vodka served on a bed of techno music, you might be better off in cham because Argentiere is at the quieter end of the scale but it's a brilliant base for ski-ing the cham area.

Hope this helps

Phil

PS: A tip for the hotel - 1) offer packed lunches and 2) ditch the pink plastic chairs in the bar

Just back from a short break at this hotel. Really enjoyed the Hotel. Very welcoming and helpful staff. Nice quiet location close to the lifts. Short walk to a choice of restaurants. Lovely breakfast good coffee, juice, breads, cereals, cheese and hams. Cosy bar area. Great sauna, steam, hot tub. All the right ingredients for a fabulous stay. I hope to return.

Due to some subjective reason we started planning our traditional New Year ski break too late in 2011 - it had already been October that year. And after getting "sorry, but we are all booked full" from both Hameau Albert 1er and Grand Hotel des Alps, we did some further tripadvisor search and at last found this "gem". The reviews were all glorious and admirable + we frankly speaking did not get any other worthy offers (99% of local hotels were fully booked for the New Year period), so we decided to book there 2 rooms (1 classic room for my parents + 1 Mont-Blanc suite for me, my husband and our child) and were waiting for our ski vacation with greatest expectations ever since. However, this is what we brought from there:
1. Location. The hugest mistake is to think that the hotel is located in Chamonix. It's NOT. Les Grands Montets lies in Argientiere, a small ski-in/ ski-out village 7 km from Chamonix. The area literally dies after closure of lifts at around 5 p.m. and if you're interested not only in skiing, but some nice apres-ski life (including unhashing walks through illuminated and nicely decorated city streets, dining in upscale restaurants, wine tasting, shopping, etc.) - forget about this place. The bus won't really help you: it runs incredibly irregularly with the last bus leaving Argientiere in 7:20 p.m. (and pray that it did not leave earlier without a prior notice - that also could be a case) and the last bus leaving Chamonix for Argientiere at 22:45 p.m. The taxi to Chamonix center is 35-45 euro one way.
2. Breakfasts. The hotel staff gives you a notice on the lack of onsite restaurant prior to the booking. However, they don't mention that your breakfasts will be cold served either. No hot cereals, no omlettes / fried eggs, no pancakes - same poor stuff everyday (and it's in France!!!) And even you one morning want a simple boiled egg, you will boil it yourself - in case you manage to find a place in a special boiler.
3. Rooms and room-service. Our "suite" was rather looking as a matchbox - too small and terribly law ceilings) - however, I must admit it was very nicely decorated in traditional chalet style. The room was equipped with L'Occitane toiletries which I also find as a plus. Cleaning was made everyday on a really good level. However, there're no teakettles in the room. We once tried to order a couple of teas in our room, but the reception offered us to go down for the tea ourselves - very welcoming, what else could be said ...
4. Wellness area. The fitness zone is reasonably good equipped, the same could be said about sauna and pool area. They also have so called outdoor jacuzzi - avoid it by all means, it contains unsafe quantity of clorine. Literally. I once tried. Never again.
5. Service. However, it there was a proper service at the hotel, it would be even possible to close the eyes on all objective minuses. But there is no service at all. Like, for example, we several times tried to get advice on local Argientiere restaurants. No result. We tried to book a taxi on our way back to Geneve. We've been offered to do it ourselves.And, finally, when we were leaving Les Grands Montets the girl at the reception did not even raise her head to say good buy. Her "service" apparantely finished when we cleared the payments. Not sure when and if it started - if it happened at all:(((