Le Grand Aigle, Friendly Hotel

Our room was compact, but it had all we needed, including a coffee machine that got plenty of use. The hotel is very convenient: the slopes are about a two-minute walk or ski away, the old town is nearby, and local amenities are around a ten-minute walk. Dinner was delicious and breakfast offered lots of choice. The staff were lovely, polite, and often went out of their way to help. We didn’t try the spa, though it looked lovely. We have a reason to come back!

We loved the bed and slept really well every night, and our waiter in the restaurant was wonderful. Some other staff were polite, while others less so. The hotel sits on the ski piste, which is fun, though a better path from the car park to the piste would help. We booked half board for seven days, but the food fell short of what we expected. On a few days we sent back full plates. The luxury room also felt more basic than we’d expected. Its bubble bath bathroom needed freshening up, and the bath was a little broken and rather basic. The spa was another disappointment. It cost €20 for a 45-minute session, the space was very small, and we had to book our slot in advance. Parking was €15 per night, which seemed expensive, especially since we’d never had to pay for hotel parking before. We had good company and did enjoy the stay, but the quality didn’t match the price, so I wouldn’t recommend it to friends or family.

The welcome soft drink at check-in was lovely, and breakfast was tasty. Our well-equipped triple room, though, felt cramped for three people. I was a bit disappointed by its size, even though the stay was good overall.

The bathrooms are a bit cramped, especially if you’re tall, though that seems fairly normal for mountain accommodation and wouldn’t stop me coming back. The rest of the hotel was great. Staff were friendly and happy to help with restaurant bookings, suggestions, and recommendations. Breakfast was tasty and had everything you’d want. The location is hard to beat. You can ski in and out, with about 50 steps from the boot room to the end of the car park, where you join the snow down to the Pontillas lift. From there, you can head up into the mountains and cross the valleys without coming down unless you want to. Restaurants, shops, patisseries, and rental equipment in town are about a 15-minute walk at most. I’d thoroughly recommend Le Grand Aigle for a holiday in Serre Chevalier.