Alpine Suite on the Slopes

We spent a week at Odalys Edenarc with friends, and the view of Mont-Blanc and being right on the ski slopes were the clear highlights. Still, the location wasn’t enough to make us recommend it. The infrastructure and service left a poor impression. The rooms were okay, but everything felt small, more like a good 3-star place than a 5-star one. The spa was cramped and crowded, with just one sauna, and both the sauna and pool were cold. The hotel complex has a small SPAR shop, whose staff were extremely friendly and helpful, but it’s far too limited for a hotel this size. Guests need to bring everything for their stay from the Valley, even toilet paper and dishwasher tablets. Service at reception was also a problem. We waited a long time for our keys on arrival, and for the rest of the week there was only one receptionist, who wasn’t very friendly. Noisy trolleys in the corridors disturbed my sleep every night, and a delivery truck loading and unloading under our room was constantly loud. We planned to make Raclette and found that the hotel doesn’t lend Raclette ovens for free. We’ve been to France every year and always had one available at reception in other resorts. We rented one from the Spar Shop for 20 Euros. If you buy Raclette cheese there, the oven is free, but we’d already bought ours in the Valley and didn’t know. The worst part came just before we left. I lost one of our two ski locker keys and was told at reception I’d owe 35 Euros if I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t. The next morning, they said the charge was now 75 Euros, supposedly to motivate people not to lose keys. That ridiculous explanation was delivered very unfriendly, and they deducted 75 Euros from our deposit. I call that theft. It’s a simple key, and a copy can’t cost more than a few Euros.

Our family of five, with kids aged 3-11 and skiers ranging from beginners to advanced, had a great time here. There’s so much terrain close by, and the high altitude meant good snow even at Easter. We’ll be back! The apartments are modern, comfortable and well equipped, though nice rather than luxurious. The resort is right on the slopes, with easy access to ski school, chair lifts, telecabins and runs. There’s a small supermarket on site for essentials, but it’s cheaper to do a larger shop down the mountain at Super U. The family pool was lovely, with a separate heated pool for babies and toddlers and a jacuzzi for adults. There’s a sauna and steam room too, plus the more upmarket Nama springs spa for specialist or indulgent treatments at extra cost.

The staff were excellent, and we had an amazing week of skiing. We’d definitely stay here again. Our 2-bed Comfort apartment was comfortable and well presented for a week-long stay. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, one ensuite and one jack-and-jill, plus a sofa bed in the lounge. The showers stayed hot with good pressure, and it was nice to have baths for a soak after skiing. The location above Arc 1800 is excellent: ski in, ski out, quiet, and close to everything. It’s level with the Folie Douce, so we could walk there, and beside the top of the Dahu pedestrian lift between the residences and village. That lift runs until 22:00 or 23:00. There’s a handy little grocery shop on site, but it’s expensive. Sherpa Supermarket in Arc 1800 is better value if you don’t mind going to the village. We were self-catering and didn’t plan to eat out, so we ordered our groceries in advance through https://www.arcs-1800-shop.sherpa.net/. The main food shop was paid for before we arrived and delivered to the apartment about an hour after check-in, leaving us free to enjoy the holiday and buy only beer and bread in the resort.

The staff were warm and welcoming, and there was good food and drink. A lovely resort in a good spot, with easy access to the slopes.