Accommodation

We offer a wide range of accommodation, including:

• Self-catered studios and apartments in properties with shared facilities like swimming pools or saunas, sleeping anywhere from 2 to 20 guests

• Individual self-catered chalets

• 3- and 4-star hotels, including some smaller family-run hotels

• Great value lodges

We choose our accommodation for their high quality, facilities and location. The properties selected in each resort are all located either within easy reach of a ski lift and/or of the village, with free shuttle buses also departing from close to most of our accommodation.

Please note, the photos we use on our website of our properties represent the type of accommodation available, but room sizes, décor and furnishings may vary.

Most of our properties operate on a Saturday to Saturday basis so your arrival day is Saturday unless otherwise arranged/stated. Your accommodation will generally be ready for you to arrive between 5pm and 7pm (sometimes mid-afternoon for hotels) and you are requested to leave by 10am on departure day.

If you plan to arrive later, you need to let us know in advance so we can advise the property. If you are delayed on route, you must call the contact for your accommodation (usually the reception or a chalet manager) to inform them in advance.

Arrival and departure times, and the telephone number for the contact at your property will be stated on the accommodation information sheet included with your travel documents.

For most apartments and for hotels, key collection will be from the reception at your property. For self-catered chalets, your documentation will specify but this could be a chalet manager who meets you at the property, or an agency in the resort that looks after the chalet on behalf of the owners.

The address of the property and the key collection address (if different) will be on the accommodation information sheet included with your travel documents.

Bed linen and towels are provided in most of our properties. This is specified within each property description on our website, so check this to be sure. Most include these in the price you pay but, in a few cases, there is a charge to hire them. If you’d like to do so, you must request these through us at least two weeks in advance so that we can advise the accommodation supplier.

In many properties, where bed linen is provided, beds will be made on arrival (except the sofa bed in the lounge). If this is the case, it will be specified in the property description on our website. Where this is not the case, you may be able to pay to arrange this.

If you are hiring bed linen and towels, these will either be left in the property for you or given to you at reception when you check in. If you are delayed and will arrive outside of reception hours, when you call them to let them know, it’s worth reminding them to leave the bed linen and towels in your accommodation for you.

In most residences at the end of your stay beds need to be stripped, and the bed linen and towels should be left in a pile within the accommodation or returned to reception – the correct procedure will be advised to you by the team on site.

Unless specified in your accommodation description on our website, end-of-stay cleaning is not included and it is normal that cleaning products are not provided. Some properties will give you a small cleaning kit with limited products, or there may be a chance to buy a cleaning kit for a small supplement from reception.

If end-of-stay cleaning is not included, you can choose to do this yourself or, in most properties, pay a supplement for this. In all cases, properties must be left clean for the next occupants. If this is not done, money will be deducted from your security deposit.

When end-of-stay cleaning is included or when optional end-of-stay-cleaning is paid for, it never includes the kitchen area so the fridge still needs to be emptied, the washing up done, the dishwasher emptied and the bins taken out. In most residences, beds need to be stripped and the bed linen and towels should be left where indicated by the accommodation staff.

Security deposits are requested at check-in for all self-catering accommodation. This is usually taken as an amount that is blocked on a debit or credit card and then released at the end of your stay, providing nothing needs to be charged. You’ll find details in the accommodation descriptions on our website. A hotel may also take an imprint of your card in case of any additional charges.

Security deposits are designed to cover the cost of any damage to your accommodation during your stay or the cost of any item that gets broken. They are also designed to cover any cleaning issues (i.e. if end-of-stay cleaning was not included in the price and you did not leave the accommodation in the state in which it was found then a cleaning charge will be levied by the accommodation provider).

All self-catering accommodation has an inventory list which will either be handed to you on arrival or will be already in the accommodation (often displayed in kitchen cupboards). All accommodation is checked between clients but it is just not always possible for the local staff to spot everything immediately. If you notice anything missing/broken upon arrival, you should report it as soon as possible to contact for your accommodation (usually reception or a chalet manager). You generally have a maximum of 24 hours to do so. Anything that is not reported within the stated time and that is found upon your departure will be deemed to be your responsibility and will generally lead to deductions from your security deposit.

If you break anything during your stay, you should report it immediately and repairs will be carried out as soon as reasonably possible or a replacement will be sought. As security deposits are held by the accommodation providers themselves, Peak Retreats cannot become directly involved in disputes regarding these, but we are always happy to help if needed.

Our properties are all fitted and furnished to a good standard of comfort and convenience and are fully equipped for basic holiday needs. We recommend that you bring some basics with you such as tea towels, salt & pepper, coffee, tea etc. and toilet roll. You will be able to buy all these things in resort but the local supermarkets are more expensive than those in the valley so it's a good idea to bring them with you from home or stop on the way.

In all our apartments and chalets, even those in our premium selection, the living areas are generally designed to be used as additional sleeping areas. As a result, there is likely to be a maximum of one or two sofas in even the largest apartments, and these will be convertible sofa beds rather than the types of sofas you would usually have at home.

The properties we feature are designed to be used predominantly as holiday accommodation so they will be functional but they will not offer full home comforts. The kitchen areas, for instance, will generally be compact and may only have equipment suitable for basic cooking rather the full range that you may have at home (e.g. no proper oven unless otherwise stated).

Please note that TV (where listed) generally means a television with only French terrestrial channels unless satellite TV is indicated. With satellite TV, the number of English language channels may be limited to news channels such as CNN & BBC News and other freely available international channels.

Where an alcove or cabin bedroom is mentioned this is a separate sleeping area that is normally off of the living room or in the entrance hall, but has generally no door or window. Usually with bunk beds. Please note that a French regulation stipulates that children under six years of age should not sleep on the top bunk.

A residence is the French term, short for Résidence de Tourisme, for a building housing a number of apartments and studios that are designed as holiday accommodation, but which have private owners. Residences will often have superb communal facilities such as a swimming pool, spa, wellness area and lounge often with an open fire. This makes them ideal for holidays where additional facilities are important. The majority also have a reception, where you will collect your keys and you can often order bread and croissants for daily delivery. You’ll also have use of a ski locker and underground parking is usually available too (often payable).

Most of our apartment residences will offer the possibility of borrowing a cot and high chair. Some will also have baby monitors and baby baths to loan. This will be detailed in the description of the accommodation on our website. It’s important to tell us at time of booking if any of these are required as there are limited numbers in each property. Cots sometimes do not come with mattresses or cot linen, to ensure safety. We can check if this is the case in your property when you enquire.

Half-board includes breakfast (sometimes continental, often as a buffet) and dinner. Meals are usually based on a table d'hôte fixed menu, though usually alternative dishes will be available on request. Meals usually start with dinner on the first day of your arrival in resort and will finish with breakfast on your day of departure. Please note that some hotels may be unable to cater for strict special diets and whilst most can cater for vegetarians the choice of menu is often limited. Speak to our team if you have any specific questions around dietary requirements, we are happy to look into these for you.

All properties are checked and cleaned between clients and therefore should be as you would expect on arrival. Like with anything, issues can, of course, arise on occasion e.g. the cleaning team missed something or there is something broken that was not spotted.

As explained in our Booking Conditions and in the information included with your travel documents, it is absolutely essential that any issue is reported to the contact at your accommodation immediately (i.e. as soon as you enter the accommodation and notice anything). They manage the accommodation and they will have the resources to address any concern. Our main concern is that any issue that may arise is resolved as quickly as possible to minimise the impact on your holiday.

If for some reason the problem is still not resolved within a reasonable timeframe after it has been reported locally, you should then contact us in the UK at the earliest opportunity. It’s better to report issues and get them resolved, and we are here to help you with that. Post-holiday feedback will bring the issue to management attention for the benefit of future clients but unfortunately won't help you during your stay so we would much rather be made aware of issues when they occur.

A mezzanine is an open plan area above and overlooking the living area; it is often open on one side and usually accessed by means of a loft ladder or steep staircase. A mezzanine can often be used as a bedroom but, due to the access, are generally not recommended for young children or older guests.

A duplex apartment (sometimes referred to as split-level) is an apartment arranged over two floors. A triplex is arranged over three floors.

Dogs and other pets are only allowed at certain accommodation (generally apartments). It is essential that you check with us beforehand in any case. Otherwise, please assume that dogs and other pets are not allowed in the accommodation and cannot be brought under any circumstances. When animals are allowed, there may be a charge for this.

Where there is a fitness room at a property, this will not be a full-blown gym. They are designed for occasional/casual use so have limited equipment and are usually fairly small.

If a property is described as ski-in/ski-out or as having doorstep skiing, this denotes that you should be able to ski to or from 50 metres of the accommodation, conditions permitting and subject to a skier’s ability. When a property is made up of several different buildings or chalets, some may be further away from the slopes and therefore, this definition applies to the overall property rather than to each individual chalet.

The French Government’s Agence Regionale de Santé stipulates that for health & safety reasons pool temperatures should be between 25-27C for indoor pools and 24C for outdoor pools. This could mean that the water seems a little cooler than what you may be used to in the UK.

Please note that in France it is public swimming pool’s health & safety policy that swimming trunks are compulsory in the swimming pool, swimming shorts or similar are prohibited. Many residences and hotels with pools have a similar policy but that said sometimes the rules are not enforced as strictly in this type of pools so you could take both!

If there is a pool at your property, it may not always be open all day or every day, please check opening hours on arrival. Please note, that as it is not a legal requirement in France, some of the swimming pools do not have depth markers and equally there will be no lifeguards on duty at accommodation pools.

WiFi in the mountains is generally not as good as you would find elsewhere due to geographical constraints impacting on the path of the signal or the installation of cables, it can sometimes even be impacted by the weather. The signal may be intermittent and slow at times, particularly at times when everyone in the property may be trying to use it.

For some properties, WiFi is only available in the reception area and not in the apartments. We will specify if this is the case. Where WiFi is available in your apartment, the number of connections may be limited (to avoid overloading the system). If WiFi isn’t mentioned in the description, it is because it isn’t available at the accommodation.

Unfortunately, no. Although most residences and hotels try to discourage smoking on their premises, it is not possible to prevent people smoking in their apartments or rooms. When apartments or hotel rooms are checked between two sets of guests, the accommodation staff will always aim to eradicate any odours. If any remain, please report this immediately to the accommodation staff on arrival.

There is currently no legislation in France that prohibits smoking in holiday accommodation (except in the public areas) or which makes holiday accommodation providers offer dedicated rooms for smokers and others smoke-free but our accommodation providers will always encourage a respectful attitude by all guests.

Some properties have baths, others have showers, some have both a bath and a shower. This will be detailed in the particular accommodation description on our website.

When we refer to a shower room, this means that there is just a shower (rather than a shower and a wc). In the case of bathrooms, we will generally state ‘Bathroom with bath’ when there is a bath.

Please note that in France not all baths have a shower attachment or even a shower screen. In some properties not all apartments of the same type are identical (so some may have a shower whilst others may have a bath), but the detailed description will state this. Where different configurations are described, we can make a request for a particular type but please note that we are unable to give any confirmation of this (please refer to the FAQ about special requests in the FAQ about the booking process).