Val d'Isere - village
Most accommodation in Val d’Isère is in chalets and apartments that range from the functional to the sublime. But there’s also a full range of hotels that tend to be more popular with French guests. Principle chalet companies include Consensio, Scott Dunn, Le Chardon Mountain Lodges, YSE, VIP, Le Ski, Mark Warner, Skiworld, and Powder White while Erna Low and P&V pave the way with apartments but in all there are some 40 UK operators.
Hotels:
Les Barmes de l’Ours (hotellesbarmes.com) is a swanky five-star star at the foot of La Face.
Avenue Lodge (hotelavenuelodge.com), located in the main street, also has five stars and is more contemporary in design.
Chalethotel Le Savoie (lesavoie.com) used to be a five-star but is now Inghams/Ski Total flagship establishment in the Alps and represents much the best value in town for a hotel at the luxury end of the market.
Le Blizzard (hotelblizzard.com), on the main street, is a five-star favourite with the locals. It is decorated in contemporary chalet style with a pool and spa. The restaurant is a favourite amongst the locals.
Hotel Christiania (hotel-christiania.com) is not as smart as its top end rivals but it’s family-run and friendly.
Le Youle (http://leyule.fr/en/), new in 2015/16, is on the edge of the piste, Scandinavian in designer, and has a smart gourmet restaurant.
La Mourra (http://hotellamourra.com/en) is a resort within the resort – a contemporary Savoyard hamlet of four private chalets and a hotel at the Le Fornet end of the main village.
Hotel Tsanteleina (tsanteleina.com) is a traditional four-star hotel in the centre of the village, a favourite of British holidaymakers for generations.
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At the budget end of the market UCPA Val d’Isère (action-outdoors.co.uk) sleeps 250 people in rooms for two to eight people. Prices include full board, equipment rental, lift pass, and tuition or guiding.
Ski/snowboard equipment hire
The main street of Val d’Isère is lined with sports shops offering rental. If you don’t much care what you put on your feet – strange for someone on a ski or snowboard holiday! – the choice is endless. But by no means all these outlets offer modern equipment that has been recently service at a decent price.
Snowberry (just off the edge of the piste by the bus turning circle) is the undoubted leader here. Jock and Susan Dun don’t pretend to be the cheapest, but they offer the very latest gear – 120 different models – for a sensible amount of money – and you are free to change it and try something else at anytime during your stay. For snowboard hire, Unplugged is a snowboard specialist with a good range of rental boards and expertise at reasonable prices.
Non-ski activities
The Centre Aquasportif is a giant leisure complex constructed of glass, wood, and stone and situated at the foot of the pistes, close to the two main gondolas. Its 5000sq m is entirely given over to sport, well-being and relaxation in welcoming surroundings.
The swimming and wellness section alone covers 1000m and includes a 25-metre pool with a wave machine, water jets, Aquabike, seating, and a heated beach. The wellness area also has saunas and steam baths as well as a full à la carte menu of massage and beauty treatments.
The centre has a sports hall for team games as well as a full gym with weights and the latest machines for cardio-vascular training, and a squash court. Fitness coaches are on hand to provide expert advice and assistance. There’s also a climbing wall with 200m of pitches for standards 5a to 6c. If you want a bit of fun after all this exercise try your hand at the golf and driving simulators.
Learn how to control a car at speed on a skating rink, or to be more exact, an ice driving circuit in the flat area between La Daille and the centre of town. Take a lesson with a rally driver instructor in a BMW and learn how to precisely control a skid.
Ice climbing: with crampons on your boots and an ice axe in each hand you climb two natural frozen waterfalls – floodlit in the evenings – in the company of a guide. It’s a surreal experience that’s open to anyone who is reasonably fit. Children from nine years can also have go.
Parapente and speed-riding: take a ‘taxi’ ride with a qualified instructor as an introduction to the thrills of paragliding. Alternatively, if you’re a competent skier, try speed-riding – a heady cocktail of parapente and free-style skiing.
Cross-country skiing: Val has prepared tracks at La Daille, Le Laisinant, in the Manchet Valley, and around the scenic Lac de l’Ouillette. Either ski unaccompanied or join a group lesson on Wednesdays (except during the French school holidays).
Other sports: dog sledding, snowshoeing in the beautiful Manchet Valley, biathlon, and winter walking on cleared paths.
Childcare
The Village des Enfants cares for children aged six month to three years, with daycare for older children up to 13 years. Options include a half day with or without lunch, a full day or a whole week with ski lessons. Members of the care team are fully qualified and can offer a programme of leisure activities both indoors and on the snow. www.valdisere-levillagedesenfants.com
Le Petit Poucet cares for for children from three years old. Children can be picked up from chalets, hotels, and apartments and taken to and from ski lessons in the school of your choice. Indoor and outdoor care is by qualfied carers and instructors. www.Garderielepetitpoucet.com
Jelly and Ice Cream runs a full range of daycare, private nanny services and babysitting. www.jellyandice-cream.com
If you’ve forgotten the steriliser or high chair, it’s not a problem. You can rent these items and more from Val Baby http://val-baby.com/en/ and CT Services http://www.ct-services.fr/
