Le Viking Hotel

A fantastic week at Le Viking! The staff were very friendly and exceptionally helpful.
The food was great, with a good choice, and the tables were beautifully presented every evening.
Our room was basic, but comfortable and clean, with amazing views across to Avoriaz and down the valley to Lake Geneva.
The location certainly made our ski trip extra special.
The only downside was that the runs in Morzine were closed, so we had to go across to Avoriaz. However, this didn't prove to be a problem.
We have recommended both Morzine and Le Viking to our friends and we look forward to returning, when there is more snow!

Just returned from Morzine, where the snow conditions were appalling but not much different from anywhere else in Europe which has seen record breaking temperatures over the past two weeks.
That said, our party had a fantastic holiday staying at Le Viking. Under normal snow conditions this would be the perfect Ski in and Ski out location.
A few blue runs were open at the top which was enough for the little ones to spend plenty of time on and the ski school meeting point and nursery slopes are literally outside the door (great for sledging on when everybody else went back down to Morzine on the last lift).
The views across the valley were fantastic and the sense of remoteness after the lifts had closed added to the magic of the location.
Having read lots of negative reviews, we were pleasantly surprised that these were unfounded, so well done crystal for turning all the bad points into positives.
The great choice in food was always quick, hot, and plentiful and delivered with a courteous service. The bar prices were very reasonable (especially during happy hour 5.00 - 7.00) considering the monopoly of the location the hotel has.
Breakfast was equally good and plentiful.
The rooms whilst basic and small were cleaning, comfortable and always had plenty of hot running water and lots of fluffy towels. The views from the windows across the valley are stunning.
Full marks to the whiz kids team (Chris, Mel and Rachel) who did a fantastic job of keeping the kids occupied for hours. Most days we had to drag them out of the club room!!
All the other staff seemed very dedicated to offering great customer service and wore their uniforms proudly.
Two small negative points: The spare part for the Swimming pool has obviously not arrived since last January when every one was complaining, as the pool was still freezing cold.
Also a little more information could have been given regarding the snow conditions and about how to get alternative lift passes to ski in Avoriaz in view of the fact that 90% of the Morzine ski area was closed.
Each and every one of the 8 adults and 8 children in our party loved the hotel and would go back (snow conditions permitting)
Well deserved praise to the Viking team!

1 reader found this review helpful

Just returned from Le Viking and the hotel was great.
There was 5 in our party including two children aged 2 and 4.
The hotel views were fantastic, we had a good choice for breakfast and evening meal and afternoon tea was also available.
The food was always hot and enough to go round, sometimes a little slow but when you see the volume catered for you can understand why. The accommodation was simple but clean and comfortable.
Ski School meeting point was just outside the main building. The child care was wonderful the girls did a great job with both of ours. The whole hotel does seem to be run by very young people, but they were always helpful and things ran well when we were there.
Morzine itself was a nice place but the snow was lacking on the week we arrived and we spent most of out time snowboarding in Avoriaz, which are only two cable cars and a 5 minutes walk to be well on your way from the hotel.

1 reader found this review helpful

I visited 'Le Viking' on 6th January 2007, and I thoroughly enjoyed my week. I went in a group of 10 adults and 11 children.
The hotel its self was situated halfway up a slope, which was ideal for the members in my group who where trying to get to ski-school, as last year we had to walk 1/2 mile which was horrendously stressful for the parents of those who would moan, and refuse to carry their skis!
Being 15, I was the eldest child in my group, but I hoped to make friends with other guests in the hotel my age, but there wasn’t which was a bit disappointing for me. It turned out that my family were much better company for me than I expected!
The pool was absolutely freezing, as the heater was broken and apparently had also been broken the previous week. This was no problem for us though, as all of the children (and the few adults who actually went in) found the cold water refreshing after a hard day of skiing!
I crept into the sauna with my mum – it was lovely and warmly refreshing! The only downside there was, was that our hot water would not work after about 5:30 pm - luckily my mum and dad's room on the same floor was working, so my family of 5 would take turns. It was a laugh!
The evening tea (I don’t know what it was called) was lovely and refreshing after a hard day of skiing - there is no bread nicer than French bread! The cake often ran out before I got to it - although I didn’t mind - I was happy enough with a French stick and lump of butter!
The breakfast was plentiful, and the evening meals were delicious – I always looked forward to reading the menu!
The resort was absolutely amazing - we only actually did ski at morzine for 2 days, as the snow quickly melted with the all time high temperatures.
This was not a nuisance though, as it only took 20 minutes to get over to avoriaz, and we could see how amazing the runs would be if they were covered in snow!
I suppose Avoriaz was pretty busy, but my group did not really mind - we were just thankful that we didn't have to travel in a bus for an hour everyday to get to snow!
The reps could not have been more helpful. I witnessed that ‘WhizzKidz’ was an excellent crèche, run by lovely people.
The staff were absolutely amazing - always asking whether I had had a good day, etc especially ELLIE (who managed to keep the un-controllable children within my group under control) and MARC HOWAY (who was great company, and I was always delighted to talk to).
I didn’t really get to know anymore staff very well, but they all seemed pleasant and polite - and there were also a few fit boys I could look at!!
The boot room was absolutely tiny, considering there were 220 (?) people staying in the hotel. We learned not to get stuck in the ski-school rush hour, and after that we were fine for the rest of the week – often taking our ski gear up to out rooms.
The evening entertainment was brilliant - snow zone at 8pm for the kids, and then a quiz followed on by a disco each night. Cheeky Charlie and Ian were lovely and entertaining!
On the last morning, my two sisters and I were up at 5am. We watched our luggage be taken down to the lift by fit boys on jet skis (aka, Luke!!). We were the only people down in the restaurant for at least ¾ hour, but we were happy enough talking to Sarah, who was awfully friendly.
I didn’t know who the manager was until the last 10 minutes of my stay, when he walked my group and I down the slippy ice, to the lift we were to get on (this was very nice of him to do so).
I loved every minute of my stay at Le Viking, and I am now forever begging my parents to book for next year!

We stayed at the Viking in March 2006.
The location and door to door skiing and the area to ski is fantastic and I think everybody would have to agree with this.
However, the negative points I experienced at the hotel were:
Reps were not experienced enough to deal with certain issues either skiing or basic hotel problems.
The hot water definitely ran cold by 6.30 latest.
Rooms are somewhat basic and are in need of refurbishing, especially the bathrooms!
Heating in the swimming pool didn't exist, fortunately the children are quite resilient.
Didn't really have a problem with the food all meals were eaten.
The only problem during our week was that half the hotel went down with a stomach bug. Most of the week different guests were taken to their beds for at least 24 hours. Our party of 6 had 4 people ill for 2 days!
However, we have decided to return to Le Viking and hopefully we will see some improvements both in the hotel rooms and hopefully with the reps.

This was our second time to The Viking, the first being Feb 06.
The location is fantastic, the bathrooms have been refurbished during the summer and the plumbing problems have been resolved. That's were the good news finishes as the standards appear to have taken a nosedive!
The restaurant is very poorly run, not so much the quality of the food but how it is served, generally cold and very slowly. The glasses and plates are often greasy and/or dirty.
The staff, although pleasant, are mostly out of their depth and lacking professional management and supervision. Most importantly when the kitchen staff have the night off go down to the town to eat, do not be tempted by the Curry Night, you have been warned.
The Crystal Reps were also pretty useless, not so much saying the wrong thing, as not saying anything at all in response to most questions.
Don't bother pre-paying for hire equipment or lift passes, it is easy to sort yourself, as we ended up doing anyway, despite pre-paying and are now waiting for a refund.
Overall not good Crystal, with the current management, I wouldn't stay at the Viking again if it was free, which is a shame as Morzine is a lovely place and a great ski area for all abilities.
One silver lining, as the Hotel food was so poor in the evening we looked for somewhere better to eat during the day and found a fabulous restaurant about 150m up the mountain from the Viking with excellent food and service.

The location of this hotel can only be described as stunning unfortunately that's the only positive thing we can say about our stay.
The hotel was dirty throughout - it needs a complete refit. Bathrooms had mould around the sink and bath, towels were damp on arrival, the bedroom carpet was filthy, bed linen was threadbare and the mattresses had no liners.
The food was just adequate but beware paying for specials...... they are not worth it - glasses / plates / cutlery were all dirty - in fact on one occasion it took 5 attempts to find a glass clean enough to drink from.
The staff were verging on the rude. Of particular note was the 'Boarders BBQ'. Basically a rave with music on at full volume on the decking in front of the hotel. The noise went on from lunch till 8pm. The coach transfer was on coaches with no seatbelts.

Absolutely fantastic location. Hotel literally ski in and out. Right next to the cable cars on top of the mountain. The views from the room was breathtaking.
The staff were eager to please and always cheerful. All spoke perfect English.
The rooms, very basic, but clean. I'd compare it to an average Holiday Inn style room. Unless you intend to spend your days in the room, it was more than sufficient.
We went with 2 kids (1.5 yo and 3 yo) and it had fantastic nanny service in the same building. Dinner for kids was at 5 pm, followed by Disco night which was such a hit with the little ones and the PJ club meant that my husband and I could have a quiet meal together (7pm) while the kids had fun with other kids. The only down side is the kids ski school was at the bottom of the mountain, so in the morning, you'd have to take the kids down the mountain, but it's not a big deal. Unless you have private ski lessons, it's only 1 minute walk away, which is what I'd recommend.
Food was pretty good, it's not Gordon Ramsay, but it's pretty decent 3 course dinner and a hearty hot breakfast. Plus afternoon tea and kid’s dinner (so you'll never go hungry).
Swimming pool was a bit coldish - but the older kids seem to love it. It was refreshing after a long day of skiing.
The only down side was that the Crystal ski hire place wasn't at the hotel itself. You'd have to take the cable car down the mountain and walk about 10 minutes. So I would suggest NOT to get ski gear from crystal and get it yourself when you get there as every other shop is a ski hire shop, and it's all much closer to the cable cars.
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone with young kids. It's a real no brainer. Everything was pretty much provided for - even the milk, which I had to ask for 3 times a day. And they would even happily heat it up for you.
Super accommodation, staff and holiday. Can't wait to go again!

Although we visited Morzine at the end of the season and were worried about the snow and booking last minute, we had an amazing time!
The hotel was perfectly situated at the top of the Pleney with fabulous views and literally to the door skiing. The hotel catered for all of our needs throughout the stay. The rooms were simple yet comfortable and all that you need when skiing!
The food was wonderful and we looked forward to seeing the choice that was on offer every evening. We sat in the restaurant looking down into Morzine with the twinkling lights whilst we ate - very romantic!
Although it was a family hotel we went as a childless couple and didn't feel out of place. We mingled with other guests and the children were well behaved and well catered for with a pool and pool table.
Although we didn't go into the pool or the sauna (a glass of wine in the bar was much more to our liking!) the other guests spoke highly of them.
The staff were all very friendly and would do anything to help. Seb was a true delight! He would ask how our day was and advise us of where best to go whilst at work and during his own time off! Everyone was approachable and you could see that the staff had bonded and worked well together!
The skiing was the best ever! The vast number of slopes to suit all abilities was fantastic and they were never busy! At times we were skiing alone which was very enjoyable! The resort and access to Avoriaz and the whole of Portes du Soleil was excellent.
We came back on a complete high and can't wait to go back! A fabulous holiday with amazing memories!!!

Once we had finished skiing for the day we hardly saw the kids - they were either in the pool, playing pool, or just generally hanging out with other kids. The adults and teenagers in our party enjoyed the pool and sauna once we had finished afternoon tea.
The location was ideal with tremendous views from our balcony, and the slopes could not be closer. The only downside was the shambolic French ski school. The first half-hour of each lesson was lost in getting the children from the bottom of the mountain back to the area right outside the hotel. May be worth trying out the International ski school rather than ESF.
The hotel has a tiny boot and ski room which gets very crowded at peak times, with tempers becoming easily frayed. Suggest getting in early, and leaving skis on the extensive decking outside the hotel until the peak times are over.
Morzine, and Avoriaz, along with the extensive Portes du Soleil area is a great place for skiing with loads of variety, excellent reds and long cruising blues, with loads of tree cover. Combine this with the short airport transfer, and we have no doubt that we will be back in the future.