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Chateau Comtes in Challes les Eaux, France – Hotel and Restaurant
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This year we decided to change hotels and location of our last three nights of the French Alps Tours. The four-star hotel on Lake Bourget was nice in that it had lovely views and was near the lake, but we were not pleased with the cuisine and the hotel was just too ‘average’ in its modernity. It felt like any modern hotel that one could find in the States. None of our guests were taking advantage of the in-house spa and few were taking walks along the lake. We wanted something more ‘French’ and quaint. We also wanted to add the Touvet Funicular to our itinerary and that was halfway between Chambery and Grenoble and quite far from Lake Bourget. So I started doing research and went back to one of the hotels we had visited when planning for our wedding reception – Chateau Comtes in Challes les Eaux, 5 minutes from Chambery in the direction of Grenoble.
Chateau Comtes is a 3-star hotel with an award-winning restaurant. In fact, the restaurant has received two medallions and four forks by the renowned Gault Millau restaurant review French association. This is an honor, indeed. The Chateau dates back to the 1400′s and has an underground cellar with 4,000 bottles and one which is the largest bottle of wine in France. The wine selection is exceptional. We ate at the restaurant and toured the hotel and were very impressed. The food was wonderful, the service good, the presentation lovely, and the location exceptional, as we sat on the balcony next to the outdoor terrace. And the price was quite reasonable (28 – 32 euros for the menu which included an entree, main course and dessert or fromage). The hotel was typically French with old charming rooms decorated in the ‘chateau style’, modern amenities, a 1400′s Chapel/meditation room, and a lovely outdoor terrace and garden area. The rooms were small but freshly renovated with very nice bathrooms. The staff were very kind and spoke English. Dinner was included in the room rate which was comparable to the Bourget Lake hotel, but the food was 100 times of better quality and experience. Walking distance from the Chateau is an 1800′s Casino and an 1800′s Thermal Baths/Spa. The Chateau also has a thermal heated pool. As a result of my research, we have decided to change to the Chateau Comtes next year for our final three nights on the French Alps Tours. The video shows the hotel and some of the dinner. Come join us next year and experience it all for yourself.
November 19th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Looks like a good choice for your tour!