Val d'Isere Centre Hotel

11 readers found this review helpful

Ah Val D'Isere!
The apartments seem to suffer from an identity crisis; they were formally known as the Les Chalets de Solaise, on this site they are referred to as Val D'Isere Centre Hotel, and in my brochure they are called the Residence Du Centre - Take your pick!
This was my 5th skiing trip, and having been to Austria, Andorra and Italy, and I have to say that these were the best apartments I have stayed in, but the compettion was fairly poor, so read on.....
The apartments are just a quick bus trip to the slopes - those of you that are groaning at the thought of a bus do not fear - the service is second to none and you will not be waiting more tha 3-4 minutes for one - a super service. The bus stop is a stones throw - no long trudges with ski boots on.
The receptionists were a mixed bunch - Francois was a very pleasant gentleman who was very helpful. Try and avoid the girl with the dark hair who is very aloof and perhaps she should look for a job that she would like to do....
The sauna and pool do not open until 5pm and are shut down at 7.30pm - this I thought was ridiculous. If you want a ski-free day in the pool and the sauna, forget it! At 5.30pm there is a rush for the pool and the changing rooms are not marked Men or Women, something my wife found out quickly when 6 guys appeared when she was in the shower and 12 feet from her towel!
Warning - the pool is deep - the shallowest bit is up to your neck - mind those kids.
The gentleman and lady in the ski shop downstairs were very helpful and very friendly.
Big Tip: Speak some French! Not just the Bonjour and Merci stuff - I garantee you that if you try a bit harder and even use stock phrases you have learned off you will be more welcome, get better service and see more smiles.
There are two types of room available the studio and the mezzaine - we got a mezzanine and liked it a lot. The beds were very hard but after a week of skiing you would sleep on a bed of nails.
Everything in the apartment worked. A slight smell of pee in the toilet which is seperate from the bathroom - down to drunken aiming and poor cleaning standards which we put right with a scrub of bleach.
You get clean sheets and a good lot of towels.
All heaters in the apartment were electric and worked well. As much heat as you like when you wanted it. I read a review which stated that there was a shortage of hot water in the evenings - I never encountered this - lashings and lashings.
Good views from the balcony - the photo in the brochure shows apartments overlooking the pool - be aware that there is another block of apartments looking out the otherway towards the street. This is not a problem as the apartments are set back from the road enough to be cosy.
There is a ski room downstairs and each apartment has a locker there. This room is not heated and if you like dry boots bring them up to the apartment each night.
But the real gem was for me the peace and quiet - too often in the past I have endured shouting, stamping hoards coming back from pubs at 2,3,4,5,6 in the morning with no thought for the other residents. This happened just once this year, (a 3am job) but only for a minute or two - no big deal.
The skiing was great with good pubs and food, if a little pricy, but Val was always a bit upmarket. You get what you pay for. . if you're cooking for yourself do your shopping at the Spar supermarket - better quality and lower prices.
The sun hits the nursery slopes at about 11am and stays there until 3.45pm
I hope this helps - I am posting this review in thanks to all of those who posted before - keep it going and do your bit too!!!!