VVF Les sittelles à Montalbert

The piste is just a two-minute walk away, and there’s a nearby ski hire shop with helpful staff. It’s good value, but you can feel what the low price leaves out: no TV in the rooms, basic fixtures, and food that’s only okay.

The bar had a nice atmosphere, and the staff were very friendly. We had a lovely holiday and enjoyed our stay, though I wouldn’t be in a hurry to come back. We booked MMV for a ski trip in March 2022 and were given VVF instead. We hadn’t stayed at either before, so we didn’t notice the switch. The hotel felt older than what we’re used to, as we normally stay at Villages Club du Soleil for skiing. They upgraded our two-person booking to a six-person room, which gave us lots of space. The main bedroom was upstairs, though, with a quite steep staircase to get to the toilet at night. The bathroom was spacious by French standards, but I wouldn’t want to stay in the apartment with six people. Four would be my limit. The wellness area was nice, but it needed to be booked, was closed on many days, and allowed only 45 minutes per visit. I don’t know whether that was because of Covid or if it’s always like that. Food quality varied. Some of the meat and fish were incredibly nice, but some dishes were prepared too early and dried out under the buffet heat lamps. The scrambled eggs were always dry, and one morning they ran out of bread and croissants, leaving everyone waiting about 20 minutes for more. The dining room itself was the bigger problem for us. It felt purely functional, with terrible furniture and no atmosphere. We like long dinners by candlelight in a cozy setting, and this place felt like somewhere to get food into your body rather than enjoy a meal. The room has two sections, and I don’t understand why they don’t use one for families and one for people without children during the off season. We’ve stayed at club hotels that do this, and it lets those without kids enjoy a quiet dinner. Montalbert is a little remote within La Plagne. We’re average skiers, and it took us 1 hour 40 minutes to reach Les Arcs via the Vanoise Express. The return takes longer because you need more chairlifts to cross back over the mountains. Also, this isn’t ski in, ski out. You have to walk about 150 metres along the road in your ski boots, carrying your skis, to get to the slopes. The ski lockers are old and unheated, so we had to bring our boots back to the room to dry and warm them for the next day.

The meals were really enjoyable, and the staff were helpful and funny. It can get a little noisy when children run around playing, though.

The slopes and gondola are excellently placed, and La Plagne center is easy to get to. The building and rooms are very dated and badly need a makeover, but if you can look past that, the setup works well for a week of skiing. Our large room had two comfortable single beds, a separate toilet, a bathroom with a tub and shower, a small kitchenette with a working fridge, a separate bunk-bed room and plenty of storage. The one towel provided at check-in had to last the whole week. Breakfast has enough for everyone, though it can be messy depending on when you go. The coffee machines are very slow and can lead to a queue. Dinner is a changing buffet each night, which suited us, though I can see three nights in a row with rice not being to everyone’s taste. There’s ski rental in the hotel, but the equipment isn’t top quality. Looking back, we could have brought better gear from the Netherlands. We went back three times because some of it had defects. Still, it’s a good place for a ski trip if you can get past the dated building.