Ambiez Residence

The hotel staff were friendly and polite throughout our first family ski holiday in Madonna, and we loved it. Our deluxe family room for five worked perfectly for us and our three teenagers: a double room with its own bathroom for the parents, plus a triple room with another bathroom and a kitchen. There was loads of space, comfortable beds, and everything we needed in the kitchen. The location made skiing easy, with two excellent bubbles very close by that take you up quickly. There’s a huge boot room and your own locker for all your gear. My son used the small gym every day. The pool was nice, though I wasn’t keen on having to pay for pool towels, and the kids enjoyed the games room with table tennis and table football. We ate at the restaurant once for breakfast and once for dinner, and both meals were very nice. I also loved being able to order fresh bread for our eggs each morning. You order by 5.30pm the night before and pick it up from reception at 8am. We liked going into Madonna for dinner in the evening, but after a full day of skiing it was too cold and a bit too far for them to walk. My husband drove into town every night instead. Parking was easy, but it wasn’t ideal because he had to watch what he drank. Madonna has fantastic snow, food, lifts, and Prosecco. If you want a change from France, book this place. We’ll be back next year.

The location is great, but I was so disappointed that I’d rather sleep on the street. Dinner is always fully booked, there’s no room service, and my family was told to walk to town in minus one degree weather with two young children. Seriously? I eventually negotiated some food, but the set menu cost 165 euros each and tasted like dog food. Our room smelled like bad socks and wasn’t serviced. Dogs barked nonstop in the next room, there was noise and stomping from upstairs and downstairs, and I could hear the person next door snoring and coughing. The staff were rude. Other one-star reviews describe similar problems, and I expect the manager will reply that staff can have bad days. There seems to be a pattern, and the hotel’s leadership needs a refresh. We won’t return or recommend it.

The restaurant was a highlight, with a generous breakfast buffet that had continental and cooked options plus all the pastries you could eat. We booked dinner there one evening too. The menu was fairly short, but the food was great, and my wife and I shared a delicious tomahawk steak. We had a fabulous week skiing at Residence Ambiez. It’s a great spot for families, with helpful staff and plenty of flexibility. It’s an easy five-star pick for Madonna if you’re not after uber-luxe. You can fairly call it ski in, ski out: a little path off the back of the 55 leads into the hotel complex, then it’s a short walk to the boot rooms. In the morning, the 55 can take you down to the Spinale lift or into town to reach the other lifts. There’s also a short uphill walk to the larger Groste lift, with a convenient rental shop offering good quality gear. Our apartment was clean, modern, comfortable, and a good size, with lots of storage. There were three of us, and our 10 year old was happy on the pull out bed. Our friends’ family of four slept well too, with their 10 and 12 year olds using the two pull out beds. The kitchen is small and has no real oven, so cooking is mostly limited to pots and pans. We managed meals for seven by splitting the cooking between our two apartments. The balcony was a bonus and the views were phenomenal. The road was a little noisy, but we were tired from skiing and mostly slept through it. Parking and the ski room were great. There’s a drop off area opposite the hotel, and you get a car park key at check in. The lockers are a good size, have built in boot warmers and dryers, and lock with your room key. The pool is a good size, but consider bringing your own towels. The spa looked lovely. We didn’t try it, but our friends loved the sauna and cold showers. I’d pay for a midweek clean and fresh towels and linen. It’s worth it. They ration toilet paper, which is a little odd, but reception will give you more if you ask.

Nice hotel, though the woman at the bar was quite rude. She seemed like she didn’t enjoy her job.