Club Med Val Thorens Sensation — Hotel in Albertville

Club Med Val Thorens (February 2025)

Why Visit: ✅ The usual Club Med convenience—all-inclusive ease. ✅ Reliable snow due to high altitude. It's one of the most popular resorts and Clubmeds ✅ Good ski instructors to improve your skills

That said, I’d return for the skiing and Club Med experience, but not because this specific Club Med resort stands out.

Ski Room: ✅ Easy access to slopes. Requires two lifts or a lift + stairs (quicker than expected). ❌ Challenging downhill from resort to ski lifts for beginners. ❌ Cold, outdated ski room—small lockers don’t fit helmets, locks often faulty, few mirrors, needs renovation.

Ski Instructors & Lessons: ✅ ESP instructors (red uniforms) are good ✅ Sign up the night before for your level ✅ Level 2 had three groups organized by speed. ❌ Too many per group (12-15)limits personal attention and enjoyment

Staff & Service: ❌ Less friendly staff than Les Arcs—few go the extra mile. Few people greet. ✅ Friendly staff at reception, cleaners, gourmet restaurant, ski room, and instructors.

Buffet Restaurant: ❌ Lunch and Dinner often doesn't start on time (12pm and 7pm) and many people wait outside ❌ Service issues—few waiters, dirty tables (resolved after raising it with Chief of the Village, it was immediately better). ❌ Coffee machines broken for two days—15-20 min queues at breakfast. ❌ Few waiters for drinks for 3 days (unlike Les Arcs). ❌ Limited free drinks—only water, flat Coke Zero (why is it decanted?) house wine. ❌ Few sanitizer stations, old decor, lacks a romantic evening feel.

Gourmet Restaurant: ✅ Worth visiting for romantic ambiance, not the food. Fondue is the main dish. ❌ Buffet food is actually better.

Food: ✅ Standard Club Med selection—meat, fish, pasta, pizza, bread, cheeses, salads, and a burger station. ✅ Excellent pastries & desserts—better than Cefalù & Les Arcs. ✅ Hot dessert daily. ✅ Great Pizza and icecream like all clubmeds ✅ Salad bar and pastries are excellent—better than many Club Meds.

Bar & Après-Ski: ✅ Bar works well with standard Club Med options. ❌ Not enough seating at peak times. ❌ Bar area is older & outdated. ❌ Weak après-ski—leftover buffet food, needs improvement.

Rooms: ✅ Typical Club Med 4-Trident style with nice view ✅ similar style to newer resort like les arcs ✅ comfortable pillows and bed mattress ✅ cleaned (except for carpet and bed throw) ❌ carpeted rooms is dirtier ❌ Not very nice linen and hard towels ❌ Rooms above the bar are noisy until midnight—many complaints from guests from 6th and 7th floor ❌ Bed throw should be removed—likely not washed between stays. ❌ No bedside plug points—should be updated (Les Arcs has USB ports). ❌ Old TVs—not smart TVs ❌ Clubmed should add a Nespresso type machine to rooms instead of instant coffee

Laundry: ❌ Only 3 washers & 3 dryers—always full. ❌ €5 per wash, €3 per dry, no detergent provided (Les Arcs provides it).

Village & Shopping: ✅ 7-10 min walk to the main village. ✅ Ski shops nearby (Zenith, Intersport, North Face). ✅ Accessible by a standing lift from the main ski area.

Supermarkets: ✅ Small supermarket next to Club Med. ✅ Better options at Spar & Carrefour in the village.

Skiing Back to Club Med: ✅ Two ski lifts—Plein Sud & Pioneers—always get you back. They both reach just above Folie Douce

Gym & Spa: ✅ Well-equipped gym with weights & treadmills. ✅ Great masseuses at the spa. ✅ Complimentary steam room + private spa steam room. ❌ No pool or jacuzzi.

Adults & Atmosphere: ✅ Fewer kids = more mature atmosphere.

Nightlife & Entertainment: ♠️Shows every night but around 10pm ❌ Rooms facing bar area are noisy until midnight—many complaints.

Final Thoughts: Great skiing, instructors, slopes, and salad bar, but service lags behind Les Arcs, and facilities need upgrades.

Would I return? Yes, for the skiing and clubmed recipe.

Overall Rating:...

Extremely Disappointing Stay – Club Med Val Thorens Does Not Live Up to Expectations

As Platinum members of Club Med, having visited over 15 resorts worldwide, we had high expectations for our stay at Club Med Val Thorens. Unfortunately, this was one of the most disappointing and poorly managed resorts we have ever encountered. The Club Med spirit, which makes these vacations special, was completely absent, and the service was unacceptable for a premium resort of this price range.

Arrival – A Poor First Impression

Our transfer from the airport was a disaster. The driver was exhausted and visibly irritated, to the point where we had to ask him to stop for a coffee break because his fatigue was becoming a safety concern. To make matters worse, just five minutes after leaving the airport, he turned back because he had forgotten something personal. This level of disorganization and unprofessionalism was shocking and set the tone for the rest of our stay.

Upon arrival at the resort, there was no assistance with our luggage. No warm welcome, no staff offering help—just a cold and disorganized reception.

Lack of Cleanliness & Maintenance Issues

The entire resort lacked proper maintenance and cleanliness. The elevators had a terrible odor, the common areas were neglected, and our room had stained sofas and even broken windows. These issues are simply unacceptable for a resort of this category and price.

Restaurant Service – Frustrating and Unprofessional

One of the worst parts of our stay was the restaurant service. The waitstaff was nowhere to be found, making even something as simple as ordering a glass of wine a frustrating task. Tables were poorly cleaned, and one of the waiters even placed a tray full of dirty dishes on our table.

To make things even worse, waiters and even ski instructors were eating in the restaurant alongside guests, helping themselves to food, and taking up tables while ignoring guests who were waiting for service. It is absolutely unacceptable that paying customers were not prioritized.

Bar Staff – No Interest in Service

The bar staff had no motivation whatsoever. Their attitude was disinterested and unwelcoming, as if guests were an inconvenience rather than customers paying for a premium experience.

Where Was the Club Med Spirit?

One of the things we love about Club Med is its unique, engaging atmosphere created by the G.O. team. Here, that spirit was completely missing. Not a single G.O. approached us throughout our stay, something we have never experienced before in any other Club Med resort.

Even the Village Chief, Yanis, was nowhere to be found. He was only seen at night and never made an effort to introduce himself or interact with guests. The lack of leadership and oversight was evident throughout the entire resort.

Departure – The Same Lack of Service

Just as no one helped us with our luggage upon arrival, there was also no assistance upon departure. For a resort that claims to offer a premium, all-inclusive experience, this lack of basic hospitality is simply unacceptable.

Final Verdict – Not Worth the Price, Not Worth the Stay

Club Med Val Thorens was a huge disappointment. The poor service, lack of cleanliness, disengaged staff, and overall neglect make it one of the worst Club Med experiences we’ve had. For the high prices they charge, guests deserve much better.

Until major changes are made, we absolutely do not recommend this resort, and we will not be returning. If you are looking for a true Club Med experience,...

Had high expectations of this club med after staying at another resort. However, this club med was rather disappointing for the following reasons:

Misrepresentation of the ski-in-ski-out concept

On its website, club med says that this resort is a ski in ski out. However, please note that it is NOT a ski in ski out for beginner skiers. I am a complete beginner and attended the beginner class. It turns out that the beginner area is thirty minutes away, so for each 2.5h lesson in the morning and afternoon, we had to i) carry out skis for a long walk up and down slopes, across the road etc., ii) return from the beginner area either by doing the same walk or take the Val thorens shuttle bus. This means that it takes 30 mins per trip to the beginner area, which means approximately 1h of each lesson is spent lugging your skis up and down slopes or take the bus. The fact that the instructors put us on the bus after each lesson is extremely clear that this is not a ski in ski out for beginners and they are aware of this.

I feel that the website should have been a lot clearer that this is not a ski in ski out for everyone. The whole point of us choosing this holiday resort is so that it is a ski in ski out for beginners and a comfortable way to learn skiing for the first time.

Reception staff is unprofessional and unhelpful

We had a few reasonable requests that were rejected by the reception staff each time.

a) We asked them for more mineral water and they told us to boil water ourselves. Note that Club med already provides a bottle of mineral water, so we were just asking for another bottle. The reception refused to provide this to us. Luckily, we managed to speak to the housekeeping directly and she was nice and provided it to us with no further questions asked. I don't understand why Club Med reception wouldn't try to be helpful?

b) We asked them for toothbrush and toothpaste on the first night (as we didn’t have any and expected that a 4 star hotel would be OK with providing), this was in the evening around 8pm, and they told us that they will send it to our room via housekeeping. We waited for 30 mins, nothing, so we called reception again. Reception then told us that they are not able to provide this except to the suite rooms. I was surprised because the first reception person had told me they will send it up to us. Then they changed their message and said it is not possible, without even informing us while we were waiting. We said that it was very late in the evening and would appreciate if they could make an exception and send us the toothbrush and toothpaste. They told us to go to buy these items ourselves.

the pros about this hotel: food quality is typical club med, very extensive buffet, good food, always lots of canapes and snacks to be had ski instructors are good nice hot shower

I have written to club med by email and hope that they can address some of these issues - will update if...