Mercure Belle Plagne

What People are saying

Great location and great value for money

superskier87on 03/04/2017 08:57

Ok so great ski in/ski out but a word of warning! The run down would be very tricky for not a great skier. Busy and quite steep for beginners down to main lifts. The Hotel itself was lovely. The bar/restaurant extension is lovely. They could really make more of this area with some form of entertainment as not much of an atmosphere. Also they have a lovely terrace outside. They should get some music and some comfortable seating and I bet they would get more passing custom. Back to the actual hotel. It's an odd one as there are new updated parts and then parts that really need updating. The rooms could definitely do with updating. The great thing about the rooms though is they have a bath. This to us is a real plus when on a ski holiday! Nevertheless the rooms were very clean and surprisingly bed very comfortable! Breakfast was very varied and in abundance but dinner was a bit disappointing. We were booked half board but based on the dinner maybe bed and breakfast would have been better. Staff were wonderful. In particular the bar staff who were brilliant and the lovely Laurence on reception was also great. All in all a great little convenient hotel which with a few changes could be a brilliant hotel

Good hotel with genuine but limited ski in/out location

Mike49on 14/03/2017 22:54

When we booked this hotel last September we partially based it on the reviews from the previous season. My expectations of French purpose built ski resorts and hotels as not overly high and therefore I did not expect the 5 stars awarded by previous reviewers. It’s good and justifies its 3* status and an overall rating of 4 against Trip Advisor criteria.

In the first week of March the hotel was about half full and the guests represented Europe, with substantial French, a good number of Dutch, German, Italians, Swiss and of course British, overall pretty cosmopolitan. The reception and room staff were French however the restaurant staff were almost exclusively Italian all of whom could understand English however a couple did not speak French which I thought quite strange.

Belle Plagne and the Paradski are a beginners and intermediates resort, there are very few black challenging runs and some of those were closed due to avalanche risk. I support previous reviews, if you are a non skier do not go to Belle Plagne there is very little to fully occupy you.

Again for a French 3* ski hotel the room was surprisingly large, plenty of cupboard and hanging space. Electric heating which once set up to the right temperature kept the room just right. Hot water abundant, never ran out, bath and shower. Tip if you opt for a non piste facing room go for at least the second or above floor (there are 4 floors) to avoid looking the snow bank behind the hotel. Good size room safe, can take all you need including a laptop and the free Wi-Fi worked OK. Only slight hassle was having to register every 24 hours for the free service.

Bar is slightly strange, was not overly warm, the open fire usually was left to burn out around 9pm and is OK for a drink but had zero atmosphere. There are a number of bars within a short walk of the hotel which provided a better atmosphere but Belle Plagne has no lively après ski.

Breakfast was as you would expect with hot and cold suitable for all. Dinner was interesting, the choices changed every night with soup, cold buffet and at least three main choices, plus sweets or ice cream and cheese. All OK, quite plain, certainly not high cuisine not outstanding as thought by other reviewers. I have certainly experienced better in 3* hotels in Morzine, Tignes and Val d’Isere. Occasionally all the choices could be a little disappointing however I didn’t experience any night when there was no choice which caught my eye. The Italian night with its variety of pastas was quite good. There were some vegetarians staying when we were there and their choice was limited. If you are vegan or a vegetarian who does not eat fish I believe your choice would be extremely limited.

The ski room is just behind reception. There is no boot rack with heating and you could not leave boots there however unbelievably they allow ski boots to be worn from the rooms down to the ski room (and vice versa) and out through the front lobby. The lockable (with room key) ski rack with slots, will hold three sets of skis but I reckon only two boards however it may be possible to put a third board or single set of skis in the pole slot.

It is ski in/out but only in one direction down to Plagne Bellecote otherwise a short walk up a gentle slope to access the Roche di Mio lift. To get back you either short walk and ski back from Roche di Mio or catch the Arpette up from Plagne Bellecote and ski back right to the front door, good snow you can get within 15 cms of the door. Skiing down the blue run has an initial but short, 50 metres steepish slope which a first year skier would I think find challenging, good edges, linked snow plough and you should be fine, it then flattens out for the remainder of the run down.

A previous reviewer thought arrival a bit of a challenge. The front door of the hotel opens almost directly onto the piste and entrance is actually via the underground car park. There are several advantages to travelling with a company. As is normal at Moutiers the buses from Grenoble and Chambery change people around. We went with Inghams, and whilst I am no fan of them as a company were given a minibus for the two of us which drove into the car park and dropped us off at the front door. On the return we were collected by minibus although I note other companies used large buses.

The same reviewer thought the Inghams price was not good value. I am not sure I would fully agree and as previously stated I am not that great a fan of them and am always looking to reduce a skiing holiday cost. The price we paid Inghams for ski hire and lift passes was less than the in resort prices based on the exchange rate for the week we were there. I looked at Booking.com for March 2018 and they had no availability, possibly too early and as an independent traveller once you add flights and transfers it usually comes out pretty close.

Good ski-in/ski-out hotel for independent traveller

Simon Won 05/03/2017 00:08

If you have read some of the other reviews on this site you could arrive at this hotel with very high expectations. You might be disappointed. That would be a shame – it is good, just not as good as some reviewers say. For the person who thinks it deserves 5 stars – no, it doesn’t have the facilities, or level of service, to justify more than the 3 stars that it has. Then they aren’t charging a 5* price.

This hotel very much caters for the French market, although there appeared to be a variety of other nationalities there when we stayed. Many of the staff, although friendly and good at their jobs, speak no English. Some of those that do are limited.

If you are coming to Belle Plagne as a skier – which most people do, this is a great choice. If you come as a non-skier, alternative options are a bit limited.

Arrival is a bit of a challenge if you are an independent travller, and haven’t stayed here before. The way in (except on foot/skis) is via an underground car park. We didn’t know this, and it confused our minibus driver for a while. Quite what happens for organised tours that arrive on big busses, I don’t know. However once in, it’s smart and welcoming. One day Google maps will put the marker for this hotel in the right place.

Bedrooms are adequate, clean, in good repair and reasonably comfortable. Contrary to previous reviews double beds are available (both rooms for our party had them). Bathrooms actually have BATHS – a rare luxury in my experience. Rooms are blessedly quiet. On the front they have small balconies. 2nd floor and above you are high enough to look over the buildings opposite. I guess that rooms at the back look straight at a hillside. Free WiFi in the bedrooms works – with adequate speed.

Bar has a cool, boutique-y feels, but is hardly buzzing. If you want to chill, it’s great. If you are looking for lively apres, this isn’t the place for you. There was live music one evening when we were going into dinner, but it had finished by the time we came down again.

Restaurant provides a plentiful breakfast buffet – hot and cold – that should suit everyone. Dinner (also buffet) is a little bit more hit-and-miss. There is good variety that changes every night. Style is hearty and rustic, rather than sophisticated. Nothing is bad. Some of it is very good. Some is just OK, or a little disappointing. Overall it somehow doesn’t measure up to a previous review as ‘Food is amazing, not only the best food during my ski trips, it's the best quality half board food I have ever had’. A specific problem that we had is that even stating when we booked that one of our party was allergic to all dairy, there were often no choices that were suitable. Getting this across to the staff was a struggle. However, when we did manage to communicate, they were happy enough to cook something specifically for them.

The ski room is easily accessible on the ground floor – with lockable reserved slots holding 2 pairs of skis for each bedroom. This is great – unless you are in a triple room. There is no provision for storing boots. You have to take them to your room.

Yes – it is ski-in/ski-out. It is located at the edge of a skiable path through the village that runs between the hotel and apartment buildings. Ski-in is fine for 2nd/3rd week skiers from either Roche di Mio or Arpette. Ski-in from the other side of the valley is via a short, but vicious, button lift and a narrow path – OK in good conditions, but…. Ski-out is either down the path and onto a piste down to Bellecote which is steep enough to scare the timid – especially if icy first thing in the morning, or a 150m walk up the path.

Outside it has a terrace with hot tub (2 in fact). This is on the edge of the path, and some might feel a bit exposed. The view from the terrace, whilst you relax, is of the apartment buildings – with a bit of mountain above them – not hideous, but not the romantic dream either.

I note that Inghams now sends clients here. I looked at their web site for the equivalent week next year. At their price it definitely isn’t good value, and the claim to cater for vegans is at best over ambitious. For the price we paid this year on booking.com, it was a steal.

Return Visit to Our Favourite Ski Hotel

Alison Don 13/03/2016 17:19

We have just returned from this lovely hotel which we have been visiting for 10 years at least once a year. It is formerly The Mercure Hotel and has now switched to Vacances Bleus, we were concerned that there may have been changes made but from the moment of arrival our fears were laid to rest. The reception staff were very welcoming and happy to help out with the storage of our roof box (if you have one you will have to remove it to park in all but a few of the bays). The hotel was as warm and welcoming as ever and the rooms are comfortable as you would expect for a ski hotel with plenty of hot water. We had a three person room with a double bed and a single for my son we were located on the front of the hotel with wonderful views of the slopes. The restaurant as ever was 1st class and we received a lovely welcome from Chef who remembered us which was lovely. There is a wide choice from the plentiful buffet, every night offered 3 or 4 choices of main course as well as a Raclette table, Soup, Anti-pasti and salad section. The Roast Beef was a particular favourite as was the pasta evening. The waiters in the restaurant deserve special commendation they always had a smiling face and nothing was too much trouble Victor in particular and one other who never wore a name badge but remembered our drinks order every night. You can't get a better Ski in Ski out position than this and a hot chocolate on the outside deck or in the bar at the end of your days skiing will top it off nicely. So to sum there has been "No Change" and a smooth transition over to the new owners Congratulations to Hotel Manager Cedric on a job well done we will see you next year.

Good value with Inghams late deal.

John Ron 09/03/2016 01:22

We booked this hotel through Inghams with a good last minute discount which made it excellent value. Like the previous reviewer we experienced the same teething problem when we asked for the free hot drinks and crepes on our first afternoon to be told by the staff both in the bar and at reception that they knew nothing about it. However, a call to the Inghams resort rep, who said that we were the first guests to raise the issue, led to a profuse apology from the hotel manager before dinner that evening. He offered us free aperitifs instead and we enjoyed free hot drinks and crepes each afternoon thereafter. The manager and staff were all friendly and keen to please. The restaurant staff were very quick to replenish the breakfast and dinner buffets and to clear and clean vacated tables. We always found plenty of appetising food, including super desserts and cheeses. The bedroom was very quiet and had a good view across the piste. The ski room was conveniently placed close to the front entrance. There was no boot room or boot warmers but we were encouraged to keep our boots in the bedroom overnight, where they kept warm. We were allowed to wear our boots inside the hotel too, so the lack of a boot room was no problem. Plenty of hot water for baths. Skiing direct from the front door was great. There was enjoyable live music in the bar on two evenings. We would go again.