Vacancéole - Le Hameau de l'Alpage

The living room was reasonably spacious for four, and the swimming pool was a plus. The free shuttle helped too, since the advertised distances seemed off: 200m from the slopes, even at the top of the resort, wasn’t right; 200m from the center might mean the upper village, but not the actual center. The apartment itself had very little storage, basic kitchen gear with no toaster or oven, and poor upkeep. The lock was loose, and the drawer and cupboard handles all needed tightening. The listing said two bedrooms, but there was just one, with bunk beds in the hallway. The terrace was only 50cm deep. It was already cramped for four, so six would be hard to imagine. We waited an hour for the keys on Saturday despite arriving at 3:30 pm. For the price of the week and the services provided, this was disgraceful. The €90 cleaning fee didn’t cover the toilets or kitchen.

The view and parking space were the good points. We booked apartment 61 in the south-facing building for 7 people, but it felt suitable for a weekend with four at most. There was only a table for 4 and nowhere to store suitcases or anything else. The Vacancéole agency description was poor. The coffee maker had stale water in it, and the cleanliness left a lot to be desired. We arrived Friday after 7 pm, which clearly annoyed a woman at reception. We’d asked at 10 am for the code to enter after reception closed, but didn’t get it until 6:53 pm. The heating seemed to be controlled remotely. On the sofa bed by the bay windows I got cold quickly, and my throat suffered. The bay window barely blocked sound, so we could hear the snow groomer, cars, snowplow, and other noise. I struggled to sleep. Be careful if you’re late returning the keys or if cleaning isn’t done properly, as you could be fined. Special mention to the receptionist who disliked late arrivals and apologized for having a job. Positive points: the view and parking space. Negative points: cleanliness, noise, soundproofing, heating, and capacity.

We were so close to the shops, slopes, and shuttle bus at the top of the resort that we didn’t need the shuttle. The Bouquetin apartment was superb, spacious, well equipped, and renovated with taste. The pool was a lovely extra for relaxing after skiing or on rainy mornings. Great resort, we’ll be back!

The apartment itself was very nice, but getting the key took over 35 minutes after we arrived at 4 pm, and reception was disastrous. The staff were incredibly rude, almost all of them. The pool was meant to be heated every day, but it was freezing. Linen rental cost over €100 for four people. The location was advertised as being at the foot of the slopes, but it was actually right beside the Sherpa supermarket.