Hotel Des Deux Domaines

i would not trust this Esprit hotel at all, staff are in no way controled and can always be heard after one of their much talked about night outs and management i found to be either not around or lacking in communication with people, The children on several occasions i found where spoke down to as staff got annoyed with them, food was a disgusting and the childrens portions extreamly small as well as this the hotel also faced other problems such as some rooms bathroom showers over flowing, cracks appering and lifts continualy braking down and with small children stairs are not always easy in all this hotel isn't worth the rating given and i would never come back here again.

I have just returned from this hotel booked through Esprit. I expect I am one of the rare unhappy customers as most guests are so impressed with the hotel and the great rooms that they seem to not get bothered by all the negatives. The hotel sleeps 216 and during the week we were there, they had 82 kids of which 12 were 3-4 years old. Admittedly my daughter was just 3 and although she is in full time nursery at home, she does like 5 minutes cuddle/attention when she is "dumped" in a snow club! It was a complete nightmare finding any staff that had any real experience with children and I had to ask someone if they would give her a cuddle so that I could discretly leave. The lessons in the afternoon are at a stupid time for most 3-4 year olds as they are too tired after their morning activities. They are run by the French ski school and therefore include children from outside Esprit. They have to wait ages for a turn to get up the hill and down again and only the really confident or pushy kids get on with the system. Not to mention a little incident of Esprit staff flirting with French ski instructor while a poor kid was waiting to be picked up after a fall! Breakfast is very basic, but the evening food is quite good. Aperitifs are definitely brought out as late as possible to make you feel obliged to buy drinks from the bar. The seating area in the bar area is insufficient for the size of the hotel, so during any presentations, half the guests have to stand up or sit on the floor. Yes, the location, views and indoor pool are nice but what about an outdoor terrace? There is no where to sit outside and for March/April skiiers that is a real down. Even individual balconies have no seating so unless you take your pillows outdoors (like the staff), the balconies are a waste of time. It is very disappointing considering the prices. I will never use Esprit again and hope that there competitors offer better customer service!

We have just returned from this hotel, booked through Snow Finders with Esprit. Had an absolutely fantastic time. We haven't taken the kids skiing before and I was a bit nervous that it would all turn into an enormous faff - just the opposite. The set-up at the hotel is perfect for kids and adults alike. Hotel is clean and modern and rooms are spacious - we took two kids (6 and 3) and had two interconnecting rooms. Worked really well. Fab views. Very comfy. Hotel bar/lobby is a bit small, but encourages a bit of banter with fellow skiers. We met some really nice families. Childcare works fine - my eldest had ski lessons in the morning followed by supervised lunch. Littlest had snow club until 2pm when we picked them both up. We then spent ages mucking about in the swimming pool (very clean) until kids high tea. Sauna, steam and hot tubs nice too for when you get a moment to yourself! The staff will supervise the kids tea if required - so you can enjoy a quick beer (happy hour prices). Then off up to bed for quiet time and some CBBC - kids pretty tired by 7. Rooms very quiet - couldn't hear any noise from other rooms at all. Then, adults off down for dinner at 8 while Esprit staff 'patrol' the corridors and notify you of any issues. The food was really nice and it was a delight to have a peaceful dinner every evening - like a real holiday should be!! Breakfast is fine, contrary to some other reviews - hot option is small but there are plenty of other things to top it up! My son really enjoyed his ski lessons and there was always an Esprit person with each group to ensure they were all happy. He started in the beginners group but was moved up on the first day to a more relevant group. By the end of the week he came out skiing with the adults - no problems and no fear!! Hotel location is fab and Belle Plagne centre is only minutes walk away. You really can ski in and out of the hotel, unless you are a complete beginner. Good ski locker room. Really liked the skiing too - lots of different areas within easy reach. I'm very envious of those going this week as we had a massive dump of snow Thurs - Sat!! Only real downside to our trip was the quality of instruction that some of my friends received - they had a weeks worth of Level 2 lessons with ESF and hardly received any instruction/guidance at all. More of an ESF problem though I guess. Would recommend whole-heartedly!!

Stayed from 15/2/09 with another family, this included four adults, two teenagers, a seven year old, two year old and a seven month old. The location of the hotel is outstanding with fantastic views out over the pistes, it literally takes one minute to join the nearest piste which you can ski from the door. The room was of the highest quality, we had a suite which comprised of two bedrooms and a lounge with a sofa bed, each had an en suite and plasma tv, one small complaint is there were no tea making facilities in the room, I personally like to have a hot cuppa as soon as I wake up. The evening meal was great, this is advertised as a five course including appetisers in the bar before entering the restaurant. However these appetisers were a little hit and miss, both in quality and availability, there were some nights that you were lucky to be offered any and on some occassions you have to leave your seat and hunt them down. The food in the restaurant was of the highest quality although on one occassion we were disappointed to find that they had made a mistake whilst taking the order and my daughter had to settle for a dish she didn't want. The breakfasts were basic and the hot option a little disappointing, for example eggy bread and tomatoes, which comprised of two very small pieces of french bread with some bland egg mixture welded to it and half a grilled tomato. Afternoon tea was again disappointing, there was seldom much of a choice and on more than one occassion I had to visit the bar to ask for more hot water so I could get a hot drink. My friends were very pleased with the child care but again felt disappointed that the children on more than one occassion were given meals they hadn't ordered. The leasure facilities were good especially the outdoor hot tub. Overall I would return, but the hotel is very expensive and when I have payed that much money I expect a better level of service.

The resort was compact and pretty. The skiing, ski tuition, ski in and ski out, hotel facilities, bedroom, and location were all fantastic. Now to the negatives. I had never experienced adult dining before. Never again. My 9 year old had to eat at 5.15pm (food also too advanced for her eg sweet and sour pork and she was starving afterwards). Then she was supposed to go to bed before 8 pm. Not likely. So at 8pm I took her to the Snow Club. Dinner was meant to be served at 8 pm but we were often still waiting for main meal at 9 pm. So my daughter had to stay up till we finished (around 10pm). The meals were too late, loused up my daughter’s bedtime and after skiing all afternoon I was ravenous long before dinner. Good for younger children who are not fussy and who would go to sleep alone. The breakfast was diabolical. Rice Krispies (plain/chocolate) or Cornflakes. Croissants (plain and chocolate) or chopped bagatte. Yoghurt/Cheese/Ham. Apples/pear/banana. That was it – it was all on a small counter the size of a computer desk. The hot options (on special order) were small, odd and slow. This meant an expensive lunch out. A coffee on the slopes was 4E, you do the maths. Finally the young staff were clearly not in the service industry. This can be delightful except when your towels are not changed and are missing at the pool, you are told your child can eat on Saturday and then they can’t, the departure details are so chaotic you guess which bus to get on. My point is with so many young staff information was often wrong and there was a lack of organisation at critical times. During our week (admittedly the first of the season) this was very apparent. Other tips. Buy drinks at local spa unless you want to pay 6E for your beer. Get lunch on arrival day – you will not eat till 8.30pm after protracted arrival brief. Do not put wet clothes on bathroom heater – it will stain like they say it will. Bring DVDs for player in room (although great English channels). Bedrooms roasting. Shops insanely expensive.

We visited as a group of five families and all stayed in Suites. The rooms were excellent and with a seperate sleeping area for our children were both spacious and clean. The hotel itself is well geared up for families with young children and the free child listening service each evening meant that the holiday was relaxed and stress free. The hotel itself is well located with easy access to the slopes. The food for the adults was of a high standard though the children's food was a little disappointing and not always well received. Overall I would highly recommend this hotel to those with young families looking for a relaxed sress free skiing holiday.

Hotel was 5* standard in every way! Staff ratio to guests was incredible 200guests to 85staff!Great! Service was second to none. Nothing was too much for any staff member! Every luxury catered for! Esprit best ski company for families,much better than previous ski hols with thomson / crystal /panorama. Rooms were amazing -spacious,modern,hi-tech,plasma tv, incredible views from room 210. Breakfast could have been a bit better by offering more hot options together. Swimming pool and Outdoor Hot-tub was amazing! Great after busy day on slopes and kids loved it. Evening meal 5course adult only was heaven. Childcare was faultless,personel service,children really looked after and fun was the prioity. The facilites for them was modern,with all the toys and crafts they could wish for. Location of the club was great sunny room,spacious, and great views! Staff made the holiday! Definatley returning ! Xmas Day was one to remember,excellent Turkey Dinner with the full works...even a visit from santa. Resort was small but suited well as hotel catered for your every need! Ski Runs were amazing more choice than you could ever manage in a week....great excuse to return!

The staff were generally superb. They were, however, let down by the hotel manager, an officious little man with a cheap suit and bad hair cut. He struck me as the type to be kicked out of Sandhurst. I would say though that it is a beautiful hotel in a great location and that the rest of the staff made up for him, in particular the Assistant Manager, Nigel. My impression was that the senior management of the company have changed. I am sorry to say that whilst I would go to the hotel again, I would not re-book with Esprit.

We booked this hotel through Esprit as we have holidayed with them before. This hotel is by far the best we have stayed at, we have 2 young children and the Paradiski suites with 2 separate rooms were perfect. We were able to put the little ones down and still be able to relax in our own room. Basically if you have a young family and want a holiday that you can actually relax and unwind then this is it. We booked the kids into the play clubs through the day. They loved it so much they didn't want to leave in the evening. We then put the kids to bed in the evening and availed of the baby listening service & went and enjoyed an evening meal with the rest of the adults. For those who have older children who stay up later there is the coco club for the kids to play in while you dine. The food is very good although the odd steak dinner wouldn't go amiss. Going during the summer is a very good idea as the hotel is not overly busy because it is effectively a ski resort, therefore there are ample facilities for use - hot tub, jacuzzi, swimming pool, saunas and steam rooms. There are plenty of walks and sites to see in the local area and the staff are willing to organise activities for you as well, e.g. white water rafting James the manager and Ben the assistant manager couldn't do enough for us, they really do know how to look after you. Getting around is quite easy and some of the local gondolas and bus services are free. Utimately we were able to completely relax and unwind, the hotel is very secure and the staff all very attentive. Booking through Esprit does give peace of mind and we can thoroughly recommend it.

We travelled with Esprit to their brand new flagship chalet hotel for New Year in Belle Plagne, helped by some great snow conditions. First impressions were great- an immaculate development with large, spacious rooms and suites - we had one of the Paradiski family suites. Decor throughout is modern and superb. Location is excellent - 30yds and you're on the slopes. We were in only the second group of guests to stay, so the hordes of young Esprit staff ran around like headless chickens for a few days. I don't think things had gone too well the week before. But they were all friendly and helpful - just needed a bit of marshalling. Food was very pleasant all week, but not spectacular, which was OK. This was a ski holiday after all. Sadly there was no recognition at all of New Year, which was disappointing. There was no entertainment in the hotel at all all week. Everybody's biggest gripe was the pool / wellbeing complex, which is a design disaster. The main pool itself is OK, except a few kids cut themselves on sharp tiled edges. Changing facilities though are shocking - far too small, nowhere to leave clothes, lack of privacy - single doors open directly into the lobby and the whole place constantly swimming in water. Most guests got changed in their rooms on the advice of staff and went to/from the pool complex in their costumes. Not great. But the management are well aware of the issues and I'm sure they will improve matters. Don't let it put you off. Overall we had a great time, which seemed to surprise the staff when we told them so, and we're booked again already for New Year 2008/9.