This was my third visit to Val d'Isere and the third hotel at which I have stayed. The previous visits were to the Hotel Blizzard (4 Star)next door and the Le Becca (2 Star) out at Le Laisanant. The Tsanteleina compares unfavourably with both for different reasons. First,the positives.We booked direct online and this was efficient. The room was large and light which is unusual for the Alps. The hotel was conveniently located for both the centre of the village, bus stop and the ski slopes. Now the negatives. On the first night when exhausted from a long journey to the resort we were kept awake by a persistent intrusive high pitched vibrating noise which we had to report 3 times before a member of staff came to investigate. Although assured on the second occasion we complained that the noise was coming from the kitchen and would stop by 1130pm, it didn't.The member of staff came up to the room after midnight and told us there was nothing he could do.The noise stopped at gone 130am by which time we were fully awake.Although the noise did not recur to the same degree the staff made no effort to establish whether the problem had resolved. We ate in the resturant on two occasions the second being theNew Years Eve Gala dinner.It was unmemorable and symbolic of food created by a cook who thinks he is a chef.At €100 per head it was just not good enough.The breakfasts were standard buffet affairs.One morning a promised two minute wait for bacon extended to 15 minutes.it arrived only after raising it with the restaurant manager who could not have tried harder to be surly and rude.I witnessed him behave the same way with other guests. When the bacon arrived it was significantly under cooked.the staff had clearly forgotten about it then prepared it in a rush.Not good enough in a restaurant which was only quite busy. The suite with room for 4 people involved my son's bed being placed in what was effectively the entrance lobby with the entrance being opposite a noisy lift. The main room had a locked door which clearly led to the next room.Our neighbours were not noisy but we could hear them very clearly and presumably vice versa.If they had been into the nightlife of Val d'Isere we would have had yet more disturbed sleep. The bath had a leak and every time we ran water we were subjected to the strong smell of sulphur/rotten eggs which lingered for some time.
The spa was accessed by two lifts and lots of walking .It was well equipped and spacious but the sauna and steam rooms were either too cool or too hot.In fact, we called the inner chamber of the latter "the steam room of death" because of its constantly dangerous heat. Access to the ski locker involved initially leaving the hotel main entrance going down some steps then re-entering through a different entrance and a further inner door.A minor quibble,but symptomatic of an establishment that doesn't have its house in good order. Val d'Isere is an expensive resort but is so good in lots of ways that the premium one pays to stay there is usually acceptable.But at €542 per night for three people staying bed and breakfast in a spacious double masquerading as a family room when accompanied by all the attendant faults we were very let down.