Résidence Les Balcons de Val Thorens 4 étoiles & Spa — Hotel in Albertville

It was lovely! We hired the rooms in 218 & 228 (for 14 people) located on 3 separate floors with one common living room & kitchen In building 2 (where reception & SPA is).

1. Easy access to the slopes - you can go down from Plein Sud (La Folie) directly to our building)
2. Sherpa store across the entrance (more expensive) and Soar store (cheap) 9min walk. You can also take the free bus to Spar as it stops at Les Balcons
3. Amazing SPA, peak hours 4-6pm
4. Renovated rooms, I wish I had take more photos but refer to the site - they’re the same!
5. Covered parking available at level -1/-2 (€68/7 days). Electric car stations inside the building
6. Free fast WiFi
7. walking distance from all clubs/pubs/restaurants

Everything seems to be renovated. We had 2 queen size beds bedrooms (on the third floor). They both have narrow ceilings so I wouldn’t recommend them to tall people. My only downside is the bathroom on the third floor - you have to squat to shower (unless you’re under 1.50m) and the shower handle can’t be attached anywhere on the wall. Pitty since it’s a huge spacious bathroom with lovely sink and mirror, but the shower is in the worst place. The other 2 bathrooms were amazing! You have 2 hairdryers & soap, douche gel and shampoo in each one. Kitchen is superb, slightly narrow so more than two people can’t be there at a time. I’m in love with the living room! We also had a huge smart TV, you can bring your firestick or connect to your phone. We got 2x raclette grills from the reception for a meal in. We were in building 2 (I recommend) and all we had to do is take the lift to -1 and we had direct access to the SPA. It was clearly well maintained and expanded. Of course it’ll be busy between 4-6pm when everyone’s back, so I don’t understand why some people complain?? It’s expected, just come during non-peak hours if you want it empty. It’s not a private SPA at the end of the day :) We had parking (€68 euros for 7 days) and the cupboard for the ski equipment is very handy.

We paid £550 for accommodation & ski pass with our travel agent, so worth the price and not expensive for sure! I’d definitely return next...

We stayed in one of the larger apartments in Les Balcons for the Christmas holiday. We chose this place for the number of bedrooms and price, but i don’t think we got what we paid for. ||The apartments have so much potential to be really nice, but the maintenance on these places is really lacking. Upon arrival, the dust bunnies from under the bed were literally jumping up and down, multiple showers had drainage issues and one shower head just didn’t stay in place. We contacted the front desk and nothing was done, which was generally the experience from the front desk staff - apathy. We asked 3 times for a maintenance person to come, and only on the third time did they actually send someone. The maintenance person was super friendly and nice, but first you have to get the attention of the reception staff, which is not so easy. ||We were not told the location of our ski room, so we also spent a good 20 minutes trudging around with our skis and boots, with two kids in tow no less, using the most antiquated lift, to no avail. Finally we were told it was just down the hall from our room. ||We were also given a key that did not work for our apartment. When we alerted the front desk, the reaction was, “Well did you try the key?”. Of course we tried the key… I would not bother going to the front desk if it was working. They gave us the correct key, but the poor attitude and apathy of the front desk staff really left a bad taste in my mouth. ||The pool and spa area was nice, but I was super confused why the showers only had freezing cold water. I find that a deterrent for getting people to shower before entering the pool and hot tubs. ||I’m not sure I would stay here again or would I recommend it if in Val Thorens. I am sure there are better places for the price you pay. They should use the money for some needed basic maintenance in order to restore the apartments to a basic...

Disappointing stay at Les Balcons ** after 12 years

After 12 years, I returned to Les Balcons ** (having visited more frequently in the past), but unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed after spending a week there.

I was quite shocked by how little has been invested in the apartments over the years. The furniture in the bedrooms and bathrooms has remained the same for over 15 years. The hallways, chalet floors, and escalators are visibly worn and in poor condition. The mattresses were completely worn out (coal-like indentations in the material). The entire building is extremely noisy. Parking is extremely limited. The kitchen is far too small: in an 8–10-person apartment with 110 m², only two people can cook at the same time.

What really bothered me was the lack of transparency before my arrival. I specifically inquired about the last major renovation of the bathrooms and, despite multiple follow-ups, I never received a clear answer. I also requested photos of the bathrooms, but none were provided. Once on-site, it became obvious why: the bathrooms no longer meet the standards of a four-star apartment—at best, they would qualify for a three-star rating. The current condition speaks for itself, and I believe the website intentionally avoids showing updated images.

On the positive side, I really enjoyed the location, the ski-in/ski-out access, the balcony, and of course, the fantastic views. The kitchen is also new and equipped with Siemens appliances.

Overall, you pay far too much for what you actually get. As long as so many people continue booking these chalets, I doubt anything will change—this place feels more like a pure cash cow than a true...