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Which Is The Best Belambra Ski Club In France?
Belambra is a hugely popular skiing holiday company in France, with 14 different resorts in the Alps.
But which is their best resort?
If you want the brief summary without seeing all our working then here's the headlines:
Read on for the full comparison, including review scores, facilities and access to the slopes.
But which is their best resort?
If you want the brief summary without seeing all our working then here's the headlines:
- Flaine, Panorama is a great choice, with outstanding reviews, a swimming pool and sauna, all-inclusive meals and easy access to the slopes. Its main downside is that it's a relatively small skiing area.
- Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil is a better option if you want a wider range of slopes. It doesn't have a pool and it is marginally behind Flaine, Panorama on reviews.
- For a budget ski holiday, try Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc. It's not as posh but customers like it and you can go half board rather than fully catered.
Read on for the full comparison, including review scores, facilities and access to the slopes.
Which Belambra ski resort hotel or Belambra ski club gets the best reviews?
Let’s start by looking at review scores on Google Reviews, TripAdvisor and Booking.com. We added together scores to come up with an average rating and then ranked them from highest to lowest:
*We couldn’t find enough reviews on Booking.com for this resort, so we just included two scores to create an average. We rounded to the nearest percentage. Scores are correct at the time of typing (2024).
So, there is a significant range in review scores, with Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel (70%) as the least popular resort with customers and Belambra Flaine, Panorama (86%) as the most popular. Other popular resorts include Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes (84%), Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil (82%) and Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc (82%). A score of 70% is the equivalent of 3.5/5 whilst 80% is 4/5.
- Belambra Flaine, Panorama – (4.5/5 on Google Reviews + 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor + 7.8/10 on Booking.com) = 86%
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes – (3.9/5 + 4.5/5 + 8.3/10) = 84%
- Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil – (3.8/5 + 4.5/5 + 8/10) = 82%
- Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc – (4.2/5 + 4/5 + 8.1/10) = 82%
- Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf – (4/5 + 4/5 + 7.9/10) = 80%
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes* – (3.9/5 + 4/5) = 79%
- Belambra Tignes, Val Claret – (3.9/5 + 4/5 + 7.6/10) = 78%
- Belambra Les Saisies, Les Embrunes – (3.9/5 + 4/5 + 7.6/10) = 78%
- Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles – (3.9/5 + 4/5 + 7.5/10) = 78%
- Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères – (4/5 + 4/5 + 7.5/10) = 78%
- Belambra La Plagne, Hôtel Le Terra Nova – (3.8/5 + 4/5 + 7.4/10) = 77%
- Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge – (3.4/4 + 3.5/5 + 7.2/10) = 76%
- Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva – (3.6/5 + 4/5 + 7.1/10) = 74%
- Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel – (3.5/5 + 3.5/5 + 7/10) = 70%
*We couldn’t find enough reviews on Booking.com for this resort, so we just included two scores to create an average. We rounded to the nearest percentage. Scores are correct at the time of typing (2024).
So, there is a significant range in review scores, with Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel (70%) as the least popular resort with customers and Belambra Flaine, Panorama (86%) as the most popular. Other popular resorts include Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes (84%), Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil (82%) and Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc (82%). A score of 70% is the equivalent of 3.5/5 whilst 80% is 4/5.
Belambra Flaine, Panorama is a high scorer with customers
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Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes is another Club with good reviews
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Which Belambra ski club is the most luxurious and has the best facilities?
Each Belambra Ski Club has a rating of either 3B, 4B or 5B - which gives you an indication of how luxurious and well-equipped it is.
According to Belambra, you get more activities, longer hours for kids clubs and posher food by upgrading from 3B to 4B. Meanwhile, with 5B resorts you get cooking workshops, themed-parties and nicer décor.
When we compared the ski resorts, we found a few other differences between the Belambra 3B, 4B and 5B resorts.
So, which of the Belambra Ski Clubs fall into each category?
You will have noticed that it isn’t necessarily the case that the resorts with the highest review scores also have the highest Belambra ratings. For example, Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc is popular with customers but is a simple resort with fewer luxuries. It achieves a higher rating that Belambra Tignes, Val Claret which is a 5B Belambra Club.
There are also some Belambra ski resorts which are Hotels rather than Clubs, so these aren’t given the same type of rating. Instead, these are given a star rating. Three of the Belambra hotels get a three star rating (Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes – 84%, Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères – 78% and Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva – 74%). We couldn’t find a star rating for Belambra La Plagne, Hôtel Le Terra Nova on the Belambra website, but we believe it is also three star-rated.
According to Belambra, you get more activities, longer hours for kids clubs and posher food by upgrading from 3B to 4B. Meanwhile, with 5B resorts you get cooking workshops, themed-parties and nicer décor.
When we compared the ski resorts, we found a few other differences between the Belambra 3B, 4B and 5B resorts.
- 5B resorts offer an ‘all inclusive’ holiday where you get all meals, unlimited drinks and snacks. With 4B and 3B Ski Clubs you could choose whether you wanted full board or half board.
- 3B resorts gave the option to book your own ski lift passes. They are included with half board and full board options but not if you just go for basic board.
- One of the 3B resorts charged extra for bed linen.
So, which of the Belambra Ski Clubs fall into each category?
- There are two Belambra ski resorts with a 3B rating - Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc (82% customer review score) and Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge (76%).
- Belambra ski resorts with a 4B rating include Belambra Les Saisies, Les Embrunes (78%), Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel (70%), and a 'Residence' called Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles (78%).
- 5B Belambra Resorts include Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf (80%), Belambra Flaine, Panorama (86%), Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes (79%), Belambra Tignes, Val Claret (78%) and Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil (82%)
You will have noticed that it isn’t necessarily the case that the resorts with the highest review scores also have the highest Belambra ratings. For example, Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc is popular with customers but is a simple resort with fewer luxuries. It achieves a higher rating that Belambra Tignes, Val Claret which is a 5B Belambra Club.
There are also some Belambra ski resorts which are Hotels rather than Clubs, so these aren’t given the same type of rating. Instead, these are given a star rating. Three of the Belambra hotels get a three star rating (Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes – 84%, Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères – 78% and Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva – 74%). We couldn’t find a star rating for Belambra La Plagne, Hôtel Le Terra Nova on the Belambra website, but we believe it is also three star-rated.
Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf is a 5B resort - which is the top rating
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Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil is another 5B rated resort
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Which Belambra ski club and ski hotel is closest to the slopes?
All of the Belambra ski hotels and ski clubs offer the ability to ski in and out of the hotel. This is a big plus!
However, there is some variation in how close they are to the nearest ski lift.
It was quite difficult to find out these details, so there may be some small errors but think we’ve got it about right! Feel free to get in touch if you happen to know that we are way off the mark!
However, there is some variation in how close they are to the nearest ski lift.
It was quite difficult to find out these details, so there may be some small errors but think we’ve got it about right! Feel free to get in touch if you happen to know that we are way off the mark!
- Belambra Flaine, Panorama – 10m
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes – 50m
- Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc – 50m
- Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères – 100m
- Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge – 100m
- Belambra Tignes, Val Claret – 125m
- Belambra La Plagne, Hôtel Le Terra Nova – 75m
- Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil – 150m
- Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf – 150m
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes – 150m
- Belambra Les Saisies, Les Embrunes – 200m
- Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel – 200m
- Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva - 300m
- Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles – 1000m
Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères isn't far to the nearest ski lift
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Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge is also well located for getting onto the slopes
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Which Belambra ski club and ski hotel has the most ski slopes?
If your only experience of skiing so far is a couple of hours in Milton Keynes or Tamworth then you won't need to worry too much about how many kilometres of slope can be found at each resort. You will likely spend several days going up and down the same slopes rather than setting off on a massive exploration.
However, if you are a keen skier than you will want to explore further. We compared the total distance of ski slopes at each resort and ranked them from most to least.
So, we can see that there is a significant difference in the range of skiing available in the Belambra resorts. The winner in this category is Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil (customer review score of 82%) but there are several resorts that aren’t far behind.
Of course, you can often travel a little further to find more slopes not too far away. These figures are just for the slopes in the skiing domain for each Belambra Club, Hotel or Residence.
However, if you are a keen skier than you will want to explore further. We compared the total distance of ski slopes at each resort and ranked them from most to least.
- Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil – 650km
- Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles – 600km
- Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères – 600km
- Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel – 600km
- Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf – 425km
- Belambra La Plagne, Hôtel Le Terra Nova – 425km
- Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge – 425km
- Belambra Tignes, Val Claret – 300km
- Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva – 300km
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes – 225km
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes – 200km
- Belambra Les Saisies, Les Embrunes – 192km
- Belambra Flaine, Panorama – 146km
- Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc – 100km
So, we can see that there is a significant difference in the range of skiing available in the Belambra resorts. The winner in this category is Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil (customer review score of 82%) but there are several resorts that aren’t far behind.
Of course, you can often travel a little further to find more slopes not too far away. These figures are just for the slopes in the skiing domain for each Belambra Club, Hotel or Residence.
Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil has a huge choice of ski slopes in the area
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Which Belambra ski club and ski hotels have a swimming pool?
A swimming pool isn't essential for a ski holiday, but it can be a rather nice bonus when rarely used muscles start to ache.
By my count, five of the Belambra ski clubs and hotels have indoor swimming pools for guests.
These include:
It should be mentioned that several other resorts have saunas and other ‘wellness’ facilities but if you want an indoor swimming pool then you’ll need to pick from one of these!
By my count, five of the Belambra ski clubs and hotels have indoor swimming pools for guests.
These include:
- Belambra Flaine, Panorama (86%)
- Belambra Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc (82%)
- Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes (79%)
- Belambra Tignes, Val Claret (78%)
- Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles (78%)
It should be mentioned that several other resorts have saunas and other ‘wellness’ facilities but if you want an indoor swimming pool then you’ll need to pick from one of these!
Belambra Flaine, Panorama is one of half a dozen resorts with indoor swimming pools
Which Belambra ski club and hotel is in the best skiing resort?
This one is a little tricky to quantify, as everyone is looking for something slightly different in a ski resort.
However, Conde Nast Traveller produces an annual guide to Europe’s best ski resorts, which is always worth a read. One resort that gets a mention is Avoriaz – home of Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil. It said that “Thanks to an ingenious lift-and-escalator system, there’s not a spot in town you can’t ski to”.
Meanwhile, another Conde Nast Traveller guide to the best ski resorts in France also gave approval to Les Arcs, home to Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf and Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge. It said that Les Arcs offers “something for everyone, with car-free centres, easy ski-in, ski-out access, gentle woodland runs and steep, high-altitude bowls”.
The Times also produced an article on the best ski resorts in France and recommended Les Menuires, home of three Belambra ski clubs - Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles, Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères and Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel. It said that “the slopes around this perennially underrated resort are among the best in the whole of the Three Valleys.”
The same article also recommends Tignes, where you’ll find Belambra Tignes, Val Claret and Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva. It said that “the odd white-out is a small price to pay for the chance to ski Tignes’ magnificent U-shaped valley and its crowning Grande Motte glacier”
Next, The Times article recommends Les Deux Alpes as somewhere “Best for less experienced intermediates who are happiest on blues, not reds”. There are two Belambra Clubs in the resort - Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes and Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes.
The same article also mentioned Les Arcs, which we discussed in the Conde Nast section above.
However, Conde Nast Traveller produces an annual guide to Europe’s best ski resorts, which is always worth a read. One resort that gets a mention is Avoriaz – home of Belambra Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil. It said that “Thanks to an ingenious lift-and-escalator system, there’s not a spot in town you can’t ski to”.
Meanwhile, another Conde Nast Traveller guide to the best ski resorts in France also gave approval to Les Arcs, home to Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf and Belambra Arc 2000, L’Aiguille Rouge. It said that Les Arcs offers “something for everyone, with car-free centres, easy ski-in, ski-out access, gentle woodland runs and steep, high-altitude bowls”.
The Times also produced an article on the best ski resorts in France and recommended Les Menuires, home of three Belambra ski clubs - Belambra Les Menuires, Le Hameau des Airelles, Belambra Les Menuires, Hôtel Les Bruyères and Belambra Les Menuires, Neige et Ciel. It said that “the slopes around this perennially underrated resort are among the best in the whole of the Three Valleys.”
The same article also recommends Tignes, where you’ll find Belambra Tignes, Val Claret and Belambra Tignes, Hôtel Le Diva. It said that “the odd white-out is a small price to pay for the chance to ski Tignes’ magnificent U-shaped valley and its crowning Grande Motte glacier”
Next, The Times article recommends Les Deux Alpes as somewhere “Best for less experienced intermediates who are happiest on blues, not reds”. There are two Belambra Clubs in the resort - Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes and Belambra Les Deux Alpes, Les Crêtes.
The same article also mentioned Les Arcs, which we discussed in the Conde Nast section above.
Belambra Arc 1800 L’Hôtel du Golf is in Les Arcs, which is a highly rated resort
Conclusion
There's a lot of information to take in there, so let's attempt to summarise with a massive great chart, including the following:
- What's the average review score?
- What's the luxury level, according to Belambra? It ranges from 3B to 5B for Belambra Clubs and has a star rating for Belambra Hotels.
- Are they in resorts that are recommended by either Conde Nast Traveller or The Times in the recent articles mentioned above?
- How many miles of piste are available locally?
- Is there an indoor swimming pool?
Resort |
Review |
Luxury |
Conde Nast/ Times |
Pistes (km) |
Pool |
86% |
5B |
No |
146 |
Yes |
|
84% |
*** |
Yes |
225 |
No |
|
82% |
5B |
Yes |
650 |
No |
|
82% |
3B |
No |
100 |
Yes |
|
80% |
5B |
Yes |
425 |
No |
|
79% |
5B |
Yes |
200 |
Yes |
|
78% |
5B |
Yes |
300 |
Yes |
|
78% |
4B |
No |
192 |
No |
|
78% |
4B |
Yes |
600 |
Yes |
|
78% |
*** |
Yes |
600 |
No |
|
78% |
*** |
No |
425 |
No |
|
76% |
3B |
Yes |
425 |
No |
|
74% |
*** |
Yes |
300 |
No |
|
70% |
4B |
Yes |
600 |
No |
Right then, here are my conclusions!
Flaine, Panorama is an excellent choice for an all-inclusive Belambra ski club. It's very new and it has excellent facilities including a swimming pool, sauna and treatments. It's also close to the slopes and ski lifts. However, it's not as large a skiing area as most on this list so very keen skiers may end up exploring further after a few days.
If a wide range of ski slopes is important to you then Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil may be a better choice. It is another high-end all-inclusive resort but it has many more slopes and it's in a popular resort. The ski slopes are nearby and customer review scores aren't far behind Plaine, Panorama. It doesn't have a swimming pool, but it does have a sauna.
If you want a cheaper and simpler Belambra ski club, where you have more flexibility to eat out then I would look at a Belambra hotel called Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes where you just get breakfast included or Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc, which is a 3B grade resort with good reviews. You can choose a half board option to keep costs down.
Flaine, Panorama is an excellent choice for an all-inclusive Belambra ski club. It's very new and it has excellent facilities including a swimming pool, sauna and treatments. It's also close to the slopes and ski lifts. However, it's not as large a skiing area as most on this list so very keen skiers may end up exploring further after a few days.
If a wide range of ski slopes is important to you then Avoriaz, Les Cimes du Soleil may be a better choice. It is another high-end all-inclusive resort but it has many more slopes and it's in a popular resort. The ski slopes are nearby and customer review scores aren't far behind Plaine, Panorama. It doesn't have a swimming pool, but it does have a sauna.
If you want a cheaper and simpler Belambra ski club, where you have more flexibility to eat out then I would look at a Belambra hotel called Les Deux Alpes, Hotel L’Orée des Pistes where you just get breakfast included or Orcières 1850, Le Roc Blanc, which is a 3B grade resort with good reviews. You can choose a half board option to keep costs down.
Images are from Belambra.
