Where to Ski And Snowboard -

French apartments: a new era

19th August 2009, by Wendy King

Typical Arc 1950 apartment

How they used to be?

Say ‘French apartment’ and what image do you have? Small, basic flats, where at least two of you are banished to bunk beds in a narrow hallway and your mates grapple with the sofa-beds?

Say ‘apartment’ to my skiing chums, for example, and you’ll get a series of excuses from ‘too cramped’ and ‘too basic’ to the classic ‘can’t cook, won’t cook’. Based on a stay in Val d’Isere eight years ago, their response is understandable. Back then, all you got was a primitive shoebox with minimal furnishings and very few services. You took (or hired) towels, bedding; even teas, coffees and other kitchen necessities. Preparing hot drinks consisted of boiling a pan of water and washing-up was done with a good old J-cloth and sponge. Self-catering was cheap, cheerful and functional, with the minimum of fuss – even if you did feel like a student again.

Several years on, things have changed: the bunk beds and sofa-beds may still be there, but apartment choice, quality and accompanying amenities have greatly improved…

Why the change?

Accommodation in most high altitude French resorts is apartment-based and, until recently, you had little option but to squeeze yourself and friends or families into a typically soulless offering if you wanted to ski there. These buildings were designed with mass tourism in mind – providing budget holidays to attract French families, when time on the slopes and convenience were more important than where to sleep. But our perception of winter holidays seems to be changing and with it, our expectations. The ‘traditional’ apartment still exists, but in a much more acceptable form.

The Pierre et Vacances group is well-known in the French Alps, incorporating the Pierre et Vacances, MGM and Maeva brands. Forty years on from building their first property in Avoriaz, the company now has 45,000 apartments in various European destinations and has spent the last five years renovating or re-designing 80 percent of them. The demand for larger, more comfortable accommodation coupled with a modern, practical design has resulted in the transformation of a number of buildings in the big-name resorts. For many, at least one bedroom is now standard and you get a TV in the lounge.

This winter, work has included Chalets du Forum in Courchevel 1850 and Residence Aconit in Les Menuires; joining other makeovers in Les Arcs (Le Belmont), La Plagne (Les Nereides), Flaine (Le Forêt), Meribel (Le Cret), Val Thorens (Le Tikal) and Val d’Isere (Balcons de Bellevarde).

Quote me an example

Les Arcs is typical of a French purpose-built resort. Huge apartment blocks sit at the foot of the slopes; mostly stark and unattractive – at least to those of us who fail to empathise with the sweeping curves and classic sloping corridors of architect, Charlotte Perriand. But inside these buildings, things are different.

Residence Le Belmont (Arc 1800) is a former hotel, recently restored to apartment status. Under the Pierre et Vacances banner, this block in Charmettoger has been given a modern makeover. I viewed a standard four-person studio and one-bedroom apartment (sleeping up to five). As you might expect, they are still compact…well, very compact. To be really comfortable, the studio for four would best sleep two. But they are all well-equipped with the latest kitchen and bathroom accessories, and you won’t need to travel with your duvet.

The reception has a funky, contemporary-style lounge with books and sofas, plus an excellent kids’ play room. You don’t get a shop, pool or restaurant on site; you do get a ski room, rental shop and branch of the ESF. As with most P&V residences though, resort amenities are not far away and you have the benefit of a ski-in/ski-out location.

Something better?

A step-up from the standard apartments are those designed to offer more than just a place to sleep after the lifts close. MGM have built and renovated a series of chalet-style buildings using timber and stone. Inside, they have most mod-cons you could need: increased space, wellness treats to sooth and more simpatico décor – places where relaxation and quality family time are encouraged.

Les Alpages du Chantel in Arc 1800 is a popular choice: two attractively woody buildings, best suited to larger groups – some sleep up to 10. You can ski to your door on a blue run; there’s a small restaurant and terrace in a sunny spot beside the slopes, ski hire, ESF School, good views and a short slide to the nearest lift. Swimming pools and saunas are standard and some places now feature Algotherm spa treatments.

I could like self-catering – if it were more like hotels

Until recently, nothing in Europe came close to the quality and size of a North American condo. But with Intrawest now firmly established in European property development, the trend towards more upmarket apartments is increasing.

I sampled the luxury four-star Radisson SAS residence, Manoir Savoir, in the newly-inaugurated Arc 1950 Le Village – courtesy of Erna Low and the 1950 Resort Club. This swanky new residence, also built in timber and stone, completes the set of eight buildings forming Arc 1950 and was fully opened in December 2007. My first impression was ‘hotel’, not ‘self-catering’. For a start, a concierge helped me with my bags; there’s a swipe card for the room, 24-hour reception and individual ski lockers. Towels, bed-linen, toiletries – even slippers, bath robes and hairdryers are provided. In fact the services you would normally expect of a quality hotel are presented to guests in four-star apartments – quite a leap from my tiny retreat in Val d’Isere all those years ago!

While the ever-present sofa-bed still counts in the occupancy totals you get more storage and living space overall, including two bathrooms in apartments for six-plus and a balcony. The residence has a pool, sauna and other leisure facilities for off-slope pampering; a conference room for corporate visitors (it is popular with company conferences in January) and free wifi internet access. The attached new Brasserie 1950 restaurant offers a full buffet breakfast (at a price), and other village restaurants are only a few steps away – so you don’t have to self-cater, if you don’t want to.

Choice matters

The changing face of French apartments means being able to choose what suits you and your budget. Residences such as Le Belmont still provide standard holidays at a low-cost, but with more of the creature comforts that we have come to expect. At the upper end of the market, you pay a bit extra to enjoy hotel-style luxuries – and get flexibility and space. Self-catering once meant just basic and budget; it can now mean comfort and choice.

How to go

My stay in Les Arcs was arranged through independent tour operator, Erna Low. They offer a wide selection of Pierre et Vacances apartments, including all those listed above, plus properties in Arc 1950 le Village – where they also manage property re-sales for the eight residences (www.ernalowproperty.co.uk).

For holiday bookings, prices are given per apartment – so you split the cost among the number wishing to share. Typical January prices for Le Belmont start at £621 per 5-person apartment. In Arc 1950, a one-bedroom apartment sleeping four starts at £729 in January.

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