White Angel Hotel

The hotel is great. the room was plenty large enough with lovely views, clean, well appointed...shower was hot and powerful, plenty of toiletries. bed was comfortable with enough pillows. Coffee making machine (replenished capsules each day) and a small fridge with complementary water. We stayed Half Board. Restaurant was superb. I can't fault the anti pasti (Italian staple) and the chosen menu was equally good. The wine list is extensive and they feature recommended wines to accompany each meal. Breakfast menu is comprehensive and basically, eat as much as you like. The staff were uniformly pleasant, professional, and friendly. The bar area is large with views of the valley. Friendly bar staff. Ski in ski out is a wonderful luxury. you find yourself on a Red run that takes you to either a bubble or telecabine to get up. Ski lockers with boot warmers are provided for each room . There is a ski rental shop in the hotel and our skis were plenty good enough for us ( supposedly we're on the cusp of 'Expert', although I'm not so sure!) As the hotel is effectively at the top end of the village it is a 25 minute walk into town and a little more on the way back....and the hill is steep. The hotel runs a shuttle bus service which is programmed so take a photo of the schedule and you should be OK. there are a couple of gaps in the service but so long as you know you can sit in a bar for another half hour......Life's hard sometimes. The Spa, although an integral part of the hotel physically is a separate entity. This I do have gripes about: 1) entry charge for a two hour visit is 20 Euros per person, per visit. This allows you to access the pool and sauna. I'm not sure how many guests would actually utilise the full two hours......after a days skiing all I ever really require is about half an hour to ease the tired legs. 2) should you wish to commit to entry each day of your trip you can access a reduced cost of 15 Euros per day....up front. This is still 90 Euros for six visits. 3) changing rooms are tiny and not regularly checked. the floor was awash which made changing tricky, the bin was overflowing. 4) I expected the Spa o be clean. The pool side at water surface level is filthy, obviously not cleaned for some time. However, the pool area is lovely (if cleaned), the external pool area gives good views down the valley, and the sauna is plenty hot.

Pros: The mountain and skiable area are amazing. The option to ski down in Zermatt is a big plus. The hotel's location is it's biggest advantage, offering ski-in/ski-out access directly from the ski lockers, which are located in the basement at the garage level. However, there's a downside: the entrance from the mountain (via the red run 3 bis) isn't clearly marked. There's only a small hole in the right-side fence, which can easily be missed while skiing down. Cons: 1. Breakfast: The breakfast is a buffet with no a la carte options or omelette station. The selection is boring, the same every day, consisting of low quality cheese, ham, boiled eggs, and pastries. They offer free tap water in bottles during breakfast, but charge three euros per bottle for the same bottled tap water with dinner. 2. Dinner: We chose the demipension option, with breakfast and dinner. The dinner options are limited to three choices: an appetizer buffet and two courses, each with three options. The food is bland and not worth the price (very expensive if one pay for it and not included in the package). We skipped dinner at the hotel for two nights and ate in the village, where there are better and cheaper options. The village even has live music. I recommend Griggio's Bar and Copa Pan for a more enjoyable dining experience. 3. Spa: Another big con is the spa, which is run by a different company than the hotel and charges 20E per person per night, which one needs to pay there (not charged to the room, so bring your credit card in your robe!). The spa includes a small, lukewarm pool with a small outdoor section and a tiny Jacuzzi area (but the view from pool is amazing!). There's only one sauna, which can barely fit six people. It's unusual for a four-star hotel to charge extra for spa access. 4. Sitting Area: The small sitting area next to the restaurant is always crowded at night. It only has a few seating areas with chairs and no background music. 5. Bar: The bar is seriously overpriced compared to other European hotels. 6. Room Charges: The room rates are high for what is offered. Our large group each paid different rates despite making reservations at the same time. One couple paid 1000E more than others, for the same package and dates. When we asked the front desk for an explanation, they said they don't manage bookings directly and that it's handled by a company in Torino, leaving us with no answers. 7. parking: expensive (20E/night) considering the room rate. However there are free spots on the street below the hotel. Summary: Overall, I would not return to this hotel or recommend it. There are far better options in Cervinia.

Don’t expect the advertised ‘gourmet food’ at dinner!! Overcooked, dry, no sauces or garnishes, terrible flavours, mass produced main courses. Buffet starter is largely yesterday’s food re-cycled and made into canapés - goodness knows how many days old the food is! There were a few fresh dishes of seafood but they are tasteless. Restaurant staff need better training- customer service ethic is missing. You get the distinct impression maitre d rules by fear! And don’t even try to move tables or ask for your food to be changed- it’s totally inflexible and unresponsive!!!! Our advice- eat out at some of the fab restaurants in town first s much better experience!