La Résidence les Esplaneilles

The apartment we were given didn't match the premium expectations set by the owner's photos. From the entrance door on, the apartment and its furniture looked worn and in need of replacement. The toilet room felt like a sentinel bunker, but the smell was worse than the appearance. There were obvious urine stains, and the smell spread through the apartment. We tried to get it cleaned, without success, and suffered through all three nights. I asked to escalate the issue and requested a refund for the last night so we could stay elsewhere and put this down to an unpleasant circumstance. I was connected to an "owner, Mme Gaucher", who called me on Friday evening, apparently drunk, and was rude, aggressive and provocative rather than helpful. I don't know why she called. The poor management style seems to explain the general lack of maintenance. We had paid for a "Penthouse", but got a ground-floor apartment with a small open balcony instead of a terrace, furnished only with an old table and chairs. There was active reconstruction work across the way every day, with a lot of construction noise even on Saturday. When I asked to change rooms, I was told this was the only one they had for us. In the mornings, we could hear everything in the neighbors' room above, including their early toilets and showers. There was warm water only in the mornings, despite the big, ugly boiler in the wardrobe. I assume it's there for winter, and that the owners are trying to get extra margin by having everyone in the complex use a centralized boiler somewhere else. Please don't be taken in by the nice pictures and good Booking ratings. They seem to be leftovers from when this complex was in better shape, because now it appears to be falling apart.

The staff were very nice and cheerful. We stayed in a cozy, new apartment on the second floor, with no lift, and parking right in front. It had three bedrooms, two with double beds and one with twin beds, but no wardrobes in the rooms. There was one large wardrobe in the corridor. The apartment had a big terrace and parquet flooring. The kitchen was fully equipped with an oven, microwave, dishwasher and fridge-freezer. Bed linen and towels weren't included, though you could rent them or bring your own. The living room and kitchen lighting was poor, and some bulbs were missing in the bedrooms. There was no WiFi.

I've stayed at Les Espalaneilles several times, on my own and with family or friends, and the welcome is always perfect. The apartments have everything you need, including linens, towels, shower gel, body lotion, a hairdryer and a Nespresso machine. I love the cozy mountain decor. It's quiet and ideally placed just steps from the center, with the ski resort only a few kilometers away. I highly recommend it.

The apartments were spotless and had everything we needed, and the price felt very fair. It’s a lovely spot too, with beautiful scenery and a really peaceful atmosphere.