Ask for Dinner When You Book
You will want to, because there is nowhere else. Le Valtin has almost no commerce and the nearest restaurant is a short drive down the valley, so the meal that matters here is the one Isabelle cooks in her own kitchen: a table d'hôtes at €27 a head, eaten with the other guests, ordered in advance. A German couple who stayed described four courses the hosts had gone to real lengths over. In the morning it is homemade jams, sometimes on the terrace.
Au Domaine de Py is a chambre d'hôtes rather than a hotel, and the distinction is not pedantry: this is Isabelle and Philippe's house, they let five rooms in it, and the welcome is the thing almost every guest writes about before anything else. An Australian couple put it simply, that the hosts took them into their home with good food and good company.
The Highest Village in the Vosges, and a Hamlet Above It
Le Valtin is the highest commune in the department: 74 people, a church, a bakery brought back to life by a group of young incomers, and land that climbs from 704 to 1,304 metres. The guesthouse is not in the village itself but at Le Grand Valtin, a scattered hamlet about 1.8 km away that straddles the boundary with Ban-sur-Meurthe-Clefcy, which is why the two commune names appear interchangeably across listings.
The chalet sits above a stone retaining wall on the narrow chemin de la basse de la Schlucht, with the spruce forest at its back and open pasture in front. Red deer come out to graze at dusk and the autumn rut runs through these woods from mid-September. Five kilometres up the valley is the Col de la Schlucht at 1,139 metres, the highest pass in the range and the start of the Route des Crêtes.
Five Rooms, Each Done Differently
One is clad floor to ceiling in old timber with a painted cow plaque over the bed and a strip of blue light along the step. Another is white and grey with stars cut into the headboard and a line lettered above it about dreams in your head and stars in your eyes. A third has poppies painted up the wall and everything begins with a dream written over the bed. They run to about 30 m² with parquet, soundproofing, beds over two metres long, and a mountain view.
Practical things, honestly. One room is on the ground floor and step-free; the other type is up stairs with no lift. Payment is cash, cheque or bank transfer, and there is no cash machine in the village. Wi-Fi is free and it is the weakest thing guests rate, because this is a valley at 760 metres. Downstairs there is a lounge, a games room with a table-football table and a wall of houseplants, and a sun terrace looking at the mountain.
Why Book Au Domaine de Py?
This is a private house in the mountains with five guest rooms in it, not a hotel with a front desk. Everything below follows from that, the good and the awkward.
Dinner is cooked for you
Ask in advance and Isabelle serves a table d'hôtes at €27 a head: a set multi-course dinner eaten with the other guests. A German couple described a four-course home-cooked meal the hosts had gone to great lengths over. Since Le Valtin has almost no commerce, this is not a nicety, it is the difference between eating well and driving out.
The forest starts at the wall
The chalet stands above a stone-walled terrace on a lane at the forest edge, set back from the valley road, with spruce behind and pasture in front. Red deer come out to graze the meadow at dusk, and in the autumn rut you hear them. One guest talked about rolling out of bed straight into nature, which is about right.
Rooms with something written over the bed
Each room is done differently and hand-lettered: dreams in your head and stars in your eyes over one bed, everything begins with a dream over another. They run to 30 m² with parquet floors, soundproofing, extra-long beds over two metres and mountain views, and one guest found her bathroom hidden behind what looked like a wardrobe.
Bring cash and a car
Cards are not taken: cash, cheque or bank transfer only, and there is no cash machine in the village. Parking is free and private, and you will need the car, because no bus reaches this hamlet. Between November and March you also need winter tyres or chains by law.
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Interesting Points About Au Domaine de Py
- This is not a hotel and cannot be one. The business is registered under INSEE activity code 5520Z, short-stay tourist accommodation, as an entrepreneur individuel since 1 July 2016, and French chambres d'hôtes are not eligible for hotel star classification at all. The three stars several listings display come from a third-party data tag, not from any French authority.
- There is a table d'hôtes. One listing says there is no restaurant, which is true and misleading in equal measure: the hosts cook a guests-only set dinner at €27 per person on advance reservation. Book it when you book the room, because the village has essentially no commerce and the nearest restaurant is a drive away.
- Payment is cash, cheque or bank transfer. No cards, at all. There is no cash machine in Le Valtin either, so draw money in Plainfaing, Fraize or Gérardmer before you drive up.
- Le Valtin is the highest commune in the Vosges, a village of 74 inhabitants sitting around 762 metres up, with commune land running from 704 to 1,304 metres. The guesthouse is not in the village but in Le Grand Valtin, a scattered hamlet about 1.8 km away that partly straddles the neighbouring commune of Ban-sur-Meurthe-Clefcy, which is why the address flips between the two on different listings.
- From 1 November to 31 March, French mountain law requires winter equipment on the roads in the designated Vosges communes, and the Route des Crêtes on the D430 closes under snow, generally reopening around April. Carry winter tyres or chains and aim to arrive in daylight up the narrow chemin de la basse de la Schlucht.
- Several aggregator pages credit this guesthouse with a swimming pool, a restaurant, a bar, an executive lounge, a massage service and a temporary art gallery. None of it exists. What does exist is a games room with a table-football table, a shared lounge, a garden and a sun terrace.
- The hosts put 21 solar panels on the roof in September 2021 and describe the house as a gîte écologique. That is their own description rather than a certified label: there is no Gîtes de France, Clévacances, Clef Verte or Esprit Parc accreditation on this property.
Rooms & Accommodation at Au Domaine de Py
Family Room
Family · About 30 m² · Ground floor, step-free
Best for families and for anyone who cannot manage stairs, because this is the type the listing describes as an entire unit on the ground floor. It runs to about 30 m² with a private bathroom, and interconnecting rooms can be arranged. The house sleeps up to fifteen across all its rooms, so ask the hosts directly if you are bringing a larger group.
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Double Room
2 guests · About 30 m² · Upper floor by stairs
Choose this if you are two and you want the wood. It is the same 30 m² as the family room and it is reached by stairs rather than at ground level, so weigh that if you are carrying much. Some of the rooms open onto a private terrace or balcony, which a German guest in August singled out as the best thing about her stay, so it is worth asking when you book.
Check PricesIs Au Domaine de Py Right for You?
Best Suited For
- Couples and walkers who want quiet, forest and a cooked dinner without driving
- Skiers and snowshoers heading for the Col de la Schlucht or La Bresse
- Cyclists and motorcyclists, with a garage and the Col climb from the door
- Anyone hoping to hear the autumn stag rut, which runs through these woods
Worth Considering Alternatives If
- Travellers without a car, because no bus reaches this hamlet
- Anyone who needs to pay by card, since cards are not accepted at all
- Guests who must arrive outside the 17:00 to 20:00 window without arranging it
- People who need reliable internet for work, given the mountain signal
Amenities and Facilities
In Your Room
- About 30 m² with a mountain view
- Private bathroom with bath or shower, WC, hairdryer and free toiletries
- Extra-long beds, over 2 m
- Parquet floors and soundproofing
- Desk and heating
- Wardrobe or clothes rack
- Free Wi-Fi
- Socket covers for children
- Terrace or balcony in some rooms
Food and Drink
- Homemade breakfast with the hosts' own jams
- Table d'hôtes evening meal on advance reservation, €27 per person
- Packed lunches on request
- Wine available at extra cost
- Not available: Public restaurant or bar
The House
- Shared lounge with a television
- Games room with table football and board games
- Garden, sun terrace and picnic area
- Outdoor furniture
- Ski storage
- Garage for bicycles and motorcycles
- 21 solar panels installed in 2021
- Not available: Swimming pool
- Not available: Spa or massage service
Access and Policies
- Free private parking, no reservation needed
- Accessible parking space
- One ground-floor room, step-free
- Arrivals 17:00 to 20:00 by prior notice
- Quiet hours 22:00 to 08:00
- Children of all ages welcome, 17 and over charged as adults
- Free cot on request for under-twos
- Cash, cheque or bank transfer only
- Not available: Card payment
- Not available: Lift
- Not available: Pets
- Not available: Extra beds
- Not available: Smoking indoors
Location and Getting Around
Le Grand Valtin is a dispersed hamlet about 1.8 km from Le Valtin village in the Hautes-Vosges, and the guesthouse is at number 135 on the lane that climbs from it toward the Schlucht. The village is the highest commune in the department at around 762 metres, with 74 residents, sitting inside the Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges at the foot of the pass. The hamlet partly straddles Ban-sur-Meurthe-Clefcy, which is why some listings file the property under that commune instead.
Be clear about transport: nothing reaches the door. The Fluo line between Gérardmer and Munster and the seasonal Navette des Crêtes both stop at the Col de la Schlucht, five kilometres up the valley, not here. A car is effectively required. Saint-Dié-des-Vosges is the nearest useful station at around 26 to 30 km; Colmar is 45 km over the pass and seasonal; EuroAirport at Basel-Mulhouse is the nearest major airport at roughly 65 to 68 km, with Strasbourg about 90 km.
- Le Valtin village and the bakery: About 1.8 km, a 5-minute drive
- Col de la Schlucht: About 5 km, a 10-minute drive
- Sentier des Roches trailhead: About 5 km, a 10-minute drive
- Lac de Longemer: About 6 km, a 12-minute drive
- Lac de Retournemer: About 7 km, a 12-minute drive
- Jardin d'altitude du Haut-Chitelet: About 7 km, a 12-minute drive, summer only
- Lac de Gérardmer: About 13 km, a 20-minute drive
- Le Hohneck: About 14 km, a 25-minute drive in season
- La Bresse-Hohneck ski area: About 20 km, a 25-minute drive
- Saint-Dié-des-Vosges station: About 28 km, a 40-minute drive
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: Neptuna, CC BY-SA 3.0
Col de la Schlucht
10 min drive
About 5 km up the valley, a 10-minute drive, the Col de la Schlucht is the highest pass in the Vosges at 1,139 metres and the hinge of the whole area: a small family ski station in winter, the start of the Route des Crêtes in summer, and the point where the GR5 crosses the ridge. The Sentier des Roches, the range's most exposed cable-assisted cliff path, starts from here too.
View on Map
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lac de Longemer and Lac de Retournemer
12 min drive
About 6 km down the valley, a 12-minute drive, Lac de Longemer is the first of the glacial lakes, good for a flat lakeside circuit and, in season, pedalos and fishing. Another kilometre on, Lac de Retournemer sits wild and forest-ringed under the Hohneck with a small waterfall above it, and is walking only. Together they make the obvious first afternoon.
View on Map
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0
Le Hohneck
25 min drive
About 14 km away, a 25-minute drive along the Route des Crêtes when it is open, Le Hohneck is the third-highest summit in the Vosges at 1,363 metres, with a panorama that runs from the Black Forest to the Alps on a clear day. The ferme-auberges along the ridge serve the traditional repas marcaire. The summit road is unploughed and shut in winter.
View on MapHow to Get to Au Domaine de Py
- From Colmar and the east: Take the D417 west out of Colmar and climb over the Col de la Schlucht toward Gérardmer, then drop down toward Le Valtin and Le Grand Valtin. About fifty minutes when the pass is open. From Strasbourg, run down the A35 and N83 to Colmar first, roughly an hour and a half in total.
- From Nancy, Saint-Dié and the west: Follow the N59 to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, then the D8 and D23 through Fraize and Plainfaing to Le Valtin, about an hour. This is the route to use in winter, because it does not cross the pass. From Luxembourg City allow about two and a half hours by way of Nancy.
- The last kilometre: The final approach is up the narrow chemin de la basse de la Schlucht at Le Grand Valtin. Aim to arrive in daylight, within the 17:00 to 20:00 check-in window, and tell the hosts your time in advance. Parking at the house is free and private, with an accessible space.
- Winter equipment is compulsory: Between 1 November and 31 March, French mountain law requires winter tyres, chains or snow socks on the roads in the designated Vosges communes, and this is one of them. The Route des Crêtes on the D430 closes under snow and generally reopens around April, so plan the western approach in winter and check road status before you set off.
- Stop for cash and supplies: There is no cash machine in Le Valtin and the payment methods here are cash, cheque or bank transfer. Draw money in Plainfaing, Fraize or Gérardmer on the way up, and fill the tank while you are there, because the village has almost no commerce.
Le Valtin and the Hautes-Vosges
Le Valtin is the highest village in the Vosges and one of its smallest: 74 people, stone-and-timber houses under the church of Saint-Sylvestre, and forest and high pasture climbing away on every side toward the Col de la Schlucht and the Tanet-Gazon du Faing nature reserve. There is almost no commerce, which is the point. What there is, a bakery, a farm and a small cultural venue, has been taken on by younger incomers who decided the place was worth keeping alive.
Around it lies the best of the range. West, the Valley of the Lakes strings Longemer, Retournemer and Gérardmer together. East and south, the Route des Crêtes runs the ridgeline past the Hohneck and the ferme-auberges of the high pastures. Come in summer for the hiking and the lakes, in winter for the Schlucht and La Bresse ski areas, in autumn for the colour and the stag rut from mid-September, and in late spring for the Vosges daffodils.
Watch: Inside the Village
A short film about Le Valtin, the highest village in the Vosges, and the seventy-five or so residents keeping its bakery, farm and cultural space going in a place that is beautiful and genuinely isolated.
Is Au Domaine de Py worth it?
Yes, if you are driving into the Hautes-Vosges and you want a house rather than a hotel. You get a 30 m² room with parquet, a mountain view and something hand-lettered over the bed, a homemade breakfast, and a four-course dinner if you order it, in a wooden chalet on the forest edge below the Col de la Schlucht. Skip it if you need to pay by card, cannot arrive between five and eight in the evening, or are travelling without a car, because none of those work here.
What Guests Say About Au Domaine de Py
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Superb
Almost every review starts with the hosts. Isabelle and Philippe are named again and again, for the welcome, for the dinner and for making people feel at home rather than checked in, and cleanliness and comfort score exactly as highly as they do. The setting comes next: the quiet, the forest, breakfast on the terrace. The only two soft spots are the Wi-Fi, which is what a valley at 760 metres does to a signal, and one solo traveller who thought it a little expensive for what it is.
A warm, joyful place tucked into the nature around it. She liked everything about the stay, and said the hosts were wonderfully kind.
Dana
Was warmly welcomed, found the house beautiful and especially loved having her own terrace.
Enjoyed the quiet and the closeness to nature, with cool forest walks nearby, kind hosts, and breakfast on the terrace with excellent homemade jams.
Called it a perfect stay where everything came together for an excellent time.
Spent a lovely night and signed off to Isabelle and Philippe saying she looked forward to seeing them again.
A lovely stay in the snow, with welcoming and warm hosts. He said they would be back.
Isabelle and Philippe took them into their home with delicious food and good company, and the room was spotless and comfortable.
A lovely property in a picturesque setting, where the hosts went to great lengths to prepare a superb four-course home-cooked dinner.
A good stop before setting out on the Route des Crêtes, set back from the main road with a mountain view and a warm welcome from the owner. She felt breakfast could have been a little more generous.
Genuinely lovely: a kind, helpful hostess with excellent English, a characterful wood-clad room, and a bathroom hidden behind what looks like a wardrobe, right on the forest's edge. She found it a bit pricey.
Good to Know Before You Book
Cards are not accepted
Payment is cash, cheque or bank transfer only. There is no cash machine in Le Valtin and almost no commerce in the village, so draw money in Plainfaing, Fraize or Gérardmer on the way up. Cancellation and prepayment terms depend on the room option you choose and are shown before you confirm the booking.
Book dinner when you book the room
There is no public restaurant here and the village has nowhere to eat, so the table d'hôtes is how you have dinner without driving. It costs €27 per person, it is cooked by the hosts, it is eaten with the other guests, and it must be reserved in advance. If you would rather go out, the Auberge Lorraine in Le Valtin village is about five minutes away by car and is closed on Tuesday evenings and Wednesdays.
The arrival window is narrow
Check-in runs from 17:00 to 20:00 and the hosts ask you to tell them your arrival time in advance. Aim to be on the final narrow lane in daylight. Check-out is between 08:00 and 11:00, and quiet hours run from ten at night to eight in the morning.
Winter tyres, and the pass
From 1 November to 31 March, French mountain law requires winter equipment on the roads in this part of the Vosges. The Route des Crêtes on the D430 closes under snow and usually reopens around April, so in winter approach from Saint-Dié through Fraize and Plainfaing rather than over the Col from Colmar. Check road status before you leave.
Call Au Domaine de Py
Want to reserve the table d'hôtes, ask about a ground-floor room, or give the hosts your arrival time? The landline reaches the house directly.
+33 3 29 41 07 89Photos of Au Domaine de Py
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, on advance reservation. The hosts cook a table d'hôtes, a set multi-course dinner for guests only, at €27 per person. It is not a public restaurant and it is not available on the night without notice, so ask for it when you book the room. Guests describe four courses cooked with real care.
A homemade breakfast is served, with the hosts' own jams and, when the weather allows, on the terrace. Whether it is included in your rate depends on the option you select, so check that at the point of booking. One French guest thought it could have been a little more generous; several others named the jams as a highlight.
Cash, cheque or bank transfer. Cards are not accepted at all. There is no cash machine in Le Valtin, so draw money in Plainfaing, Fraize or Gérardmer before you drive up. It catches people out, which is why it is high on this page.
No. It is a chambre d'hôtes, a French guest house, registered under activity code 5520Z as short-stay tourist accommodation rather than as a hotel. French chambres d'hôtes are not eligible for hotel star ratings, so any three-star badge you see on a listing is a third-party data tag rather than an official classification.
Yes, free private parking on site with no reservation needed, including an accessible space. You will want a car regardless: no bus reaches the hamlet, and the services that run to the Col de la Schlucht stop five kilometres up the valley.
No, pets are not accepted. The property is also non-smoking throughout. Children of all ages are welcome, with those aged 17 and over charged as adults, and a free cot is available on request for under-twos. No extra beds can be added.
Check-in is between 17:00 and 20:00 and you are asked to give your arrival time in advance. Check-out is between 08:00 and 11:00. Quiet hours run from 22:00 to 08:00.
Between 1 November and 31 March, yes. French mountain law requires winter equipment, meaning winter tyres, chains or snow socks, in the designated Vosges communes, and this is one of them. The Route des Crêtes on the D430 also closes under snow, generally reopening around April, so approach from Saint-Dié rather than over the pass in winter.
No. Several aggregator pages claim a pool, a bar, a restaurant, an executive lounge and even a massage service, and none of that exists. What the house actually has is a shared lounge, a games room with table football, a garden, a sun terrace and a picnic area.
Five, according to the regional tourist board's owner-supplied listing, which describes the house as five guest rooms including two family suites for five and six people, sleeping up to fifteen in total. Some listings say four. Two room types are sold online, so contact the hosts directly if you want the whole house or a larger group.
Other Great Stays in the Vosges and France
Auberge du Saut des Cuves
The pick if you want a restaurant on site and a waterfall at the bottom of the garden rather than a host-cooked set dinner. It is on the main road between Gérardmer and the Col, so easier to reach in winter and less remote in every sense.
Hôtel Aboukir
For the other end of a French trip entirely. It is a budget hotel in central Paris, so you swap forest, silence and a car for the Métro and everything open at midnight.
Ready for the Forest Edge?
Five rooms in a wooden chalet below the Col de la Schlucht, filling for the summer hiking season, the winter snow and the autumn stag rut. Check your dates now, and ask for dinner while you are at it.
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