Castello di Novi Ligure

We loved the old fashioned feel of the hotel and beautiful views of Fenis castle and the mountains. The hotel was tranquil. Easy parking outside. This is an "ethical" hotel. The ethos is great, it gives young people with special needs the opportunity to gain skills and confidence in a busy hospitality environment. The young staff we met were lovely, and they are really what make the hotel. Where it falls down a little is in the management. The website for the hotel shows a lovely menu. So we booked our evening meal there, confident we had made a good choice. Once we had sat down however, we were presented with a one sheet very sparse menu of 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts. Tired after many hours driving, we chose from the limited menu. The mains were a salad, a vegetable tart, and turkey escalope.Our turkey escalope was the worst meal we have ever had anywhere. Terribly oversalted and resembling a British school dinner in taste & appearance. Quite like anything we have experienced not only in Italy but anywhere in Europe. With so many traditional northern Italian dishes to draw from, one wonders why turkey was chosen. My wife's vegetable tart consisted of two tiny tartlets which were tasteless. None of us enjoyed our meal, except for the pasta starters which were good. The waitress said she would give the chef our feedback, but there was no apology. The menu on the website is misleading, bearing no resemblance to what's actually on offer, and should be amended.

I have stayed in many 5 star properties, but have not received the level of attentiveness nor service as we have experienced at the Mont Blanc Hotel Village. The staff are truly experts at performing their respective jobs. I am literally the pickiest person when it comes to customer service and not only could I not find fault with anything here, it all exceeded my very high expectations. I am truly impressed. The accommodations are lovely in their traditional vibe, but with all of the necessary amenities (modern bathroom features, etc.). The chef is obviously skilled and the menu is very northern Italy. We have not explored the little village of La Salle as we have driven to Courmayeur to skate and ski during the day. Courmayeur is lovely and I can’t say enough about the Courmayeur Sport Complex ice rink and coaches. It was amazing being able to travel to Europe and continue my training by working with Marika Poli as my “on the road” figure skating coach. We will certainly return and bring the kids next time!