Relax in a comfortable, family friendly 4* hotel, located right on the edge of the slopes in the picturesque ski village of La Clusaz.
Here at Mummy in the Mountains we like making our lives easier and this hotel definitely takes away some of the innumerable challenges of going skiing “en famille”, whilst simultaneously enabling you to relax and enjoy the whole experience!
We tested the lovely, Hotel Beauregard **** in La Clusaz for a w/e from Annecy, somewhat of a “staycation” (without the traffic jams) and thought it was fabulous, read more to find out why:
The Location:
Ski in – ski out – rare in La Clusaz
At only 30 minutes drive from Annecy, the hotel is located right on the edge of the slopes, whilst also being within walking distance to the local shops/bars/restaurants/bowling alley…and somehow also manages the impossible task of also being in a peaceful location. This is a “game changer” when skiing with kids. You can literally walk out of the front door to the slopes…(Bossonnet) where you can access a beginner’s ski area and lifts that whisk you up to the rest of the resort for the more advanced. (You can organise ski lessons directly from here)
La Clusaz itself for those of you who don’t know it (Sssshhhhh don’t tell everyone) …is a particularly picturesque ski resort, with a traditional style village, beautiful Alpine chalet architecture, skiing for everyone and natural beauty in every direction you turn.
The Hotel Overview:
When your hotel is called Beauregard – literally translated as “Beautiful View” – you know you’re on to something. The hotel lives up to its name.
The hotel is extra-large Alpine Chalet with breath-taking views over the Aravis.
The hotel is a relaxed, spacious 4* hotel where you have all the luxury of a good 4* hotel but aren’t embarrassed that your kids are playing hide and seek, pretending to be horses and generally having lots of fun in the corridors with their new-found friends!
The hotel offers a good restaurant, a spa, a HUGE indoor heated pool, a gym and plenty of activities for all the family. We went at a w/e out of school holidays but during school holidays there is also a programme with daily activities for the kids.
The facilities on offer ensure that you can truly relax after a day hitting the slopes or trying one of the many activities available including snowboarding and Nordic walking (which can leave directly from the hotel too).
Eating:
Meals are served in an elegant dining room, decorated with wood and natural stone overlooking the mountains and a snow-covered terrace. When we arrived it was snowing heavily, and it was quite simply magical. There is an abundance of smiling, helpful staff keen to help. We were lodged on a half board basis, a daily menu with fresh seasonal produce – A starter, main course, dessert & cheese. We had a choice of two dishes plus a vegetarian option and a kid’s menu (even the kids menu had a starter and main course 😊). There really was something to suit everyone and even when my middle daughter preferred the adults duck main to spaghetti bolognaise – nothing was a problem (heaven help us when she requests caviar and foie gras 😉).
The starter and main courses are served at the table and the desserts/cheese are a huge buffet…which once the kids discovered they devoured. My eldest taking delight in working her way through all the different cheese on offer!
Breakfast is served in the same dining area where the views take on a whole new dimension…snow covered winter wonderland. The huge buffet meant we literally spent over an hour at the breakfast table both mornings – you name it crepes, eggs, fruit, pastries, yoghurts, cereal, ham, cheese…it was there and made its way to our table on someone’s plate! My girls are definitely French when it comes to food…
Lunch –
We were lucky enough to have lunch at Le Bistrot, based in the Hotel Christiana …also part of the impressive PVG portfolio and based in the centre of the village. Le Bistrot is a trendy brasserie,beautifully decorated with wood and fur throws, and literally a few minutes’ walk from the slopes in the centre of the village. The atmosphere is modern and family friendly and we ate very well. The kids indulged in burgers whilst my husband and I took the delicious “plat du jour” (fish with sweet potatoe chips …mmmmm). The kids were slightly obsessed with the lobsters in a tank at the entrance of the restaurant and kept going to see them. Luckily the next-door table seemed not to be unduly bothered …
Good to know: They have a non-stop service from 9am – 11pm. So early/late lunches always available !
Afternoon tea is served daily at the hotel and the day we were there it was crepes. My youngest daughters’ latest obsession is “crepes au sucre” so she was in heaven…after approximately 5 she was ready for the pool with daddy 😉
The pool/spa area:
I unfortunately didn’t make it to the pool as my middle daughter was recovering from an ear infection… but my husband ended up going there twice and said it was AMAZING. Rarely have I seen such a large pool in a hotel and my husband informed me that the jacuzzi overlooks the slopes and village of La Clusaz. Lovely.
The rooms:
The hotel has a mix of different rooms and suite configurations on two different sides of the hotel from what I could work out. Some rooms look out over towards the Aravis and some towards the village.
We had two interconnecting rooms, overlooking the village that could be interconnected by doors directly in the rooms. This was perfect for us. Our girls shared a room (three single beds) and we got our own room right next door. The rooms are simple yet elegant in a traditional style with all the modern comforts you need ( TV’s, coffee/tea making facilities, toiletries – my eldest made herself a camomile tea both nights telling us how much it relaxed her 😉 – even though her use of the kettle around my youngest didn’t relax me!!!). Everyone slept well and it has to be said the earliest we woke was 8h30 am which is pretty good considering our youngest is still the tender age of 4.
Skiing:
This is our first-year skiing as a FULL family, and I have to say it is one the best things ever. Sharing a passion that has been a predominant part of my life and shaped most of my adult life and seeing my girls come to love it as much as I do is pretty special. La Clusaz is very family friendly, extremely beautiful and has a range of ski areas to suit everyone. Beauregard is particularly good for beginner/intermediates.
Après-ski:
On the Sunday afternoon we had promised the girls we would go…BOWLING. My husband was discreetly trying to escape it, but the girls were not going to let it go. Sooo after a late lunch – bowling it was. It must be said it’s a fabulous little bowling alley and they have the BEST contraption ever for little ones to throw the ball down the alley (take note Courchevel bowling alley you need to invest 😉) so everyone was on an evenish keeling (In-between the fool proof contraption and the gutter barriers …I came last).
Note aside: My girls are fiercely competitive. Any activity that involves a competition will inevitably end in an unhappy party. This time it was my middle mountain girl, snarling that it “wasn’t fair”!!!
The VERDICT:
For Parents:
The location and the facilities on offer ensure you can genuinely spend some quality time with the kids, as well as making the most of time on the slopes and actually have a conversation/relax as a couple whilst the kids run riot with their new-found friends (special mention to the baby foot table 😉).
For Kids:
They loved it. They made friends within 5 mins of our arrival. My youngest claiming the poor boy of 9 years old (Raphael) was her “amoureuse”. Rather worringly she already has a liking for older boys.
They loved the location (as did we) meaning we could access the slopes within 2 mins, with the ski room right next door. They loved the hotels relaxed atmosphere and felt at home straight away. Another family even lent us arm bands for our youngest at the pool…
BIG Thank you to PVG for looking after us so well.
For further information & bookings:
Le Bistrot Restaurant in the heart of the village
ENJOY 🙂
