Résidence Club MMV L'Etoile des Sybelles

We spent New Year's week at L’Etoile des Sybelles, seven of us in all, four adults and three children. The apartment was on level 8, the top floor, with a big balcony and a stunning view. We were at the end of the corridor and never heard our neighbors. The interior walls were fairly thin, though, made of timber framing and plasterboard, as is common in many French buildings, rather than brick or concrete. It was listed for eight people, but even with seven it felt cramped. The dining table had six chairs, and while a seventh person could squeeze in at the end, I can't see where an eighth would sit. We had three bedrooms. They were fine, if a little small, and each had two large wardrobes, which was handy. There were two bathrooms: one spacious one with a bath, and another so tiny that two people could barely stand in it together. We all slept badly because the pillows were much too flat and small. We borrowed pillows from the living room sofa, but weren't sure if those were as hygienic as the bed pillows. Bring your own if you have room in the car. The rest of the apartment was well thought out: plenty of hooks, a drying rack with lots of hangers for ski clothes and accessories, radiators that heated well, and a kitchen with everything we needed in the cupboards. It was also absolutely spotless, especially impressive with the black cupboards showing fingerprints so easily. Kudos to the cleaning team 👍🏼 The ski room was spacious enough to put your boots on, and people were considerate there, unlike the usual 'survival of the fittest' scenes in ski rooms 😉 The location was great for both the shopping street and the lifts. There wasn't enough snow for us to ski out, but the nearest lift was still only about a 250-meter walk away. The wellness area was clean, with a partly indoor, partly outdoor pool, sauna, and steam room. It felt small once the lifts closed and everyone came back at once. There wasn't room for enough deckchairs, and the sauna and steam room filled up fast, so sometimes you had to wait. Also, don't be fooled by the pool pictures: the outside view doesn't look so close to the mountains, so Photoshop may have been used a bit too much. The reception staff were kind and polite. We didn't meet any other staff. There were evening activities for children, but we never went because the adults and kids were both tired after skiing all day, so I can't comment on them. The residence uses electronic locks via a smartphone app for the building, apartment, and ski locker. It was really useful for our group of seven, since we only had two key cards and everyone could come and go when they wanted. We were very happy with our stay at Résidence Club MMV. The only real problem was the pillows, which would be easy to improve.