Residence & Spa Vallorcine Mont-Blanc – Tried & Tested
Last w/e Mummy in the Mountains was VERY LUCKY to be invited to spend a w/e at the Résidence & Spa Vallorcine Mont-Blanc with her family – (Daddy in the Mountains and their three little mountain girls (3, 6 & 8).)
Although we know Chamonix, we have never stayed in Vallorcine, or used Vallorcine as a ski base and I have to say it was FABULOUS and perfectly met our family requirements.
THE RESIDENCE
Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Eva at the reception (who even gave the girls a little welcome present – some lovely colouring-in postcards & pencils 😊) Eva kindly explained the Residence to us and helped us with our bags to our apartment. The Residence boasts 53 fully equipped apartments, as well as fantastic facilities meaning you can spend proper quality family time together. The facilities include a wonderful Spa by leading French Spa company –Cinq Mondes (the spa also features a Kid’s Spa (7-16) with TOOfruit organic products – we decided not to let our eldest get a taste for this too early in life 😉 and opted not to let her indulge, although she was keen), a wellness centre with a heated pool, an ice skating rink (we sadly didn’t manage to test this – there are only so many hours in a day !!!), a playroom, a tea-room and a ski rental shop.
On the first evening, it was hard to get the girls to leave our apartment for dinner…Our beautiful, fully-equipped apartment, with its large balcony overlooking Vallorcine and the Residence’s ice skating rink was super spacious with two separate bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living area … and was full of perfect hiding spaces for a game of…hide & seek 😉 I was glad I’d organised a fondue in the apartment for our second night…(Which was delicious and all pre-booked and ordered at the tea room)
LOCAL RESTAURANT – Le CAFÉ COMPTOIR
On our first evening, we had pre-booked dinner in a little restaurant 5 mins walk away from the Residence at the foot of the slopes called – Le Café Comptoir. Upon walking there, the first thing that struck us, is that Vallorcine is still an unspoilt village, a little hamlet, in a truly peaceful setting, it still retains a real, relaxed, family-friendly vibe yet it still has world class skiing on its doorstep. We walked through the little hamlet with no worries of traffic, letting the girls run off steam, clambering up the snow-covered paths after the car journey and found the restaurant nestled amongst some traditional old chalets…lit by fairy lights. Simply beautiful. The food was delicious, good value for money, the deco authentically stylish…the staff were helpful, chatty and attentive, and the service was full of carefully thought out extras…a free appetiser for the parents, little lolly pops with the bill for the kids etc. The perfect start to our w/e.
Once back at the Residence & Spa Vallorcine Mont-Blanc the girls watched the start of a film in the spacious living area (one of 100 that the Residence had downloaded for us to choose from) and then went happily to bed. Happy days 😊
BREAKFAST
For our breakfasts we had opted for continental breakfasts in the tea room/ “Boulangerie” next to the reception. This suited us and the girls perfectly. Our table was pre-reserved, and we helped ourselves to the impeccably laid out buffet, regularly checked & restocked by the lovely ladies from the boulangerie. For people staying the full week, I did notice lots of other guests popping down to grab fresh bread and patisseries to take them back to their apartments. I saw one little boy on his own doing a “breakfast run” in his pyjamas – looking very proud of himself! As an added bonus the kids’ playroom is situated just downstairs from the breakfast area with glass windows interlinking the foors, so you can keep an eye on them … Meaning we could leisurely finish our breakfast both days whilst the kids went to play together 😊 Bliss.
SKIING
Opposite the Residence is a gondola lift that whisks you up to the local pistes; the Balme – Le Tour ski area…this was perfect for myself and my two eldest girls. There is a good mix of blue and red slopes and a variety of terrain from tree runs to wide open pistes, with spectacular views overlooking the Chamonix valley on one side and overlooking Switzerland and the Barrage d’Emosson back towards Vallorcine on the other. My girls particularly enjoyed the tree run Les Esserts , the snow park in Le Tour and the red run back to Vallorcine and its icicles 😉 (We even bumped into some friends in Le tour and did a few runs with them)
The lift pass is the same for the whole valley, so for those wanting to use Vallorcine as a base to also discover more challenging ski areas…this is easily done either by car (only 20 mins to Chamonix), bus or you can even jump on the train at the station opposite the Residence! We also noticed that Vallorcine seems to be hugely popular for si touring and snow shoeing. For lift pass info click here.
For beginners, Vallorcine also has its very own beginners ski area called La Poya…there is a shuttle bus that takes you up there from opposite the Residence. My husband took our youngest mountain girl there, who was soon sliding off happily down the slopes, with expert guidance from her Daddy 😊
The POOL
My girls are real water babies and as soon as they saw there was a heated pool they were desperate to go – we only stayed two nights and they spent almost 3 hours in the pool if this gives you an idea 😉. The pool area is great, large with several sun loungers spaced around the pool, overlooking the ice rink and the mountains… Our youngest particularly appreciated the shallow area with a special gripped surface where she could play safely whilst throwing around a few little plastic boats that had been left to play with.
The SPA
I got completely pampered and tested out the spa 😉
The Cinq Monde spa offers a vast range of treatments and therapies, as well as a Hamman, and steam room. The facilities and protocol live up to the brands reputation. I opted for a hammam (to relax & detox my skin) followed by a Soothing French-Polynesia massage – a massage treatment inherited from the Polynesian healers and inspired by Lomo-Lomi, which uses deep pressure from the therapist’s forearms and long continuous movements. Needless to say, I was in HEAVEN. I enjoyed the orange petal rain mist used to refresh the senses at the start and end of the treatment so much I ended up buying some to take home…(& am now spraying it everywhere ;-)) I genuinely can’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed.
The VERDICT
We loved it and thoroughly enjoyed some real quality time together as a family for a w/e away. The Residence is fantastic and the service definitely 5*. Although a relatively large structure there is a real, authentic, welcoming, relaxed vibe and you feel automatically at home.
We also think that a family holiday in Vallorcine would be just as wonderful in the summer and even discussed coming back this summer – there are a multitude of activities on the doorstep from hiking, poney rides, mini golf etc. to keep the little ones entertained . We met another family who had been last summer with similar aged kids to us and they raved about it…with a special mention for getting the train into Chamonix for day trips 😉
For further information:
http://www.chamonix-vacances.com/
Thank you for an AMAZING w/e 🙂