With no previous experience with mountain resorts in the Alps, I cannot say if this hotel is actually called a "chalet", but it certainly is suggestive of one. It boasts lots of wood and large balconies overlooking the village street. And Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise is a mountain resort village. In winter such resorts cater to skiers, and in summer, to hikers; fall is a slow season and some resort hotels and even entire communities basically close down for a few months. But Le Monal still seemed quite active. A large group of guests left together in the early morning, perhaps for a hike. The staff in the dining room seemed quite busy and sometimes almost distracted. When we came down for breakfast, they were cleaning up and setting tables for lunch already. (Perhaps they were used to people having breakfast very early, while we wandered down around 8:30 or 9). As we arrived at the hotel after dark (around 8 pm), we found a note on the front desk with our room key and instructions as to where to go. This was reassuring and we were also able to search out staff in the bar or restaurant to deal with questions. We had a good (though not spectacular) dinner in the restaurant, and breakfast was satisfying, with interesting local cheeses. The room was comfortable and adequately large. We enjoyed the novelty of having the toilet in one room and the shower/ sink in another. With free parking on the street, the car was not a worry. We only wished we could have stayed a bit longer!