My three friends and I went on a private hiking tour of Mt. Blanc Chamonix by Mt Sobek. We spent over US$21k on a 5 night 4 day trip. The hiking trails were absolutely breathtaking, with stunning Alpine views that made every moment unforgettable. Our guide Karine was exceptional—knowledgeable, engaging, and flexible, adjusting our 4-day itinerary around the weather to maximize our experience. The group size and pacing were spot-on, making the adventure truly enjoyable. Karine's love for nature and for the trails shone through every moment of the trip, from her sense of humor down to her obscure knowledge of fox poo and wild berries. If there was one, most outstanding aspect of our trip, it was the fact that we were in such good hands with our guide that we enjoyed the serenity of the moss-laden quiet forest trails as much as the awe-inspiring terraces of the Aguille du Midi.However, our hotel was a major letdown, one that left a bad taste in our mouth with Mt. Sobek. When we initially inquired about the tour in July, Mt Sobek indicated that Chamonix was booked out and it may not be possible. Shortly thereafter, we were told - good news, for about $1k more per person they were able to secure Prestige Rooms (twin sharing) for us. We did not at all mind paying more to upgrade our room. We were not expecting The Four Seasons but imagine our shock finding ourselves at an eco-hotel (at most 2*) with rooms that, according to online rates we checked, at the time cost around $200/night (about $100 low season) for their so-called Prestige room. We later discovered the price difference between the Prestige room and Standard room is $50/night. So they had the audacity to charge us in total $4000 more for an at most $500 upgrade. One of our beds was literally in a walk-in closet. On the bright side, the hotel’s location behind railway tracks meant the first train woke us up at 7 am every day. To top it off, housekeeping was subpar—with used coffee cups left uncleared in our room every day. We think it is completely unacceptable for Mt Sobek to spend under 10pct of our tour cost on rooms. Our attempts to question our tour coordinator about this went ignored.We can highly recommend hiking Mt Blanc but would not suggest using Mt Sobek - surely there are other better options. If you do end up not having a choice, definitely ask for Karine and at least insist on transparency with respect to the accommodations and get a look through on the room rate.Update:Mt Sobek reached out to us and solicited our detailed feedback on the trip and equitably addressed our issues. Their willingness to take responsibility makes us open again to future trips with them - they do have outstanding guides and amazing itineraries. Of course we will pay closer attention to our accommodations - everyone should do their part in making sure expectations are not mismatched. Thanks again Mt. Sobek for your responsiveness.
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