CGH Residence Le Cristal de l'Alpe

We got an apartment with 2 bedrooms on the 2nd floor. The kitchen walls were water damage and black mold was visible. The entire apartment had a food smell that did not go away during our stay (we never cooked). The hallway smelled of hash and cigarettes every evening to the point that the room facing the hallway smelled (it is a non smoking hotel). For a family travelling with 2 small kids it was a terrible experience.

Stayed here with two families of 7 people in total staying in one large 4 bed apartment. Really nice apartment with enough space for 7 of us to eat at the table and sit in the lounge. Cooking facilities are good and the fridge is large. Rooms were spacious and beds very comfortable. Importantly for skiers, each room has lots of hanging space in wardrobes to air out jackets etc. Each room has its own ski locker with boot driers, so no stinky wet boots at the start of each day. The apartment pool and spa were well used by everyone in our group. We looked in the gym but didn’t actually use it. Alpe d’huez is a large ski resort although our teenagers had taken every lift and skied almost every run by the end of the 4th day, so 1 week was just right. The resort looked great for beginners with loads of green slopes on the plateau. But more importantly it was also great for high intermediates and advanced skiers (our group) with lots of nice reds and blacks. I’ve found most black runs in France in recent years are just untouched, steep icy mogul fields ignored by the pisteurs and so largely ignored by skiers. Groomed blacks was a nice surprise. The apartment is well located in town with lots of shops, restaurants and bars very close by. It’s a short walk to the ice rink and outdoor pool. We enjoyed it as a ski resort but having only ever stayed at ski in ski accommodation for the past 10 yrs we were a little disappointed with the Sunweb advertised ‘close to the slopes’. It isn’t. It’s a 10 to 15 min walk with skis to the lifts on the plateau. You can walk 5 mins to the telecentre box lifts which take approx 10 mins to get you up to the plateau, but there is often a queue so you’re better off walking. The other alternative is the free shuttle bus which stops outside the apartment block, which we tried once and was ok. We kind of got used to the walk in the mornings but it was a pain at the end of the day when exhausted with sore legs and feet.

We’ve just spent a fabulous week here - 4 of us shared a 2 bedroom apartment. The apartments are very well appointed and have everything you could possibly need. We made use of the raclette set that you can borrow from reception - we stocked up from the excellent fromagerie opposite and had a couple of lovely nights in. The apartments are very comfortable and spacious and spotlessly clean. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. The spa facilities are also excellent. Huge ski lockers which makes a nice change too! It’s probably a 10 minute walk to the ski slopes, but that’s a small price to pay for this standard of ski accommodation.