Résidence Le Pralin - Méribel-Mottaret

The accommodation in Nantchu was good, but there was no lift up to the 4th floor. Getting things sorted with GSI was difficult: I couldn't reach them by phone, and they didn't answer my emails. There was no broadband in the apartment, and two keys weren't enough. When we left, we were told to scan a QR code to check out, but there wasn't one. We left the keys in the box outside the agency in Meribel Mottaret because we were leaving at 8am and the agency wasn't open. At 10.30, the office called to ask where the keys were. That didn't feel very professional.

The apartment itself was dirty and poorly maintained, and even the GSI office smelled like an old gym bag. That says a lot about the care this agency seems to put into things. We booked accommodation in Les 3 Vallées without realizing GSI in Méribel Mottaret was managing it. I’ve travelled widely and snowboarded on several continents, and this was the worst rental agency I’ve dealt with. Customer service was basically absent, and the whole operation felt focused on taking as much money from visitors as possible with little effort or accountability. At check-in, they asked for a €500 deposit, and we agreed to a card hold. The following day, the young man from reception emailed to say he’d charged it by mistake and wanted my bank account details so he could refund me. I suggested he cancel that payment and put through the agreed hold instead. He kept asking for my account information, so I said I’d come in the next day to give it to him, assuming he meant my card. In person, I found out he wanted my checking account details. I refused and asked him to reverse the charge and put the hold on the card as we’d agreed. He yelled that a refund wasn’t possible, then got aggressive and threatening, saying we wouldn’t get our deposit back unless we gave him our bank details. We felt intimidated and left. We went home from France without the deposit. After two weeks and two unanswered emails, I had to dispute the charge with my credit card company to get the money back. That’s one example of what dealing with this agency was like. Travelers should avoid it, and apartment owners shouldn’t entrust their property to them. They were unprofessional and, in my experience, dishonest, and seemed intent on grabbing our money.

The building had a huge balcony, an elevator, extra ski lockers, and a really nice community. Getting to the slopes, bars, and restaurants was easy, and the accommodation itself was cozy, with lovely views and a nice log cabin feel. There were some hiccups. At first, they wanted to move our booking to another building, but we managed to sort that out. We were also sold garage parking for about $100, then found out street parking right in front of the building was free. The advertised dishwasher wasn't there, and the washer-dryer was tiny, with a dryer function that barely worked. The ski lockers were useful, but the automated heating was a real problem. Even with the radiator switched off, it came on by itself and woke everyone in the middle of the night. Going between cool and extremely hot overnight left us all sick, with night sweats followed by chills.

The apartment was in a great spot, but we arrived after a long journey to find it dirty, with hair all over the beds, sheets, bathroom sink, and floor. We had to clean it ourselves, and the photos show the condition we found it in. We also had to make our own beds. That part wasn't a huge deal, though providing the basics would have made a much better first impression. We expected things like washing-up liquid, toilet paper, and Wi-Fi, all of which take little effort to provide. Before leaving, we cleaned the apartment and left it in much better shape than it had been when we arrived. Even so, we were charged for cleaning. The small tasks and services that could have been handled were missing, so I can only give it one star.