Isola Otelleri

The restaurant at Auberge Quintessence was a wonderful experience. The cuisine is modern, interesting and very skillfully crafted. Wine selection well curated and pairings make sense. Service is friendly, chairs comfortable, tables quite large with ample space between them. The view is astonishing. Usually, I would not write more on Tripadvisor than the above text, since I am a professional restaurant critic and spare my energy for the newspaper I am employed by. In that paper I have written more than 2.000 newspaper pages about good restaurants during the last 21 years, so I am not easily impressed. But Quintessence impresses me, and I wish to support the place, as I feel they are showing a new way to go, in these trying times where restaurant and kitchen staff is so hard to find. I have been travelling in France frequently for almost 30 years and watched how the gastronomic level seems to have declined. Or maybe it is just that I have gotten more demanding. To try and assess the situation and compare the old stars the the present time, I recently dined at 3 Michelin star Precatalan and Ledoyen, 1-star Laserre, Tour d’Argent, Maxims, Chez l’Ami Louis, La Coupole and Bofinger. Several of these I have visited more than once. This is what I compare Quintessence against, and of course Quintessence’s gastronomy cannot match Precatalan or Ledoyen, nor can the ambiance of the mentioned historic places be challenged by the very modest dining room of Quintessence (apart from the view which challenges Tour d’Argent..). But nevertheless, I find the precision (not the produce, this is no place for caviar etc.) in cooking quite close to these two famous restaurants, and that is impressive since Quintessence is such a small setup. The chef is also owner, and in the kitchen he has only one cook to help him. The chef’s wife is also the Maitre d’ and waiter, and when I finished the meal and went to visit the kitchen to thank the chef, I found him and the wife busy cleaning the dishes helped by their daughter of 8-10 years! Such devotion is astonishing, and this is my point: One thing is to operate a famous restaurant with lots of staff and charging high prices. Another is for a husband- and wife team to operate an auberge at a distant mountain top delivering very fine and interesting cuisine with both attentive and friendly service. Of course, they need to be practical so there is no á la carte just one menu, and everybody sit down to eat at 19.30. But if you are happy with that, I will warmly recommend the Auberge Quintessence. The settings are wonderful high in the mountains, and you will especially appreciate it if you are a biker, since there was an almost constant traffic of motorbikes on the roads. I am no longer a biker, and although I used to love the sound of my big motorbike, I now find it very annoying, especially on a mountain top. But I look forward to a visit in the wintertime, hoping there wont be a lot of snow scooters instead.

With a stay at Hotel Chastellares, you'll be centrally located in Saint-Etienne-de-Tinee, within a 15-minute drive of Mercantour National Park and Auron Ski Resort. This ski hotel is 0.8 mi (1.3 km) from Pres Ski Lift and 1.7 mi (2.7 km) from Adret Rambert Ski Lift.After a day on the slopes, enjoy recreational amenities, which include ski-in/ski-out access. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless internet access, ski storage, and a fireplace in the lobby.Enjoy a meal at the restaurant, or stay in and take advantage of the hotel's room service. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge. Full breakfasts are available daily from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee.Featured amenities include multilingual staff and a safe deposit box at the front desk. Free self parking is available onsite.Stay in one of 31 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Your Select Comfort bed comes with Egyptian cotton sheets. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with separate bathtubs and showers feature complimentary toiletries and bidets.

With a stay at Le Rabuons in Saint-Etienne-de-Tinee, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Mercantour National Park and Lacs de Vens. This hotel is 5.1 mi (8.3 km) from Pres Ski Lift and 5.5 mi (8.9 km) from Chalvet Ski Lift.At Le Rabuons, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge. Buffet breakfasts are available daily from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM for a fee.The front desk is staffed during limited hours. Free self parking is available onsite.Make yourself at home in one of the 34 guestrooms.

When you stay at Adonis Hotel Le Chastellan in Guillaumes, you'll be next to a golf course, just steps from Valberg and Valberg Ski Resort. This family-friendly hotel is 0.2 mi (0.4 km) from ESF Valberg and 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Valberg Golf Club.Take in the views from a terrace and a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access. Additional amenities at this hotel include supervised childcare, an arcade/game room, and ski storage.Enjoy a satisfying meal at Le Chastellan serving guests of Adonis Hotel Le Chastellan. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. Buffet breakfasts are available daily from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee.Featured amenities include a business center, luggage storage, and a library.Make yourself at home in one of the 30 guestrooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Conveniences include desks, and housekeeping is provided daily.

Great location at the foot of the nursery slopes. Clean and warm. Equipped well for self catering as a couple, Excellent we love this place. Right in the centre of the village , close to ski-school and lifts, remarkably quiet and peaceful at night even though it is close to bars and restaurants. Ski hire next door too!

Charmant hôtel où règne une atmosphère sereine et conviviale. Paola est lumineuse, tout simplement adorable et nous met très vite à l’aise. La vue est sublime et vaut le détour, le décor apporte la plénitude. Super apéro prit dans le canapé devant la cheminée, comme à la maison. Le repas du soir préparé par monsieur était parfait, au choix terrine ou salade de graines, lasagnes aux légumes ou saumon sauce citron ou poulet à la crème et aux champignons avec du riz et des haricots vert. En dessert tarte à la myrtille ou fondant au chocolat, le tout délicieux et très bien servi. Nuit paisible, très bonne literie. Petit déjeuner varié et très bon : viennoiseries, pain frais, oranges pressées, jambon, fromage, œufs… bref nous sommes ravis de notre séjour à l’hostellerie de rimpas et reviendrons à l’occasion. Un grand merci à Paola et son époux.

This ”hotel” is situated above a cafe with the same name, but the cafe was closed when we arrived. The keybox didn't work either, so we had to call the landlady to get in. She arrived promptly, and we got our keys. Then we tried to find somewhere to eat, which wasn't easy. The place next door did not a liquor license, so our hopes of having a cold beer vanished (when we stopped by the same place a few hours he didn't have food either. All sold out he said, with a shrug). Two other places on the main street were also closed, one of them for good by the look of it. We did however find a pizza joint that served both beer and pizza, and ended up spending the better part of the evening there. Not a very fancy place, but with no options in sight it had to make do. But we will not return to Guillaumes. It's half as big as an American cemetery, and twice as dead, as they say.

The hotel is very well-animated in early October, the evening of the year-end closure, and the accommodation is older but will be renovated this winter. The village is very nice, there are much more comforts in the village (accessible walking in 10min) than I thought, and the corner is beautiful for the lovely landscapes. The boss is very nice. In short, an excellent point of fall