 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I'm looking to book 3V Les Menuires / St Martin for Jan 25th '25, but I'm striking out on finding anything decent that doesn't require me to sell limbs. Anyone got any tips?
My OH is a non-skier so spa (hot tub/sauna/steam) is essential along with good transport (hence the village selection). Without being spammed too badly on extra charges/drip pricing
I figure she can pedestrian it a bit on the lifts between valleys (pedestrian map shows you can) or bus it up/down the valley & there are plenty of places to reach to meet up. Also VT is close for me if snow cover is poor.
We thought we should try self catering this time around - b&b worked well in Austria & s/c generally offers bigger apartments (non-skier requirement).
I've seen the odd one on ski solutions, but they need us to drive down which is unlikely. Because we're a couple the cost balance is narrow driving/flying and buying a set of snow tyres is pricey (~£1k cross climate 2's, £500 min for chains).
St Martin seems pricey to get the spa stuff, but town/restaurant scene looks great. I don't mind the extra lift hop to move up the valley.
Les Menuires seems to have better accommodation prices but dominated by MMV (I will never go back to any of their places - bad experiences). I see a CGH, but reviews read like MMV! Usual crappy service, dirty etc.
I guess we got spoilt in Hinterglemm Karawanserei last year which was off the scale. We like to try different places and although we've done the 3V a couple of times before, we've not done these villages and 3V is well big enough for me - I like to travel around.
I have thought about Tignes as an alternative (where we first learned to ski many moons ago), but there is a lot less to do for a non-skier there & in Jan I have a feeling it's going to be blown out a fair bit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have you looked at the central reservation service? There is the sports centre with spa stuff opposite the bus station.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@slider3 We are lucky enough to have a place in the valley just outside St Martin. Try local estate agents for nice rentals. Agence des Alpes has a wide selection (we used them a few times for rentals before buying), also https://selfcatered-saintmartin.com , Cimalpes (at the pricier end), plus https://www.mountaincollection.com/fr/agence-saint-martin-de-belleville .
St M is a great place to stay for a non skier (I was a non skier as a result of a broken arm last season). I walked miles in beautiful scenery. It’s easy to meet up for lunch on the mountain, both via lifts, on foot, or a combination of both. Many paths are groomed, and many that aren’t have enough footfall to be accessible. Spa wise, fingers crossed that a very swanky €15million  wellness and swimming pool is supposed to open this winter. If not, the Menuires pool and spa is nice.
Feel free to ask me any questions.
Yes..lift assisted pedestrian options are good and I’d say St M is a better base for the lifts over to Meribel. (Takes about 40 mins) There’s a free bus service up and down the valley, though the frequency could do with improving. I tended to take the bus up the valley and walk back. The buses in Meribel are far more frequent, so I was able to meet family in Meribel village for lunch.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 7-08-24 15:55; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I have thought about Tignes as an alternative (where we first learned to ski many moons ago), but there is a lot less to do for a non-skier there & in Jan I have a feeling it's going to be blown out a fair bit.
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I think Tignes has more to offer than any other ski resort for the non skier: an indoor climbing wall, ice climbing, snow mobiles, walks on the lake, scubba diving under the lake (not many resorts offer that) to list just a few.
Though I like Les Menuires I think @Perty, is right about St Martin. It is a pretty village and being a bit down the valley less exposed to January weather. It is also well connected to the rest of the 3 valleys.
I didn't know that Les Menuires accommodation was dominated by MMV. There are 100s of apartments on the resort website for quite reasnoble prices (well I think 800€ a week in January for a 2 person flat is reasnoble).
Though we drive to the Alpes for skiing you don't have to. There are lots of options from catching the train from London to Moutier and catching the bus up the valley, to flying to Geneva and renting a car (or using the multitude of transfer options) or even using a coach all the way from Folkestone of London.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Perty - thanks for that - the mountain collection ones look very nice - just what I think we're after. Actually, also thanks for the confirmation on the pedestrian access. I've spent ages checking that but you never can be sure that what's written is what actually happens so it's great to hear from someone out there that reality matches  . I think I can see some big development on google maps - that would be very nice. We're big fans of the Terme spa in Chamonix and their lunch/eve buffet (well, the pre-covid one anyway!), so if it's anything like that then a seat will be booked!!
@johnE - I should have indicated a "less active" mode on the activities for the OH - my fault! But the thought of the OH ice diving gave me a good smile.
I've looked at travel options a lot over the years, but for one reason or another end up back with an operator like Crystal. I think I've had enough of their transfers though. Back in the day a 6am flight used to mean an afternoon skiing, but now with "efficiencies" you're waiting hours for every uk flight to arrive before the transfer leaves. Ok, that's a learning about not bothering about getting up so early, but 1/2 day skiing is a big-ish deal when you get to do so little of it per year. I'm certainly after a change in transport mode, put it that way!
thanks both!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We stayed in Hotel Ours Blanc last year in Reberty/Les Menuires. It is ski in, ski out, spa and half-board. Wasn't mega expensive in March compared to what you can pay for in Belleville valley.
Nice pool and spa area and and recently redecorated. It also has a cool bar and library area with games area if you have kids. Food was decent enough and room was comfortable.
https://www.hoteloursblanc.com/en
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 8-08-24 13:23; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
But the thought of the OH ice diving gave me a good smile.
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I fancy giving it a go myself. I seem to recall from my PADI course that there are some interesting restrictions on diving at altitude but there is no real need to dive deep just look up at the ice above your head, and remember where that hole was you came in by. BTW ice climbing is fun and a good activity if you don't fancy skiing and like the indoor activities possible if the weather isn't great.
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@johnE, There are certainly restrictions on diving at altitude but as you say, unlikely to be a problem for shallow dives. Similar restrictions have to be taken into account for dives before flying. No one diving under ice should be doing so without being roped with someone above the ice manning the other end of the rope. This means you’ll be able to get back to the hole by following the rope or can be pulled out if anything goes wrong!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| NoMapNoCompass wrote: |
We stayed in Hotel Ours Blanc last year in Reberty/Les Menuires. It is ski in, ski out, spa and all inclusive. Wasn't mega expensive in March compared to what you can pay for in Belleville valley.
Nice pool and spa area and and recently redecorated. It also has a cool bar and library area with games area if you have kids. Food was decent enough and room was comfortable.
https://www.hoteloursblanc.com/en |
Can second the Ours Blanc. Have stayed there a couple of times. Great rooms, pool, spa, breakfast, lovely staff, amazing location.
Tips:
1) If you go the last week of season it's very reasonable
2) The connecting two-room suites are barely any more than the family duplex rooms, but mean 2x bathrooms and more space.
3) The website sometimes only prices half-board, but for quieter weeks the hotel will negotiate for B&B. The pizza place 5mins away (Lily Pizza) will deliver.
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@slider3, we are contemplating MMV Les Arolles in Val Tho for this winter and your firm dis made me rethinking.
How bad can it be? I usually go in basic hotels, clean warm and rather central.
In another aspect, my OH doesn't ski as well and I brought her along to an EOSB in VT.
There are 2 nice long pedestrian trails not really challenging and all the gondolas are accessible on a pedestrian pass plus one chairlift towards 2 nice restaurants for midday lunches
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@drporat, We've stayed in that one in VT a couple of years back. It was a bit chilly in the common areas. Nice deck outside to eat/sit on. Weird rules about booking to get into the spa for the OH, more like spin the bottle rather than actual rules I'd say, but spa was reasonable. The food was actually pretty good in the restaurant, but we had to go in half term & they couldn't keep up with keeping the restaurant clean during service (at all). For some unknown reason we were given full board bands (we only booked half board). That was nice because they do baguettes, french cheese and joints of beef at brekkie - sorts lunch out! Great memories of eating that bad boy looking down over the Orelle valley. The room was hilariously tiny though. A-typical MMV, there is no more than a size 9 uk shoe between the end of the bed and the wall.... Room wasn't the cleanest & when we checked out & cleared our stuff out the room I found a [unused] tampon under the bed. To be fair, ski places in france generally aren't much better - exactly what I would expect if I asked my own kids to clean a room when they were teenagers. You know what I mean  .
Nice bit about that hotel is that the Cairn pod is just next to it and at the bottom there is the Caron restaurant which is very nice to chill at. But the ski-out ice rink under the lift is less funny for your first run in the morning! Mind you a bit of ice slalom around fallers clears the head pretty sharpish.
Our bad experience was MMV Arc 2k. Same tiny room, but they failed to lock the adjoining door so had the guest next to us come into our room in the middle of the night. Dealt with that one with only a minor heart attack. A a couple of hours later the stoner known as the night manager (he stunk of weed so badly!!) did the same when showing the guest that the door didn't open. I had to share an amount of my dissatisfaction with him for the 2nd time around.... That was the last for us. I know it could have happened anywhere, but it happened there & that was our red line.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Is Les Arolles the one that faces onto turd alley when you go down to the bakery in the morning. Looks ok from the outside although deck was looking a bit shabbier by April this year.
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Many thanks for the info.
Dave, I think you're right, it's between Club Med and Oxalys
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You know it makes sense.
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I found a [unused] tampon under the bed.
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Unused - and you're complaining? That's a free gift, like shampoo and conditioner in bottles which somebody has re-filled.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Origen Similar, but a little different I guess.
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Poster: A snowHead
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