Altapura

In a lot of ways, this is a very nice hotel. Rooms are fairly spacious for a ski hotel, if a little dated. The spa is nice, if a little crowded. Val Thorens is an amazing ski destination, the ski-ing was excellent. I marked it down from five stars to four stars because: - it's quite far from town and they only have one car for their shuttle service (the other upmarket hotels have loads of shuttle cars). The two times we used it, (when carrying ski equipment), we waited well over half an hour the first time and an hour the second time. - you do have to be very careful if you're on a half board deal. Every drink is charged for, even within the per-night-limit which is for food only. Our first night, we asked for 'tap water' and were given a bottle which we wrongly assumed was the equivalent of tap water. That cost us 28EUR. - you will be charged for 'staff salaries' at the end of your stay. This was an extra couple of hundred Euros for two of us. I marked it down from four stars to three stars because: - a few weeks after we left, they inexplicably charged an extra 70EUR to my credit card. I've been chasing them for months - it's the end of June as I write this. Despite saying they will return the money, they clearly have no intention of doing so. This, plus the peculiar 'staff salaries' thing, just leaves me with only bad thoughts about what was really quite a good stay in a lot of ways. A note for coeliacs: There are three restaurants: 1. Altayaki: has nothing possible for gluten-free. 2. La Laiterie: only raclette available gluten-free, no fondue. 3. Casa Alta: does not do gluten free, but has a decent enough go at it. The availability of anything for breakfast was a bit hit and miss. Evening meals always had something that was possible to eat. I've added this just for info - this isn't marketed as being a hotel with gf available, so I'm not adding or taking away any star ratings here.

We booked 4 nights here and it was perfect. Having the ski shop with spacious boot room and direct access on to the slopes is fab. Right opposite the Peclet lift you couldn’t ask for a better location. Great spa and gym, lovely breakfast and bar area. We don’t eat in the r restaurant other than for the great breakfast but do have some bar snacks which were great. The shuttle to take you into town was fab on a rainy day but it’s nice to have there min walk back downhill after dinner. Rooms are spacious and the postcard left on the bed every evening is a lovely touch.

The only thing that is good with this hotel is the location . Beside that the hotel is nearly a 4 star! The worst service ever! Food in the restaurant is terrible. The service in the restaurant of the hotel is terrible! The half board is not really half board cause they charge you money if you exceed that 64euro per person per meal. In breakfast they charge you if you ask for fresh orange juice. The bed and the pillows are so uncomfortable! The hotel changed its owner few years ago and the hotel is no longer even similar to what it used to be!

Just back from a 4 night stay at the hotel. Here is my very honest review (supported by photos). Location Nearly ALL hotel in Val Thorens as ski in ski out, it is the design of the town. Do not be fooled by this. Altapura is out of town and they provide a free shuttle bus into the town each time you need it. This is a great service but somewhat restrictive as tou have to rely on the car being available. The drivers could not be more pleasant or willing to help and full of local knowledge - this is a great plus Room For the first 2 night we booked a junior family suit at a cost of £1100 per night. The room was nice, decor nice and a view out to the mountain, piste. However, the window was not full length, we looked down onto a service road and a generator. The kids bedroom was a tiny box just big enough for 2 single beds and small wardrobe and bed. We realised that the family suite costs 2x the price of a club room, meaning so we could have 2 club rooms - with 2x the facilities - 2 bathroom, 2 hairdryers, 2 sofa’s, 2 king size beds for the same price as this box on the end of our room. We therefore changed rooms and move to to club room paying £550 per night. Again the room was nice almost identical to the suite, same bed, same small sofa/sofa bed in the room. However, we were then put to look directly over onto the main road driving into the hotel, with both cars and people walking there having a direct view into our room. I went to reception to ask to be moved and they refused, saying that if I wanted to change rooms it would be and upgrade which would cost me 600euros over the 2 nights which the would reduce to 500 euros as good will (to note I checked the website and it would have only been 400euros. This got worse when it got dark -the room the put us in had the main hotel light at the side, meaning that even with the curtains closed it shone through the room - which was again jiggled to reception but with a - I am so sorry there is nothing we can do - unless you take the upgrade! Pool and Spa I booked this particular hotel due to the outdoor pool (I have stayed à La Follie Douce in Chamonix which has a full out door heated pool). The Altapura pool is more like a jacuzzi in size but is cold! The shutter in between the indoor and outdoor pool was broken for our entire trip - meaning you could not actually get to outdoor pool, unless you swan to the boot on of the pool and underneath the shutter - which was in itself very dangerous. The entrance to the pool was through a dirty foot bath, the hot stone beds were not switched on during our entire stay. Food and drink The breakfast was excellent - the view amazing and choice good, the waiters were somewhat overworked and slightly grumpy but this was a tiny thing. The bar is relatively small but cosy, there was live music a couple of nights. The weather was bed when we was there so the outdoor terrace was only open once, meaning all the outdoor furniture was stored pilled up over tarpaulin - this could be viewed from breakfast and the spa. We went down the the bar a few night following apres ski in town (it is too quite in the hotel). I have just finished chemotherapy and as such I am not dinking and trying to cut down on my sugar intake. There was no non-alcoholic drinks available other than juice or water. The rest of my party order drinks and once I was told there were no non-alcoholic drinks available to me, I explained my situation and asked if I could bring a glass on non-alcoholic rose wine from my room to drink (I am not sure if most would appreciate the importance of me feeling like I could have a glass of wine - when I am not actually drinking but it is important to me). I was told a compete an utter - NO, not even in my current situation. Ski Hire There is an on-site ski shop - the price of ski hire here is double that in town, with the same level of service - Zenith Ski hire was amazing….! Service Most of the hotel staff are warm and welcoming on first impression- that is unless you want something then it turns very regimented and restrictive. However, you are paying for the service - literally - the put an additional 20% on your bill for everything you order and then a 20% resort service tax. Overall This absolutely not worth the inflated price tag they are putting in this hotel. There are much better 5* hotels in Val Thorens that are ski in ski out, with much better spa’s and U assume much better service. We will return to the town but NEVER to this hotel!

Our stay at Alrtapura Hotel was deeply disappointing and far below what we expected. The duplex room we were given felt more like a cave than a luxury accommodation. It had only a single window overlooking a parking area and the street — an extremely unpleasant view especially for a family winter stay. What made the experience even worse was the service. The staff were unhelpful and showed little to no willingness to assist when we raised our concerns. Despite clearly explaining how distressed and uncomfortable our family felt in these conditions, there was no meaningful attempt to resolve the situation or offer alternatives. Most concerning was the complete lack of engagement from management. The general manager was not willing to speak with us at all, which felt dismissive and unprofessional. In a situation where guests are clearly unhappy, a basic level of care and accountability should be expected — and it was entirely absent. Overall, this was a very poor experience, both in terms of accommodation quality and customer service. Unfortunately, we would not return and cannot recommend this hotel.