If you arrive by coach transfer, there is a funicular by the bus station which takes you to your accommodation. You will go to the lifts on the right hand side of the building. Take the lift up to the 3rd floor and go through the shopping centre. Once you exit the shopping centre, turn left and you will see the funicular. This is open 24/7 and you can also use this to get back down to the bus station.

Parking

Pets allowed

Free parking

WiFi available in all areas

Non-smoking rooms

Family rooms

Heating

Skiing

Ski storage

Ski school*

Free WiFi

Indoor pool

Board games/puzzles

Smoke alarms

Fire extinguishers

Contactless check-in/check-out

Cashless payment available

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SOWELL RESIDENCES Pierre Blanche

Les Menuires

This place is quite interesting, I have two tips:

1. If you are browsing this accommodation as an option then move on.
2. If you have booked, then bring the following:
    a. A sense of humour;
    b. Cleaning products;
    c. Mattress covers; 
    d. Earplugs; and
    e. Low expectations.

The experience in February 2022. This 4 star accommodation is above the resort. There is an unreliable and pokey funicular thing that is used to get from resort level to the accommodation, or a long walk, or maybe even a taxi. I shall be frank and state that this way of accessing the accommodation is at first novel and amusing, but after a few apres trips out hugely frustrating and a single reason to not bother with this place.

However, if you can see beyond this and you do come here then after your long journey and your first experience of the funicular you will have the pleasure of checking in. On my arrival to the reception (which is modelled on a custody suite) I joined the back of a queue. Now being British a queue is not something to shirk away from, especially if there are only 5 other people in front, but 1 hour and 20 minutes later I had the room keys in my hand. A queuing duration only equalled in pleasure / theme parks and on that basis I should have had the most enjoyable stay in this accommodation. I was disappointed that 4 star reception chose not to be available 24 hours a day, as I often felt the need to not be helped by them at any time during the day and night.

I was allocated an apartment on floor 6. An option of stairs or a lift to get from bottom to top is expected for 4 star accommodation, so I should have been excited about a continuation of these high standards. The standards did indeed continue, there was a locking door to the apartment. 

It was once I opened the door that the other 4 star elements were in fact discretionary. Hygiene and cleanliness, the 'do it yourself' approach was kind of unique for a 4 star, and when I had finished the initial cleaning I was proud that I could personally raise the accommodation up a further star. 

The carpark view was nice (I like cars). The kitchen facilities had everything one could need, except a work surface. The bedroom was missing the 4 star ensuite, or maybe I was just unlucky. The bathroom was functional, I especially liked the built in foot bath that was a feature of the shower tray, and this foot bath didn't even need a plug! One of the televisions worked, which is all a couple really needed anyway. Once I was acclimatised though (and when I tried really hard to ignore how much this cost) it was OK. If not the 4 star room that I may have paid for.

The accommodation is ski in and ski out. This is a massive bonus when set against my apartment being on floor 6, the ski / boot room on floor 2 and the exit to the walk to the snow on floor 1. Actually, forget the ski / boot room as it was more of a store room for laundry, with no heated boot storage and questionable security, resulting in most guests taking their kit to their rooms. This came with associated and constant clomping noises as all guests liked to do the ski boot shuffle in the rooms and corridors at all times of the day and night. Lovely.

The swimming pool. I took a look at this potential 4 star highlight. Great credit to the owners who appear to have made a summer sheep dip facility into some form of entertainment for humans (children mainly) in the winter. The compliance with hazard signage was lacking on the door, but any sense of smell or sight should trigger a cautionary approach to entering the pool room.

The 4 star dining facilities, in a similar way to hygiene, took a do it yourself approach. The in house dining options consisted of a pizza bar (I never saw this open though), a functional bar serving beer, wine and coffee and a mini market selling many items so one can fulfil the option of self catering. There was plenty of choice, and the bread was nice in the morning. Eating out was easier.

Now that I have been home for over a week I have had time to reflect on my stay in the  Sowell Residence. I can set my experience against my other resort experiences over the years and if I think really hard I could come to the conclusion that in the past I have underpaid for excellence.

Sadly, I can't come to that conclusion. I can only conclude that the experience here was under-whelming, disappointingly expensive, lacking in quality, at the lower end of cleanliness, a poor customer experience and  the accommodation not as advertised. 

I am also disappointed that Crystal Ski include this accommodation as one of their Les Menuires options (although I didn't book through Crystal).

Choose wisely people, but don't pick this one.

Have a good think before you book this place

We booked two apartments both were absolutely filthy and seemed to have not had a good clean in months! Dishwasher also doesn’t work and nobody at reception or answering calls 
Photos are completely not what you get 

DISGUSTING 

We were a large group with 3 apartments. The apartments were extremely basic, and simply not clean (despite a whopping Eur90 cleaning fee). The images make the apartments look luxurious - they are not... they are like basic student accommodation. There are no double beds and the tiny singles were rock hard and extremely uncomfortable.There is only one toilet. The pool is just a little bigger than a hot tub. On the plus - location was good and ski in ski out was brilliant. Loved Les Menuires but will never in place again.

Misleading images, Tiny, filthy apartments

We were a Party of eight consisting of myself, my wife and daughters aged 19 & 23 stayed in a two bed apartment also my eldest daughter her husband and two grandchildren aged 10 and 13, who stayed in single bedroom apartment. Both apartments were on the small side, but served their purpose very well, both apartments were clean, suitably furnished with  kitchen area consisting of cooker.hob , sink , micro wave with grill crockery, pans and cutlery  and with plenty of cupboard space, table 6 x chairs and sofa bed in the lounge area. Bedrooms had Plenty of wardrobes  and a safe. The bedrooms consisted of two single beds together and were hard. Not to my taste. But that's my opinion. There are double doors leading to a balcony which does get partial sun during the day.
There is a ski room but we never used it, we kept our skies and boots in the room, also there is a swimming pool, but again unable to comment because we did not use. 
Access to the slopes varies depending which building and floor you are in. There are three buildings 1 & 2 have good access building 3 smallest and only has four floors and access to the slopes is on the 4th floor, we were on level 1. Ground floor so we had to get the lift up to 4, across the car park then walk to access the slopes,  it's a short walk up steps and stepped slope walk way to the rear of the building across a bridge, beginners would find it hard in ski boots and carrying skis.  That's the negative of these apartments but in reality were good value, there is amenities consisting of a small supermarket, pizza bar, lounge bar area, sports wear shop and reception. Bed lining and towels collected at check in and extra provided if requested. 
Les Menuiers and three Valleys ski area is fantastic with great skiing including snow cannons if lack of real snow, Les Menuiers has everything and more cost effective than its neighbouring resorts. Les Menuiers has everything from bars , restaurants for adults, but there is safe sledging area for kids, ski school x 2 Prosneigh and ESF. Direct Access to the piste areas is simple and well provided for with fast modern chair lift Les Menuiers, Rock 2 and you can ski down to pick up other chair lifts to other areas. The pistes were well groomed, cared for with plenty of artificial snow, from many snow cannons at night time,  despite having no snow which arrived before we arrived and the weather was good whilst we were there, variable with sunny days and cloudy days. 
My grandchildren and son in law went into ski school their first time skiing and by the end of the week were skiing red runs. The rest of us skied everywhere across to. Merible, Val Thorens, and Motteray. I would highly recommend this self cantering holiday apartments and the three Valleys ski area. We had a fun Christmas as a family 

3.9/5

SOWELL RESIDENCES Pierre Blanche

3.9/5

Les Menuires is great for:

The snow is forecast to be

Good

for the next week

Accommodation

Facilities