Résidence Pierre & Vacances Premium L'amara

“Great hotel”

Great hotel. Really nicely decorated inside. Apartments are big and clean. The hotel is on the slope too, there is a nice blue run down when you come out of it. Staff are friendly.

“Excellent family stay”

We had a fantastic stay in L’Amara this February. Firstly it’s at the start of town so an easy transfer drop off - a big plus to avoid the main welcome centre! The set-up for skiing is brilliant; easy boot rooms, straight out onto a lovely piste which was perfect for the whole family to ski, and … more

We had a fantastic stay in L’Amara this February. Firstly it’s at the start of town so an easy transfer drop off - a big plus to avoid the main welcome centre! The set-up for skiing is brilliant; easy boot rooms, straight out onto a lovely piste which was perfect for the whole family to ski, and then down to the lift to start the day. Not having to ski through Avoriaz meant the first lift was nice and quiet and without the queues. Having the ski shop on site was brilliant and they were so helpful, and not too busy (no queuing out the door, very quick and civilised!). Being able to get lift passes in the hotel was also brilliant, especially for those of us not skiing all day every day as it meant topping up was easy. Overall for skiing, it was one of the best set ups we have had. The apartment itself was lovely; we had a two bedroom and I think it would have been too compact for six adults but for four with a toddler it was perfect. Ours was a duplex and this was great as it meant we could put the toddler to sleep and enjoy our evening without disturbing her. The apartment was well equipped and also we had no issues with noise - possibly due to fortunate placing or being higher (we were in the 10th floor) but we couldn’t hear anyone in another apartment either side at all. The residence facilities were great; lovely bar, great pool facilities and a much appreciated kids play corner. The pool was a fraction chilly but this was also true of Aquariaz so maybe they just prefer it a bit cooler, and it was still perfectly fine. The sauna and steam were lovely. We didn’t pay for the spa so we didn’t use the hot tub (which is extra) but it did look nice. Aside from the excellent ski set up, the other bonus was the food. From breakfast bread and pastries collected from reception to the fantastic L’epicerie outside the hotel for lunch, wit beautiful Mountain views. We don’t try the evening restaurant option as we cooked but it looked lovely. It was a 5-7 min walk to the Sherpa for food - we found out later they could have delivered so might be worth considering getting a big shop delivered to save the walk up the hill! The location is perfect for skiing but a little further out of resort - however still very doable. It was a bit of a slog up a hill but then you were in the main town. There was a patisserie and the Sherpa shop right there so easy for supplies. It was less than 10 mins to Aquariaz and Folie Douce so perfect and easy for getting around, and there were always the horses if you wanted to pay for a lift. Another bonus was the parade started outside the front door of reception! Overall we had an excellent stay. It was an ideal set up for families, there were great facilities and lots on for kids. The skiing set up was brilliant and we just loved Avoriaz. We will definitely come back (and we rarely go somewhere twice!).

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“Avoriaz & L'Amara - you did not disappoint!”

Don't hesitate! The accommodation surpassed our expectations in terms of size and amenities, but given the price, it should have been good! I place a lot of emphasis on having enough hot water to shower our family of four, a decent hairdryer, plenty of towels and the availability of proper hair s… more

Don't hesitate! The accommodation surpassed our expectations in terms of size and amenities, but given the price, it should have been good! I place a lot of emphasis on having enough hot water to shower our family of four, a decent hairdryer, plenty of towels and the availability of proper hair shampoo and conditioner. The hotel ticked all but the shampoo & conditioner box! The Amara is actually a huge complex made up of multiple buildings that are all inter-connected via passage ways underground. It took a bit to actually figure it out, and this could have been explained a bit better by ideally taking us and showing us how to access our building underground. It lacked that personalised touch. That said, with magnficent views from our room in the Amenda building, true ski-in/out, pool, hamman and saunas, what more could you want? Well, there is one thing - the arrival was complicated. The transfer up to Avoriaz drops you at the Avoriaz Welcome Centre - a bit like a bus hanger and drop off point. Avoriaz is car free, which is fantastic, but no-one from l'Amara was there to meet us and we had no idea where we were going or how to get our luggage to our accommodation. We asked around, were told that it wasn't far, and dragged our luggage and two kids through the snow. Luckily, it was an amazing blue sky day even though it was minus 12C. Given that this is supposedly 5-star accommodation, it would be useful to have a representative meet its guests at the Welcome Centre to transport them accordingly. The room wasn't ready (we arrived at 1pm), but we used the time to hire our skis - there are a couple of ski hire places within the Amara complex and this was straightforward and efficient and the staff were helpful. We were told we'd receive a message on our phones when the room was ready, which came at about 5pm. By that time, we were ready to settle in. We'd been in Europe for 10 days at this point so the wait wasn't a problem, but had we flown in directly from Australia and then had to wait a few more hours for our room, I might not have been so happy. The only real downside to this magnificent accommodation can be the location if you are a complete ski novice or have young kids. The 'learn to ski' area at 'Le Plateau', which is also where the ski classes operate from, requires an exhausting 15-minute walk a bit uphill in your gear carrying the skis. We learned subsequently that if you book your child into classes with ESF, that they will actually come and pick you up. It would have been helpful to have had this explained on arrival. We made the dreaded trudge up there everyday with the kids and gave up taking our skis so we could walk in our hiking boots properly and carry the kids gear for them. From 'Le Plateau' you can gently ski right back to the accommodation though - a bonus! There is another learning area in front of l'Amara with a small tow and a blue and green run below it that leads down to the 'Proclou' chairlift, but there's no access from this beginner run back to the hotel even through it's right in front unless you want to walk it back up or do as I did and or clamber back up with the skis. A small tow from here back up to the hotel would be helpful. I felt overall that there were a couple of locations within Avoriaz that could have done with some small tows to link it up a bit more, keeping in mind that l'Amara, while well located, is also about a 15-minute walk into the main area where the shops, restaurants and bars are. Finally, we were lucky - we did Sunday to Sunday. The check-in queues at reception on the Saturday were insane. The staff do their best (and a big shout out to them as they were lovely, especially Marie-Hélène), but I can't help feeling that the whole process could be optimised by having a proper meet/greet/semi check-in and transport service at the Welcome Centre to l'Amara. Otherwise, you call 'the horse' (yes - the main means of transport is by horse and carriage!). While this is beautiful and I was pleased to learn that the draft horses are well cared for (and they all look to be in excellent condition), just the transfer from l'Amara back to the Welcome Centre with our luggage was 12 euro. In the end, all the extras do add up - we walked everywhere for this reason. After 7pm, the horses no longer operate and you can call a 'sled taxi'. In summary - our family would love to go back. Avoriaz was superb, our accommodation was wonderful (but it comes with the price!), and we had an absolutely brilliant time. Un tout grand merci à tous!

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