Altapura Hôtel & Spa Val Thorens

Not a 5 star hotel. The food is the worst I have ever eaten. This was mentioned by Suzanne E in January 24 and I can confirm this. Food is served on cold plates no hot plates. A buffet section where baked beans for breakfast are cold, sausages are white and inedible. Bacon cold and if you want a fried egg the chef has too cook it for you and served up lukewarm. The evening meal is buffet but always cold. The choices are truly shocking the only thing that is nice is bread as they cannot make that. Seriously don’t eat here my 2 friends in party of 11 which cost close to £25k on a package deal with Inghams went down with food poisoning due to eating oysters at the hotel. No doctor on site so friends had to stay in their room for 2 days. Truly shocking and ruined our holiday. Asked for a twin bed and was given a double bed. Window in the room wasn’t closed properly and couldn’t get it fixed till next day.

Having had the best review from friends some 12 years ago, saying how amazing it was, and that we should all stay here, one of our group managed to secure a group half biard booking for us all to go, costing £25k there abouts. The hotel, not a 5* for so many reasons, its in need of some tlc on decor, restaurant was very basic, food limited, almost every night cold, tepid, with cold plates, but dessert plates warm. One night we had chicken and chips no better than cheap basket food, £5 you'd pay the most for it. The kitchen staff changed every sitting and every day, no one consistent in the kitchen. Two friends had food poisoning, they were the only ones to have oysters. Me and two ithers had plastic in our soup, seemed to have been added to the blender. Drinks tarrif varied in the bar, I paid three different prices for the same gin and tonic ranging from 21 euros to 17 euros. A number of staff in the bar and restaurant were rude, impersonal and seemed poorly trained in hospitality. On dealing with mistakes language issues seemed to be blamed. Our room was ok, clean towels daily, but cups etc went missing and had to be asked for. Hotel felt tired, and the staff too, I'll equipped to manage tasks. For a miserable culture to develop it seems that this is from the top and filtered down. The only nice thong was the hotel ski shop, who helped me with my skis. The spa had lots of children in it and parents didn't seem to take notice of the times kids could be in the spa. Although ordinarily I wouldn't mind so much, but it wasn't managed by the hotel staff. I've skied Val Thorens before, it's beautiful, I'd never stay at this hotel, nor any hotels associated to it, seems like its been ruined since it became a chain, sadly. Too expensive, badly run, tired, and not up to a 5* standard they've labled it as.

This hotel is outstanding, the location on the slopes is first class, the spa is a fabulous luxury to have in a hotel in this location. The staff are amongst the most professional and friendly I have come across in any hotel in the world. The food is delicious both breakfast and lunch, the shuttle into town and back is also a welcome addition especially when it’s snowing. Looking forward to our return.

We’ve just left after a week in Altapura and highly recommend. We were a big group of families with kids and skiers of all levels. Location of the resort is amazing - right on the slopes and terrace is fab for soaking up the views and the atmosphere. Rooms are great and super comfy - we had one with a small room off it for our kids which worked great. It’s ski in ski out which is awesome, and really convenient for ski school. The ski shop set up is brilliant and staff couldn’t have been more helpful. The spa and pool is great - we used most evenings and the kids loved it. Kids club is great bonus too - our kids loved it. We didn’t do half board and went out most nights - van service to drop and collect you anywhere in the time was brilliant. Concierge was great and all the staff were really friendly. Overall top class luxury and relaxed vibe in a super location with great skiing. Only suggestions which are minor is to increase the temperature of the pool, and keep the kids club open a bit later (restaurants only open at 7 and kids club closes at 8 compared to 9pm in most other resorts we have stayed in). Terrace food was great as was Italian. Buffet a little disappointing. Will be back next year! Thanks for a great stay.

My husband and I have skied every year, often for more than one week a year, for 40 years. We have tried skiing in many European resorts and when I worked in USA briefly, I skied there too. When we had children, we decided that the best place to stay in Meribel Mottaret as central in 3 Valleys and high altitude in such a big ski area. My brother then moved to Canada and for the last 15 years until last year, we always skied for about 2 weeks in Whistler. BUT climate change made us decide to reduce airmiles and stay in Europe. Due to climate change, we chose a high resort, Val Thorens in the 3 Valleys. Last year we stayed at a supposedly top-rated hotel on piste, but it had many problems. So, we asked our guide for a recommendation, as he lives in Val Thorens, and he recommended The Altipura. We were thrilled with it. Great access to slope to ski the wonderful area of many valleys. We are very sensitive to noise, as retired doctors, and it is the quietest and most peaceful of all the hotels we have ever stayed in. It was also very clean. The bed was very comfortable. They provide a dressing gown and slippers for the duration of the stay. They provided a free shuttle service to all the restaurants in Val Thornes – very helpful as it became very icy on the roads. Breakfast was provided fast and in pack form on the day we left- as we left before breakfast. The 3 main guys who work in the ski shop were very helpful too. Ski rental from the Altipura was easy and ski lockers good.

We had a very welcoming stay at Altapura last week. The Concierge service was always ready to help us with booking activities or using the shuttle around Val Thorens. The food we experienced was wonderful (breakfast buffet included) and we had lunch one day on the terrace which was light and healthy. The service for our room was also great, cleaning everyday and turndown- rooms also include shampoo , conditioner, soap, etc and a heated towel rack which came in handy. The sauna/pool area was also very nice , we used it a few times to relax in the afternoons. Altapura is a wonderful hotel if you’re looking for a modern and clean place to enjoy Val Thorens!