Chalet-Hôtel Le Cocoon

Ski Beat gave us great service, while the accommodation itself was standard for its listed three stars. It was basic but clean, and the bedrooms were very small. The en-suite had no proper separation from the bedroom, so it wasn’t private. Better wait until your other half has left the room before getting ready in the morning. The chalet is about a 100 meter walk from the 1800 lift, which is handy for reaching Plagne Centre, though it's a little way out of 1800 proper. We stayed with Ski Beat and they were great. For ski rental, I’d recommend Sport 1800. Their skis were much better and cheaper than the ones through Ski Beat.

Everyone was so friendly, and there was a huge amount of delicious food for the price, almost more than I could eat. We’d got the date mixed up, but when we arrived they still had us eating within the hour. The grill is a really cosy place. They even gave us a ride home, which was amazing. I’d definitely go again if I visit La plagne in the future.

The chalet host was great, chatty and knowledgeable without getting in our way, and the food was great too. It worked perfectly for four adults and two children. When things did go wrong, the ski beat team sorted them out efficiently and satisfactorily.

The chalet host was lovely, and her cooking got everyone's approval. She kept the kitchen spotless too. It was cleaner than kitchens we'd found in high-end chalets, where the fridge, hob, or microwave could be dirty. The operator, Ski Beat, looked after us well during transfers, and the chalet is almost beside the shuttle stop, which made it handy to return from the slopes. We stayed here during the February half-term in 2018, booking at the last minute because we normally stay higher up in Plagne Centre. The downhill run to Plagne 1800 was narrow and icy, and we only tried it once. At the end of the day, ski schools and groups of beginners were crowding every turn. We found it better to take a shuttle in Bellecote, though those buses were packed then too. When we returned to La Plagne a few weeks later that same season, we stayed higher up in Belle Plagne, with doorstep piste access. The building felt tired and in need of a full refurbishment, like most of the chalets unless they’re recent builds. The ski storage was a ground-floor room, not a locker. The whole chalet had a keypad lock, but that meant relying on others to remember to lock the front door, which opens straight onto the street. There wasn’t enough seating in the ski room, or a single wall hook for jackets, helmets, or gloves while taking off boots. Outdoor shoes had to stay by the front door, not even on the communal stairs. That might have been fine if the stair carpet were clean, but walking on it in socks was unpleasant. The bedrooms didn’t have locks either. Only the standard board was offered in this chalet, not a luxury one, so meals and wine were more basic. We were surprised that the company provided just one bowl of fresh fruit for the whole chalet for a week. I like a banana at breakfast and an orange or apple as an afternoon snack, so that wasn’t enough even for me, let alone everyone. I think our host asked for and got more. She said fruit rarely gets eaten, which surprised me. Almost nobody ate the yogurt pots either. They sat stacked on the breakfast table, then were put away again, so that unpopular item seemed overstocked. We also had a strange issue with the afternoon cake. Since we ski almost to the last lifts, we were always the last guests back and found the cake had already been eaten by those who returned earlier. That had never happened to us before, and after we mentioned it, we felt the host should have managed it. It wasn’t a negative stay overall, but we won't return.