Le Clos Des Sens

“A genuinely improved Relais & Châteaux stay — the hotel side of the house has caught up to the restaurant”

This was our second stay at Le Clos des Sens, and the hotel side of the property has clearly come a long way since our previous visit during the Laurent Petit years. The 19th-century house on the heights of Annecy-le-Vieux has always been a beautiful building, with its century-old chestnut trees on… more

This was our second stay at Le Clos des Sens, and the hotel side of the property has clearly come a long way since our previous visit during the Laurent Petit years. The 19th-century house on the heights of Annecy-le-Vieux has always been a beautiful building, with its century-old chestnut trees on the terrace, its swimming pool bordered by the aromatic herb garden, and its lovely contemporary-meets-rustic interior. What was, in our memory, a slightly uneven service experience the first time round has now caught up to the level the rest of the property deserves. The two-level family suite was an excellent surprise. Generously proportioned across both floors, intelligently laid out for a family stay — with privacy for the parents and dedicated space for the children — and fitted with the same considered, contemporary décor that runs through the rest of the house. The natural light through the day is genuinely beautiful, the upper level offers proper views over the lake and the Bauges massif, and the materials chosen everywhere feel honest rather than ostentatious. For a family travelling together, this is one of the most comfortable suite layouts we have stayed in in this part of France, full stop. Service has, in our experience, improved meaningfully. We were welcomed by name, every interaction with the front-of-house team was warm and well-informed, and small requests were handled with the kind of quiet efficiency one expects from a Relais & Châteaux property of this seniority. Breakfast — built, as one would hope, around local producers — was a small showcase in itself: regional dairy, careful baking, fresh fruit, and yes, chicory still available alongside the (now restored) coffee. A note on the broader experience: staying on site means you walk a few metres to the three-star table, and you walk back to your suite in a few minutes after a long, beautifully paced dinner. That continuity is, in itself, a real argument for booking the hotel rather than dining and driving back to town. The fireplace lounge in particular is a perfect place to land for a digestif before bed. We came away with a clearly positive overall impression. A few small things could continue to evolve — a slightly more proactive level of in-stay personalisation, perhaps a touch more guidance for first-time visitors to Annecy — but these are refinements rather than complaints. The hotel side of Le Clos des Sens now stands honestly next to the restaurant it serves. We will, with pleasure, return.

less