Vacancéole - Le Hameau de Valloire

We had a lovely holiday in Valloire, which is a fantastic resort, and there was plenty of parking for those driving. Our apartment was clean and tidy, good value, and had fantastic views over Valloire. The apartments are fairly far from the resort, though, and the free shuttle stops running at 7.20pm. There’s no bar on site, so going into the village in the evening means getting a taxi back. The bigger problem for us was the lack of comfortable places to sit. Six of us were staying in an apartment for eight, but only three could squeeze onto the sofa bed and one more onto the single sofa bed. The rest had to use hard wooden chairs. That might have been manageable if we could use the advertised facilities, but the pool, sauna, hammam, gym and squash courts all closed at 7pm. After skiing and taking the shuttle back, there just wasn’t enough time to use them. The pool was also a little too cold.

The helpful staff, big windows, balcony and great view made for a good stay, and the studio was clean and reasonably furnished. The free use of the washing machine and tumble dryer, plus the loan of raclette, crêpe and fondue equipment, was a real bonus. The pool was nice but on the cold side, the hammam was okay, and the sauna wasn’t working. In the four-person flat, the sofa bed isn’t really a double because the mattresses sit at different heights. The beds are too short for tall people, around 180 cm, and the bunk-bed room is tiny with no window. The flat is a reasonable size for three adults or two adults and two kids. We had a great stay, beyond our fairly low expectations.

The place was dirty, with hairs in every corner, and smelled bad. Kitchen equipment was missing, the internet wasn’t reliable, and you need to take the ski bus. Even for the price, it felt expensive. One receptionist was quite nice, but the other, who was always wearing a blue jacket, was a total ass.ole. At checkout he came into our apartment and said he’d take €60 from the deposit unless we wiped water drops off the bathroom mirror. We’ll never stay here again.

The apartments are nice, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. We had a very enjoyable stay and will be back.