 Poster: A snowHead
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After endless research, pros and cons, and availability. Going to choose between les arc 1800 and la plagne? Which would you choose?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Not stayed in bellecote but have stayed in both les arcs and la plagne 1800 and just up the hill from bellecote in belle plagne. Both french 'purpose built' stuck on a hill-side jobs, but not as carbunculish as aime la plagne. I can't say I've been out in bellecote at all but it strikes me as perhaps more of a family location, although there are a few bars listed - you could get the bubble up to belle, go out for a few and then slide back down the slope in the dark (but don't use the protective matting from a plyon  ). You can get buses to centre quite easily. LA 1800 has more stuff to do/nightlife/shops/restaturants - it would be closer to 'plagne centre' than one of the more outlying villages in LP
In terms of skiing then at busy times bellecote can be a traffic jam 09:30ish and 2:30 are a pain in the butt. Especially peak season. Everyone heading down to Montchavin / les coches and back to Les Arcs have to head through that way (via arpette), and it seems to be the only way people go up to the roche de mio which I've seen generate 30 minute plus queues. However you have good access to that side of the domain and up to the roche and then to the glacier, and skiing to plagne centre via colosses. It's also easy to return to at the end of the day. Possibly not the best part of the domain for beginners however, whilst there is a small nursery area (IIRC) out the front, there's not much to progress to without going up to aime and doing the village runs using the otis lift - the return run down to bellecote whilst not hard, can be quite busy and people tend to push the pace a little down it.
1800 is the main part of les arcs, and as such you've got easy access to the whole domain. the transarc shifts pretty quickly to the top and even at 09:30 on New year week I don't recollect waiting for more than 5-10 minutes max. There are other lift options out too including charmettoger and vagere. As it's centrally sited then it's pretty straightforward to head over to 2000 bowl, down to vallandry across to 1600 or whatver you want. The one thing I would say is that for novices compared to Bellecote, then I think there are a few more 'cat-track' type runs above 1800 heading to / from vallandry which can help some nervous learners (or make it worse depending on whether you can cope with narrower pistes). There's a lot of skiing more readily accessed from 1800, laps of the arcs 2000 bowl blues could be easily done by a 1-2 weeker
If you want tougher stuff then there's not a maasive amount to choose - though the blacks above arc2000 are fun - whereas in LP I think you need to get mainly over to above aime/montybert for piste fun or up and around the glacier. Off-piste then the classic is the bellecote north face from LP back to LA, and in LA the top of the aguille rouge down to villaroger plus also a run from the aguille grive down to plan-peisey which has had good writeups on here before. If you're a speed freak (or even if you're not) then have ago at the MV challenge (one end of paradiski to the other)
In terms of lift passes - unless you're complete mileage fiends and only there for 7 days then I would recommend the 'decouvert' - or discovery - this gives you 1x day free on the other side of the vanoise express - pick a day with decent vis as they'll be a bit of route finding although the routes to/from the vanoise express are pretty well signed. It's cheaper to buy an extra day extension if you want it than the 'illimite' (unlimited) pass.
Right that's it for today - if you need/want more feedback then let us know a little more about group size, age (if kids) and skill level and when you are planning on going. There's a lot of snowheads that frequent Paradiski on both sides, so you'll get more feedback from the rest of the crew when they get out of bed...
Either will do you a great holiday - I'm going to be in paradiski for the whole season and I just can't wait..
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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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paulrfair, so its Plagne Bellecote or Les Arcs 1800?.
Tricky. Arcs 1800 is at the bottom of Les Arcs, Bellecote (1930m) is in the middle of La Pagne.
The look of Bellecote is not very attractive. Arcs 1800 may be more appealing.
I'm a big La Plagne fan, but i've always thought Bellecote was the village-i-would-least-like-to-stay-in.
I would go for Arcs 1800.
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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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Having stayed in both - had an excellent ski holiday at both.
- Bellecote is very convenient, but very ugly, only 1 of 10 villages in La Plagne so quite small. You only need to go out of the building to ski or swim, everything else is indoors!
- LA1800 is more sprawling so it depends where you are based there. Some apartments tend to be a little trek away from the slopes/shops etc.
Personally, at the end of a days skiing I found it a little depressing having to ski towards and into the ‘concreteness’ of Bellecote.
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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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Thanks for your replies. We have found this area and was wondering if anyone had any info on this Odalys Résidence Le Cervin. Also Residence Maeva Plagne Lauze. Any info appreciated.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The residence maeva plagne lauze looks like it's somewhere on the road up from 1800 and so will be bus out and probably not ski in either...
Le cervin looks like it's in plagne soleil so much more like ski in / ski out. on location alone I would take le cervin, especially if you are with family.
If you haven't done french ski appts before then bear in mind that they are generally (a) small and (b) not exactly the lap of luxury. But generally they are more than enough for 1xweek, especially as you don't hang round inside much
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I've stayed in Le Cervin as well!
Very convenient - about 10 meters from the slope
A few smaller shops, supermarket, ski hire, bar etc
A short walk to the 'buckets' that take you to Plagne Center
Much better than La Plage 1800
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If you do your skiing on Piste I would recommend Les Arcs, as I think the Pisteurs do a far better job on that side. My other half won't go to La Plagne as it is far too bumpy. 
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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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Les Arcs 1800.
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Do these buckets that run between Le Cervin and la plagne centre run fairly late and are the costs reasonable? Thanks
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The buckets (telebus) runs fron Plagne Villages and is about 150m from Le Cervin (across a piste) and is included in the price of the ski pass.
The Telebus runs until 11:45 pm.
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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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paulrfair, we've stayed in the Residence Maeva Plagne Lauze. It's a complex of several buildings which, as bertie bassett says, are on the road into 1800. Not too much of a walk to the piste (@5 mins), but uphill on the way home. Also, the apartments are very small - they are marketed as 4-person, but they are more of a cosy two-person space really. We got a cheap last-minute deal, & in fairness to the TO, they were viewing them as two-person, with no under-occupancy charge. (Actually, we invited a friend who lives in France to come & stay, so we only had ourselves to blame for the extreme cosiness! Three people was pushing it, though, & four would have been just silly...)
Basically, if you can get the apartment really cheaply, & you're not at maximum occupancy, it's fine. We had a great holiday! But don't expect luxury...
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| Jo225 wrote: |
paulrfair, we've stayed in the Residence Maeva Plagne Lauze. It's a complex of several buildings which, as bertie bassett says, are on the road into 1800. Not too much of a walk to the piste (@5 mins), but uphill on the way home. Also, the apartments are very small - they are marketed as 4-person, but they are more of a cosy two-person space really. We got a cheap last-minute deal, & in fairness to the TO, they were viewing them as two-person, with no under-occupancy charge. (Actually, we invited a friend who lives in France to come & stay, so we only had ourselves to blame for the extreme cosiness! Three people was pushing it, though, & four would have been just silly...)
Basically, if you can get the apartment really cheaply, & you're not at maximum occupancy, it's fine. We had a great holiday! But don't expect luxury... |
Yeah but les francais would put 5 in there...
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You know it makes sense.
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Les arcs has always been much more popular with our groups than la plagne - better skiing for all levels (on piste) and less depressing architecture. Our intermediates found most of la plagne immensley dull (to be fair a lot was closed last time, but it's put me of the place for life) interspersed with the odd unpisted section of steep red moguls for variety, the beginners too bumpy and unpredictable grading wise- those offpiste said nice things, but it's not my forte so I couldn't say. I was also irritated to find myself seemingly constantly needing to head uphill or along flats for the lifts - perhpas we were unlucky but I'm usually pretty good at sussing out the sweet cruising runs and we just had no luck at all - in the end we paid up for the paradiski pass and headed over to LesArcs
In 1800 the aguille grive apts (charmetogger) are convienient for the lifts/slopes and fine for nightlife - 5 mins down the hill? The chantel ones are nice, but a bit of a faff up and down the hill all the time!
HTH
aj xx
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