Recommended hotels in Annecy

This is the best-known hotel on Lake Annecy, and anyone who knows chef Jean Sulpice will understand why. The hotel sits in Talloires-Montmin on the edge of the lake itself, with a private beach, indoor pool, jacuzzi and spa. A minute's walk from the water, about a nine-minute drive from the centre of Annecy. Pets are welcome, there is a children's playground and free parking. A local breakfast is served for around forty euros per person.

This hotel is actually a restaurant with rooms, and this is not a review but a description: Chef Laurent Petit's restaurant holds three Michelin stars. The hotel sits on the hills above Annecy, in the Annecy-la-Vie neighborhood, with views of the lake and the Arabbi range and a heated outdoor pool. The design uses local materials from the Savoie region with a contemporary interpretation. Note that it has very few reviews on Booking.com, so the rating is less stable than that of a large hotel.

A five-star hotel in Menthon-Saint-Bernard, right on the shores of Lake Annecy, about seven kilometers from the city. It has a pool, a spa, a restaurant with a terrace facing the lake, and private access to the water for swimming. Reviews are particularly complimentary about the view and the maintenance of the pool, but on the other hand mention that the reception can be annoyingly overly polite. There is a local bus line nearby, so you can get around even without a car.

This is Annecy's iconic hotel, on the lakeside in the city itself, with a private beach, spa, two restaurants and a casino. The lake-facing rooms offer a balcony with one of the best views in the city, and the maintenance is meticulous. With nearly four thousand reviews on Booking, a score of 8.9 in this category is a very reliable figure. Note two things: the prices are high, and the parking is a mandatory valet, which makes it difficult to get things out of the car.

A modern hotel with a spa, large indoor pool, gym and underground parking, a pleasant promenade along the lake to the center of Annecy. The rooms are spacious and the breakfast is praised, including the option to sit outside. With over two thousand six hundred reviews and a score of 8.9, this is in my opinion the best value hotel on the page for couples who want a spa without five-star prices.

If you were looking for this hotel called Splendid Hotel Annecy, this is it: it has joined Accor's Handwritten Collection and changed its name. The location is its main asset, two hundred meters from the Palais de Lille in the heart of the old town and next to the lake. It has a gym, sauna, steam room and beach access, and some rooms have a balcony or terrace. Dogs are welcome. The hotel does not have its own parking, but there are car parks nearby and you can drop off your luggage at the entrance.

This hotel is the pleasant surprise of the page: a score of 8.9 out of more than three thousand reviews, in the three-star category. It sits a short walk from the train station and ten minutes from the old city, in complete silence and without train noise. The rooms have been recently renovated, there is secure parking adjacent to the building and a free coffee and tea corner with snacks between 1 pm and 9 pm, which is just what you need after a day of walking.

A small hotel on Rue de Marquise, about a twenty-minute walk from the center of Annecy along the lake. Its big advantage is the free parking, which is a real asset in a city where parking is expensive and difficult, and also the rooms facing the lake with a small balcony. There is a bar and a breakfast that receives compliments. Note that there is no air conditioning in the rooms, and in the heat waves of the French summer this is noticeable.

It couldn't be more central: the hotel sits on Rue de la Ferme, thirty-seven meters from the Palais de Lille itself, between the cobblestone streets, the market, the canal and the castle. Some rooms face the canal with a balcony, and some are built into the rafters of the historic building. The hotel offers a subsidized parking voucher in the municipal car park, five minutes away. The score is 8.0, right on target, and the reason is cleanliness: this is the complaint that recurs in the reviews.

Suite apartments on St. Clair Street, the main street of the old city, in a historic building with an entrance door that is difficult to find the first time (and that's part of the charm). The duplex unit has a jacuzzi, sauna and rain shower, a kitchen equipped down to the spice level, and bathrobes and slippers. The acoustic insulation is surprising: outside the window is a bustling street, and inside is quiet. There is also an Italian restaurant on site, and the host receives repeated praise.

An apartment of more than eighty square meters on St. Clair Street, inside a 16th-century house, under the clock tower of the old town. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms with large showers, a fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher and oven, washing machine, air conditioning and soundproofing. The location score on Booking is 9.8, and the weekly market is right outside the building. The living room faces the street and St. Clair Square.

A small and cozy apartment steps from Annecy Castle and one hundred and fifty meters from the Palais de Lille, in other words, in the heart of the old town. It has one bedroom, a living room, a fully equipped kitchen and a bathroom, a terrace and a garden view. This is a good option for a couple who wants to live in the historic city at a price that is not that of a boutique hotel. Booking lists it among the most popular properties in Annecy.

Villa in the village of Nâves-Parmelan, about twelve kilometers from Annecy, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The living room has a fireplace and parquet floors, and outside there is a pool with views, a jacuzzi, a sun terrace, a barbecue area and a children's playground. There is a fully equipped kitchen, a washing machine, a dishwasher and free private parking. Charlotte and Florrie, the hosts, receive repeated praise for their availability and for handling problems even on weekends.

Chalet in Les Villards-sur-Thônes, on the road to the Aravai range, with an outdoor Scandinavian hot tub and sauna. Scored 9.7 out of 76 reviews, with every second review mentioning Jissy, the host, who gets the hot tub hot for sunset. The place has an excellent kitchen, a sound system and music collection, and mountain views. Excellent area for hiking trails, and you can combine it with a trip to Chamonix and the Aigues du Midi.

Loft in the village of Les Clefs in the Arabi range, with 2 bedrooms, a living room, a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and an oven, and a bathroom. There is a balcony, a terrace and air conditioning, and there is also a restaurant on site. Free private parking. Couples rate the location 9.2, and the area is suitable for skiing in winter and cycling and hiking in summer. Please note that the property accepts cash only.