CGH Résidences & Spas les Clarines

It’s difficult to know how to rate Les Clarines. The positives and negatives are so numerous! Let’s start with the positives: an ok location with good facilities. A lovely pool and spa area, although be warned that if you want to book the spa you can only do this at reception and reception is only open at certain times of the day and not before 1100! The rooms are spacious and the kitchen was well equipped with all appliances and utensils really clean. The bathrooms and toilet were really clean but you only get one roll of toilet paper…..for a week for 4 people! If you are skiing, the boot room is great with a sizeable locker per apartment and boot dryers built into the cupboards. It’s a bit of a rabbit warren so persevere if you can’t get out!! Now for the negatives, the reception is open at unusual times. The staff are ok but one lady was particularly rude when we walked in at 1955 to be told they were closing we needed to leave. This brings me on to the reason we had had to go to reception in the first place; to get some form of WiFi signal so my son could download his revision for his forthcoming exams. Beyond that, the WiFi is terrible. It barely works and you can only really get enough signal in the reception area, did I mention this closes at random times?!? It is advertised as ski in ski out; it is not. Don’t get me wrong, it is close to the slopes and very accessible to get to the bottom of the main ski lifts in Les Menuires but it definitely is not ski i. Ski out. There is no real booklet for the residence when you arrive, you can scan the QR code and get the booklet but it doesn’t tell you the useful info; reception opening times for example. On arrival be warned that if they tell you your room isn’t ready and they will call you when it is, they won’t. We arrived at 1500 and were told the room wasn’t ready. No problem as we went off to get the rental skis and equipment. Our luggage was left in the reception, thank goodness it was open (apparently it opens at different times on a Saturday, not advertised!) At 1630 when we came back, I asked the reception staff, who were busy having a chat about the evening and what they were doing (yes, I do speak French), when our room would be ready and the response we got was “I was going to call you”. We were totally fine about the room not being ready when we arrived, really not a problem, but very lazy to be standing around chatting when guests have paid for accommodation that they can’t access. The pool area is good but not monitored so people wander around in dirty shoes where swimmers are so the floors are disgusting. When you leave, it isn’t clear at what level of cleanliness you are supposed to leave the apartment. Not to say we are dirty people but I genuinely did not know if we were supposed to clean the fridge out, where to put used towels etc. I am sure departure rules could be a very simple thing to explain to guests. All in all Les Clarines is fine. It isn’t the best place I’ve ever

Avoid - this place is nothing and I mean nothing like the website - it’s very dirty, old and in need of a full re-furb. So disappointing the dirt and state of everything - my worst experience in 30 years of skiing in France. I complained at the time and for months now and despite being promised a response from CGH it has never arrived. Just look at the pictures

We stayed at Les Clarines during February half term for a ski holiday (2 adults, 2 children) in a 2 bedroom apartment. The apartment exceeded expectation, particularly after reading some of the reviews on this site! The kitchen area is well equipped.... combined microwave/oven/grill and induction hob next to sink. We received a cleaning kit including dishwasher tablets, cleaning cloths etc. Unfortunately some areas were dusty with cobwebs hanging off of the celling and thick dust under the beds. We struggled with lack of pillows, they appeared to be cushions with a cover and not comfortable... recommend bring your own! These are minor inconveniences as the room was ideal. We were impressed to find a shower and sink in the main bedroom, separate bathroom (with bath) also in the apartment including bath towels. The balcony are was very spacious with lovely views of the mountains. Reception were closed when we arrived, room key given by travel rep. Lack of information regarding boot room access (star in lift) and passcodes to doors. Reception was only open for a few hours a day. The children really enjoyed the pool, a little cold on a couple of days. Unfortunately, despite signage to say no children under 16 in the jacuzzi this was largely ignored by lots of families and the jacuzzi was full of little ones. The pool is not staffed so rules were not enforced. The sauna and steam rooms were very nice. We were fortunate to be staying in C block and could access the pool without going outside although we did pay a premium for this. With regards to ski in / ski out this was not possible (lack of snow) and the nearest lift was approximately 100m up an icy hill. Nearest Ski hire is underneath the local Shop (Sherpa) Intersport Preyerand.

Positives: The staff were very helpful and friendly on reception and the maintenance man / cleaner who had to come to our apartment twice was really nice. Contrary to other reviews this was a ski in / ski out apartment complex. It was very easy to get a lift to the Croisette (5 min walk) which ran all day until 11 pm. there were two of the best restaurants in Les Menuires close by - Le Haut and Le Table des Marmottes. A Sherpa supermarket was nearby and the staff were very friendly. Negatives: The apartment was dirty on arrival. Crumbs and old bits of food in the oven, drawers and cupboards. The tiled splashback behind the hob was very dirty with drips of grease and months of grime. We were missing several items on the inventory and we had two cracked wine glasses. The tin opener was covered in old, mouldy food. The previous occupants obviously had a white haired dog, because we got covered in white dog hair when we sat on the sofa and there were clusters of dog hair on the cushions, in the corners of the room and behind the doors. The master bedroom had dog hairs all over the floor as my navy moccasin slippers were absolutely covered in dog hairs. If CGH are allowing dogs in apartments then they must make sure that a very deep, thorough clean is done before the next occupants arrive! We are not opposed to dogs but we don't want to spend a week getting covered in other peoples dog hairs! Once we informed reception about the dirty kitchen and dog hairs they willingly came to put it right. TIP: Do your inventory as soon as you get there - we were really surprised that several key items were missing / broken. PLUS if you need a taxi to the airport / bus station book before your trip as there are never any free on a Saturday morning. It is too far to walk to the bus station with your bags!