Surrounded by snow-capped mountains all year round, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a small but wonderful city that captivates Europeans with its ski slopes and spectacular scenery. Let's go to the cozy and charming Hotel Le Coeur des Neiges that resembles Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.
Built in 1901 as a house of a pharmacist in the Salanshou region, it was remodeled in the 1920s and operated as a hotel named ‘La Maison Blanche’. In 2017, it was newly renovated and renamed ‘Le Coeur des Neiges’. You can easily find the hotel just a few steps down from the town square where the town hall and the cathedral are located.
When you enter the hotel, you will find an elegant yet warm space as the living room of the mansion, which is different from the lobby of regular hotels. It is a space for everyone to sit down and spend time comfortably at any hour.
The warmth that melts the cold of the winter comes out from the furniture and accessories which are carefully collected by the hostess, one by one. Simply check in here and take a rest for a while, you can ask for local restaurants and attractions. The reception room is divided into two spaces, followed by a restaurant where breakfast is served.
Le Coeur des Neiges hotel has 16 rooms with different designs and sizes. La Junior room is an eye-catching room with sensational designs like a boutique hotel. Amenities such as Evian water, an electric kettle, coffee and tea are available in every room.
Each room has a different layout and bathroom size, so you might want to choose a room based on your preferences for the bathtub or shower room. The bathrooms are equipped with all items for relaxing, including shampoo, shower gel and hair dryer, as well as shower robe and slippers.
Each room has a different style, but you can feel the atmosphere of the Alps in every space.
There are also many kinds of views in every room. There are rooms with the view of the mountains, horses grazing on a small hill or the old town buildings and churches. The view through the large windows and a terrace reminds us that we are indeed ‘in the middle of the snow’, just like the hotel's name.
The highlight of Le Coeur des Neiges hotel is the breakfast time, which overlooks the snowy mountains in the distance. Coffee, hot chocolate, tea, milk and juice are available as drinks and there are also scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, croissants and pains au chocolat, local jam, cheese, seasonal fruits and cereals to fill your stomach for the big journey day.
It is a place where you can have a feeling of not just a hotel, but of a family villa, thanks to the friendly hostess and the kind staff. If you stay here in winter, you must go skiing to enjoy the winter's wilderness or take the mountain train to see Mont Blanc and its surroundings , and you might also appreciate the 6,500 years old hot springs in the town to make memories that you will never forget.
Words and Photographs by Jieun Ahn
Address : 64 Chemin du Vieux Pont, 74170 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
Transportation : Saint Gervais les Bains Le Fayet station