Le Zénith

The apartment’s heating is a problem: only one of the two heaters works, and there’s no real warmth to come back to after skiing. The oven is ancient and has to do double duty as a heater since there’s no microwave. The bath can help a bit, but its tap goes from boiling hot to freezing cold with nothing between. And the insulation around the windows seems nonexistent, like cold air is constantly coming through. The TV picture is good, but it’s small and only gets six channels, not even TF1. If you’re skiing, bring warm gear for outdoors and indoors. Otherwise, you’d think you were training for an Antarctic trip.

The Zenith is clean and close to the slopes and shops, but I’d still say avoid it. The price is €600 a week outside school holidays and €1800 during term time, which is outrageous. Noise carries terribly. The restaurant downstairs has a DJ from 5 pm to 7 pm every evening, and around 5 am you may hear drunk people singing. The insulation is so poor that we had to buy two extra warm blankets, even with a sleeping bag rated down to -15°C. There’s no microwave. Instead, there’s an ancient-looking oven and a stovetop that needs to be turned all the way up to cook ravioli in 10 to 15 minutes. The shower feels homemade or pressure-washed, given how powerful and old it is. The heating also seems medieval and barely works.

At 600 euros a week in the off-season, this place is in a pretty sorry state. It’s dilapidated, with prehistoric decor and appliances that look like they’re from the 1970s. The bedding felt questionably clean and was completely uncomfortable. There’s no insulation, so you hear the lively nightlife as it happens. Forget getting a good night’s sleep, even with earplugs. And that old shower has just two settings, scalding hot or freezing cold. Run away!

Shops and the slopes are right by the building, and there’s also a bar, restaurant, ski rental, and gallery nearby. You can keep your gear in a secure locker on level -1. The location is handy, but the apartment itself hasn’t been renovated and feels basic, with a small TV and simple kitchen. It’s poorly insulated and noisy day and night, until about 4 a.m. when the nightclub 15 meters away closes.