Ours Blanc Hotel & Spa

“Superb Service”

This was our second stay and one booked directly with the hotel. Our journey did not start off well as we were held up significantly due to the snow and accidents on route We arrived into the town centre in the early hours of the morning with no idea of how we were to reach the hotel as the free … more

This was our second stay and one booked directly with the hotel. Our journey did not start off well as we were held up significantly due to the snow and accidents on route We arrived into the town centre in the early hours of the morning with no idea of how we were to reach the hotel as the free ski buses had stopped. I contacted the hotel who very kindly offered to come and collect us and also laid on food in the early hours of the morning. How many hotels would do that I wonder. For going above an beyond what would normally be expected, we were very grateful indeed. Under normal circumstances, we would not have needed that help but it was too far to walk pulling suitcases through the snow, but too close for a taxi. The rooms are in good condition and very clean. It is equipped with a kettle and a coffee machine, but no milk. I am sure that they would have provided this if required, but strange that there wasn't anything in the room. We hired out equipment from Absolut Ski, and normally, the idea is that you go to them, they provide the equipment and drop it to the ski room at the hotel and collect it at the end of your stay, which is very convenient. I say normally, we obviously arrived too late for the dropping off at the hotel bit! When we had finished with our equipment, we just left it in the ski room and it was collected. No hassle of having to trudge around to return it. We also ordered our lift passes through the hotel and they had them waiting for us on our arrival. The food for the first three nights was very good. My husband who is more fussy than me did not enjoy the rest of the meals. I don't think they were bad, just not what he liked. There was alot of fish - of which he is not a fan. I thought the meals for the first few days were lovely and I found things that I liked for the rest of the time, but at the beginning of the stay, they were certainly better. The breakfasts are a bit samey, For the first few days there was salmon, but for the rest of the week, it was not offered - shame! There is a drinks machine inside the lobby where you can get hot drinks - this is particularly nice to have looking out of the library window at the end of a skiing day, The rooms are small with a hair dryer and on the wall, body lotion and bath/hair gel. I did not like the smell - but I always take my own, so not a problem, Dressing towns and slippers are provided for the spa. We had a balcony with a view over the carpark which I don't mind at all. The bus stop is just at the end of the drive. The town is very walkable and takes about 20 mins; Lots of speciality shops, supermarket etc The spa is very nice. The pool water was not that warm and can get busy. Its quieter in early afternoon and obviously in the morning very quiet. My one complaint is that there is no gym otherwise this hotel would be perfect for me You get allocated a ski locker and from there you can ski onto the green slope. But to be honest, I am a bit of a wimp and walked to the slopes as I was scared that I may ski off the side - it is narrow and I seem to forget how to ski. You can ski into the hotel at the end of the day on the track above - not so narrow, On the whole, I really enjoyed my stay. Its very comfortable and we did notice people who we had seen last year, so seeing returning guests is always a good sign. Its very well located - close to the slopes - ski in and ski out. Close to the town centre, a short walk to the bus stop - in a nut shell, if you stayed here - you would not be disappointed.

less

“Very good indeed”

This is a lovely hotel, with genuinely warm and welcoming staff. The rooms and all areas are immaculately kept. We had a standard room with a lovely view down the valley over the bin store (not so nice). The rooms are bijou and they could do with a little more storage - only one hook per person, s… more

This is a lovely hotel, with genuinely warm and welcoming staff. The rooms and all areas are immaculately kept. We had a standard room with a lovely view down the valley over the bin store (not so nice). The rooms are bijou and they could do with a little more storage - only one hook per person, so our helmets spent the night on the floor as all the shelves were used for our clothes. Excellent shower- fantatic pressure and of course the gorgeous Nuxe rive de miel shower gel and body lotion (no conditioner supplied but apparently available from reception). We ran out unfortunately and had to have a shower with no shower gel as it wasn't noticed by housekeeping. I had to ask twice before it was topped up. Coffee and tea making in the room was very welcome, but there was no milk, so it was herbal tea for us (we bring our own but there's a great selection of tea bags there) and the bar were very good about giving me cold milk to have with my Earl Grey. Bed superbly comfortable, lovely fluffy pillows and generous fluffy towels. Top marks for all of this. The breakfast and dinner buffets were generally very good and we never went hungry. A couple of things to note - I tried the pancake machine every day and it wasn't until day 4 that they emerged properly cooked (previous days they were actually pretty raw). The staff were super helpful with my wine choice - and were totally ok that I didn't like the wine recommended (thank heavens at over 30 euros a bottle). The viognier from Languedoc was lovely. Wine from the bar was very expensive - 14 euros a glass meant that I waited until dinner mostly, as two glasses = 1 bottle, which is crazy. The barman was wonderful and so patient helping me to find something when I did indulge. The steaks were generally quite tough - a difficult thing to pull off in a buffet I'd have thought. Make sure you do the raclette and/or the fondue that is offered - it was wonderful and we felt a very special meal, thank you for allowing us to do this. 24 hour hot chocolate/coffee/tea etc was wonderful as was the still/fizzy water tap. Very much appreciated. I found the bar/library/restaurant to be cold - too cold to wear a nice shirt so had to resort to my jumpers. The outside area was so brightly lit it was like a canteen, and the inner area so dark you could hardly see your food! We felt it was inappropriate to allow guests into the restaurant in their pyjamas and slippers. I just could not believe my eyes that a four star hotel would allow this and it wasn't a one off. Surely expecting people to wear clothing to dinner is a basic requirement? Speaking of cold - the pool in the spa was one thing I was really looking forward to. But it was just too cold to get into. We have an indoor pool and we heat this to 32-35 in the winter, this pool was only 29 degrees and it was not surprising that very few people used it. I was so disappointed. That said, the sauna and steam room were excellent and it was so lovely to have this facility. Be aware - the signs prohibited children in the sauna and steam room but this was not enforced and the kids were going in and out, reducing the temperature and annoying some of the guests (both were very busy). The boot room was well laid out but could do with more seating - and a mirror so you can adjust your headwear/buff. We were there in extreme low temperatures and needed to wear helmet liners/face covers that would have been easier to get on/adjust correctly if there had been a mirror. Ski in/ski out tracks were actually quite tricky at the beginning of the week as they were very icy, but handy for Roc1 and Menuires, and when the snow came, we could ski right back to the ski room door on lovely fluffy powder. Excellent location and we made use of the free shuttle bus into Croisette. Our girls walked to La Mine and the sledging area there cross country with no issues. Overall, we had a lovely stay here and would very much recommend this hotel. It was very very good, and with few tweaks would be utter perfection in the snow. Thank you to all the team for making us so welcome, for speaking such good English and for a lovely week.

less