Residence Pierre And Vacances La Riviere(Formerly Residence Maeva La Riviere)

The hotel feels old and dated. Our room had two bunk beds and a folding bed, and from the toilet you look straight at the exposed pipes below the sink. They leave you one small roll of toilet paper, so bring another if you use a lot. There’s no room service: you have to take your rubbish outside yourself, make up your bed when you arrive, and clean the kitchen at checkout. It’s a 20-minute walk to the ski lift.

The apartment was spacious and comfortable, with a pleasant balcony looking onto a park. One thing to plan for: reception is only open 9am - 12pm and 4 - 7pm, so let them know ahead of time if you’ll arrive outside those hours. We also ran out of garbage bags once the bin was full, so they should provide extras.

We had everything we needed in the kitchen, including pots and pans, a hob, microwave and dishwasher. The small box of cleaning basics was a nice touch, with little bottles of fairy liquid and disinfectant, a sponge and dishwasher tablets. The beds were bunks and a Murphy’s bed behind the sofa, though the bunks squeaked quite a bit. The furniture wasn’t the most comfortable, but after a day of skiing, I’m not sure much would be! Staff were lovely throughout, and the ski rooms had one locker for each room, which was great after other hotels where it’s been a free-for-all. There’s a spar nearby and two bars with great happy hours. It’s close enough to walk to the town centre but far enough away for a good night’s sleep. The bus ride to the slopes is quick, and while you can walk, it’s a very steep hill. The stop is one of the first, so we could get on before the buses filled up.

The cooker was our main problem. The rings would stay on for only 30-40 seconds, then we had to turn the whole cooker off, take the pans off, put them in the sink and restart it by turning all the dials down until the red light stopped flashing. We learned our neighbours had the same trouble. We wasted lots of food in the first two days while trying to figure it out, and had to get takeout too, but eventually worked it out. The reception staff were excellent and helped however they could. The apartment block is very well placed, about a three-minute walk to the town centre and restaurants. For snowboarders, the zero G store is about four minutes away. We booked through Heidi as a March package for two parents and two kids sharing a self-catering room. The kids had well-sized bunks, and we had a fold-down double. The beds were comfortable; we could’ve used a thicker duvet, though thicker pyjamas would’ve done too. With the double bed folded up, there was good space in the room. The fridge was a good size, the pots and pans were brand new, and the dishwasher was a welcome surprise. Bring your own chopping board and peeler if you want potatoes. We’re N Irish, so we always have potatoes. You’ll also need toilet roll. The towel radiator has instructions, but doesn’t work, so drying snow clothes is a challenge. The ground-floor “balcony” is open to the public, though a hedge partly shields it, so privacy may be a bit compromised. Snowboards won’t fit in the snow room and have to stay in your bedroom. WiFi wasn’t free as Heidi advertised. It’s a great little place and we’ll definitely stay again, better prepared for these small niggles.