 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello  ,
I am wondering if anyone has got any advice on self-catering ski-in AND ski-out accommodation in Val Thorens?
We are a family with a 7 years old child, all of beginner ski level (1 week skiing - in Val Thorens ♥).
Looking to the piste map we selected the following three apartments that are close to the blue run and fit our budget:
- Les temples Du Soleil Apts
- Le Chamois D'or Apts
- Le Cheval Blanc Apts
Any thoughts / advice / experience would be greatly appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Boredsurfing, thank you.
Re. Oxalys:
I am afraid that our child (and me  ) will not cope with the run from the Cairn (?) lift - I found it very steep. Please correct me if I am wrong and there is another way to "ski-in" to that accommodation.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 18-05-09 17:07; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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z, I have stayed at the Oxalys three times now at the EOSB. It is about 50m downhill walk from the top of the Cairn lift to the Oxalys so I wouldn't have expected that to be a problem.
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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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z, The run from the Cairn lift to Oxalys is vrtually uphill. You are havin' a giraffe, surely?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Freddie Paellahead,
Frosty the Snowman,
Thank-you.
Sorry, I probably made a mistake trying to match the piste map with the resort map. I do not remember the run from the top of the Cairn lift(and what was around) very well as I was really struggling trying to cope with it.
And now I am completely lost - what am I missing here?
| Freddie Paellahead wrote: |
| It is about 50m downhill walk from the top of the Cairn lift to the Oxalys |
| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| The run from the Cairn lift to Oxalys is vrtually uphill. |
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There's a huge difference in the price of the three named apartments and the Oxalys.
It's fine for the end of season but beyond most peoples budget at other times.
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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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I have stayed in Le Chamois D'or - "typical" apartments with mostly French clientele at that time, perfectly adequate (but they're not L'Oxalys  ) Handy having a supermarket downstairs and not far to walk to the boulangerie in the mornings if you prefer that.
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TallTone, thank you for the explanation. I can not forget my dreadful experience of side-sliding down a slushy ( "a little steeper" ) run from the top of the Cairn lift (just to give you an idea of my level of skiing  ) Thanks God that our ski instructor snowarea was around...
jimmjimm, thank you. The price is not published on their web site yet...
Yoda, how exactly can you ski to the door of the Le Chamois D'or? Do you need to use a drag lift in the middle of the resort or just ski down from the beginners area?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The L'olympic apartments would be a good option for you but mostly only available as private hire or through the tourist office. Right on the slopes to ski ou of and to ski back to. Quiet area of the town but still close enough to walk to everywhere in 5 minutes. Have a look on the resort map. Dont mix them up with thw olympiades apartments which are right above a nightclub! I've been to Vt about 8 times and these are the best (for location) i've stayed in and will be cheap too. I've stayed in these apartments 3 times.
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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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garethjomo, L'olympic apartments look very nice. Sorry for asking the same question again, but considering our level of skiing (beginners with a child) how would you recommend us to ski-IN to the L'olympic apartments? I presume we can use a green "roc" run to ski-out (?)...
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z, You've certainly identified the most convenient ski in\out appts. Also try Belambra VVf Les Olympiades, located just behind the sports centre. No fancy facilities like a pool, but with the sports centre 50ft away who needs it? Ski room down stairs and exit to the rear, a short walk to the top of the retour (double button lift). You ski down the Retour to the ESF ski school meeting place. That may be an issue though if you found the Cairn piste a challenge.
Appts clean, but can be small. We took an advertised 6 person appt and it was OK for 2 adults and 2 kids. It would have been very cramped for 6! BTW, we were on the 7th floor so we had no issues with any noise.
Re Oxalys, you may find them very expensive in comparrison the the appartments you already mentioned. The only way I could afford them was to stay there as part of the snowheads EoSB
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You know it makes sense.
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z, There is a green right outside the backdoor you ski down to main ski area then you catch a drag back up at end of day which takes you right to the door. Not sure of name of the piste or lift.
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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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Go round the retour drag and ski down the left hand side (looking down the hill). It is less steep, less busy and less icy than the right hand side.
If the Cairn run is a problem you could always take the cairn lift down, Les Moutiers up and then ski down the green run back to the centre?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks everyone, you are all too kind, lots of valuable info!
For the convenience of flying to Chambery I have to select from the list offered by Crystal. AFAIAA nobody else is flying from the Irish airports to Chambery . So, I will probably rule out L'olympic and L'Oxalys - they are not in the Crystal's brochure. Les Olympiades requires skiing down the Retour that could be difficult for us too.
So, any more info on these three:
- Les temples Du Soleil Apts
- Le Chamois D'or Apts
- Le Cheval Blanc Apts ?
Which of them has the most convenient ski-in and ski-out location? ( We were really spoiled this year by the Bel Horizon's location... )
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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z, just a thought. Val Thorens is a wonderful, but expensive resort. If you are 1 week skiers, you cannot possibly do the area justice, and might be better off choosing a smaller and less expensive resort to ski in. You can fly into Grenoble from Irish airports I think, but I assume you are wanting to book with Crystal?
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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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Cheval Blanc is easy to get to the slopes, about 50m up the road then down an access slope (great for bumboarding at night). Getting back you ski in front of Club Med and down a path, ending up just over the road - should be OK if you can manage the run down to Club Med. Silveralp is close to there also, we have stayed there twice - and OK.
Cheval Blanc has a supermarket and good restaurant, so an excellent choice if it's really cold as you don't have to go out at night. It's easy to get to the swimming pool, walk about 50m up the hill to the lift which takes you right up to the pool and shopping centre.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| Val Thorens is a wonderful, but expensive resort. If you are 1 week skiers, you cannot possibly do the area justice, and might be better off choosing a smaller and less expensive resort to ski in. |
Helen Beaumont, I would try another resort, but my DH and DS want to continue their lessons with the same ski instructor. This is the reason we are returning to VT next year.
| Quote: |
| You can fly into Grenoble from Irish airports I think, but I assume you are wanting to book with Crystal? |
Crystal is the only option to fly into Chambery from Ireland. There is a longer transfer to VT from Geneva and no easy transfers at all from Grenoble.
Jane L, thank you for the precise description.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 22-05-09 11:28; edited 1 time in total
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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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If you've skied one week I think you shouldn't have too many problems snow ploughing down le retour. When I worked in Val Thorens 10 years ago for Inghams, Temples du Soleil was the cheapest accommodation in town. I'm not sure we even offered it to guests but most of the Tour operators reps stayed there. I imagine it is the cheapest option and is very basic with small rooms. We offered Cheval Blanc to our punters (one of whom is now my wife!). She says it's a step up from the Temples du Soleil but still pretty basic (Montana was it's nicer cousin). Don't remember Chamois D'Or. You should get a small, basic apartment at any of these places and they are all very convenient for the slopes - if not for getting up the the centre of town or the top of the resort.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I stayed in Le Cheval Blanc at the end of March. You can ski out the back door from the ski lockers onto the easy green down to Peclet etc if you don't fancy the steeper access slope, and back in the same way if you end up on the right side - otherwise you will be coming down the gentle slope from the Cairn gondola. The apartments are pretty basic but reasonably well equipped but we had to ask for blankets. The building itself is slightly odd, a bit like a large industrial unit with apartments around the outside and an empty space in the middle. There is an upper and a lower building - most of the upper apartments seem to face East or West - we were overlooking the street on the West side - but it looks like most of the lower apartments overlook the slopes and some face South. I didn't see a supermarket but there is one in Oxalys a couple of doors down and easy access to the centre of the resort as described by Jane L. We found a stupid last-minute deal for £219 each for everything except lift passes with 2 sharing, which totally justified that third week in the alps... 
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Les Temples Du Soleil Apartments are fine. They are basic and quite small but a 1 bedroomed apartment with a bunk bed or sofa bed would be fine for a small family such as yours. It is a bit of a treck to the main part of the resort from their though (although the ski in/out factor is very much a plus).
The Olympic Apartments are very similar in size/spec as the Temples apartments but more central but with good ski in/out access.
Both of these offer some of the cheapest accommodation within the resort so do not expect them to be luxurious by any stretch of the imagination. They are normally offered to students for their holidays
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| z wrote: |
| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| Val Thorens is a wonderful, but expensive resort. If you are 1 week skiers, you cannot possibly do the area justice, and might be better off choosing a smaller and less expensive resort to ski in. |
Helen Beaumont, I would try another resort, but my DH and DS want to continue their lessons with the same ski instructor (snowarea). This is the reason we are returning to VT next year.
| Quote: |
| You can fly into Grenoble from Irish airports I think, but I assume you are wanting to book with Crystal? |
Crystal is the only option to fly into Chambery from Ireland. There is a longer transfer to VT from Geneva and no easy transfers at all from Grenoble.
Jane L, thank you for the precise description. |
That I can understand.
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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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Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge about the resort, brilliant info!
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FAQ
It is indeed downhill, but not much 
