This French vacation club is geared toward families and has great ski trips in the Alps for skiers of all ages and abilities.
In a few words
It might seem crazy to go on your first skiing trip with small children, but the Belambra Neige et Ciel club in Les Menuires, France, is made with the youngest guests in mind. It has baby gear, kids’ clubs, a children’s food station, and a great location right next to the slopes. Not to mention that mom and dad could get wine on tap…
How to get there
Gatwick to Geneva is an easy 90-minute trip, and then you take a bus to get there. This took less than three hours and wasn’t as windy as I thought it would be, which was a relief when traveling with kids who get car sick easily. You can also take a train or cab, or you can rent a car and park for free at the hotel. The airports in Chambery, Lyon, and Toulouse are all less than 110 miles from Les Menuires.
The Hotel
In the 1960s, Les Menuires was built to be a place for winter vacations. It is in the famous Trois Vallees ski area of the Alps, between Saint Martin de Belleville and Val Thorens. Its modernist building is known for being ugly, but after a snowless winter, it looked like a white wonderland to our family. There’s also no denying how good the slopes are and how many family-friendly things there are to do, like ski schools for kids and seasonal events.
The Resort
Belambra is a vacation club in France that has 63 sites all over the country. We chose the Neige et Ciel hotel instead of a nearby self-catering choice because we wanted a break from our usual daily tasks and because it’s right next to the slopes and we could “ski in, ski out.” It’s not fun to have to take your own skis and poles on and off a bus, let alone your kids’.
Our family room on the 15th floor was simple, but it was clean, warm, and very cozy. It had a TV and a fridge where we could keep snacks. You can reserve a cot, bottle warmer, baby bath, and baby chair ahead of time. You can also borrow a hairdryer from the front desk, which will save some space in your suitcase.
The entrance of the hotel has a TV and table football, and the candlelit bar has a candyfloss station, a roaring fire, a dance floor, and evening entertainment for both kids and adults, like karaoke and cover bands. There is free WiFi in both places. If you run out of clean, dry ski socks for the kids, there is also a laundry room.
Its time to ski
Parents have plenty of time to hit the slopes or take lessons if they need to because the Belambra has great child care. You can rent skis, poles, boots, and helmets from the ski room in the hotel’s basement. The main La Croisette area, where many lifts start, is just a short ski away, and two baby slopes with carpet lifts are close by and can be reached without using a chair lift.
ESF also has a safe Piou Piou children’s kindergarten with animals, games, and indoor and outdoor activities, as well as ski obstacle courses and games. There is a place for students to eat their lunch, and there is also a place where parents can watch their children without them knowing. Lessons and lift passes can be booked in advance through the hotel to save money.
Family meals
Our half-board package came with breakfast and seven tokens per person that could be used for either lunch or dinner. There is full board, but it was easier for us to get a snack on the slopes during the day.
The food is given buffet style, but it is top-notch and there are a lot of options. Our dinners turned into five-course affairs with soup, fresh salads, steak with potatoes in a special way, and then wonderful desserts and local cheeses. After a day of burning calories on the slopes, we didn’t feel the least bit bad about filling up our ski boots and drinking the red and rose wine on tap. All of the kids will love the dessert area.
The restaurant had a lot of highchairs and booster seats, and I was surprised by the “families with babies” area right next to the food, which had microwaves for warming up milk and meals. There was also a spread for babies with yoghurt, fruit, pureed vegetables, and pasta.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, you can pay extra to eat in Les Hermines, a small dining room, and enjoy a traditional Savoyard meal like fondue, along with table service and a list of local wines.
Clubs for kids
The Poisson and Renardeaux children’s clubs are open to kids from 3 months to 6 years old every day. There is also a service to watch kids in the evening. The rooms are in the hotel’s basement and are safe. They are full of toys and play equipment, and there are planned activities to keep them busy. During school breaks, there are extra clubs for bigger kids.
For an extra fee, Ecole Ski Francais staff can take young snowboarders to and from their lessons. At 5:30 pm, Leo, the club’s fox mascot, meets younger guests in the bar and puts on shows like clown shows and a dance. Get ready for your kids to fall in love with him.
You should know that the clubs and events are all in French, but the staff can speak English pretty well.
Other things to do
If you’re not a natural ski bunny, you can walk five minutes from the hotel to the resort’s Sports Centre, which has an indoor pool, a soft play area for kids, and a relaxing zone with a sauna, steam room, and Jacuzzi.
You can borrow sleds from the hotel, or if you’re feeling brave and your kids are at least 7 years old, you can try the Roc n Bob, a 4km luge track that runs down the mountain. It’s a lot of fun! Daredevils older than 5 can also go on Speedmountain, which is a short bus ride away and has a 1000m rail slide where you race against the resort’s mascot, Boukty.
Or, take a free shuttle bus to beautiful Saint Martin for a cup of hot chocolate and a tour of the town’s small but interesting museum, which shows how winter sports changed the area.
The final decision
Even though we were worried, everyone in the family said this was one of the best vacations they had ever been on and that it was a great deal. The hotel was wonderful for what we needed. It was great for little skiers, and we slept like logs every night. We’ve started saving for next year.
