Club Med Les Deux Alpes

I am happy to be the first person reviewing this village at this site. This is my thirteenth CM ski trip, the fourth in the Alps with CM. This was the season opening week for this village. I was able to book the room at a very favorable rate, at the price of sharing the room, in late July. My risk was the lack of snow, and there was plenty. This is a very pretty village, being renovated in 2007. The decor has modern flavor, the three elevators work efficiently, and there are locks at the ski racks. There is a laundry room which also has an ironing board. There is no separate boutique, the merchandise is displayed around the reception area. There is only one restaurant and one bar, but as a three trident village this is sufficient. There were few guests at the beginning of the week (Sun-Sun), later more people arrived. Some GMs did not understand the CM concept, but I created my own ambiance, and many GOs and the guests liked it. The GOs were enthusiastic and fun loving. Yhe GOs were easy to engage in conversation. The CDV was very visible. She participated in many shows, she made announcements before and after all the shows in English and French, she was greeting at the restaurant everyday during almost all the meals (I do not see this much involvement in the American zone). English was widely spoken, although ability to speak French was a (big) plus (sometimes an icebreaker). The drink quality at the bar was good/very good. The corkage fee was E10. The food choice and the quality were more than expected for a three trident village, and the dessert/ice cream was at four trident level. The raclette was a popular dish. We had oysters more than once. The wine at the table was decent. The wine was requested from the server. They did not hesitate to leave the bottle on the table, if asked.In addition to square tables, there were plenty of round tables of seven (hint Sandpiper hint), and they were well attended. Meeting other GMs were not difficult at all ( unlike Sandpiper and Cancun-hint the American zone management). The people seated themselves.
There were three shows because of being the first week, however five shows were planned. The shows were nice. The chief of animation tried hard. The rehersals were taxing him and the GO team, yet in three mornings he created animation at the ski room during departure. The disco ambiance/the music was good. The bar closed at midnight, this did not mean everbody left at that time. There was a soda machine near the bar, The espresso/cappucino machine near the bar was cute, it also reduced the waiting time for coffee/tea, and the workload of the bar.
The ski group lessons (five days) were given by the instructors of the local ski school, thus they were not GOs. On the sixth day the guests were on their own to ski. At the end of the fifth day each group met with the instructor, and the GMs received feedback on their skiing abilities, and a booklet confirming their skiing level ( a first in my experience at the CM ski resorts). This is a big ski domain, the infrastructure is very good. Many, but not all slopes were open. Some days were not ideal for skiing but our group did not miss a second on the slopes. We were able the ski on the glacier. I did not feel pressed in the ski room, probably because the village was not full. The ski lifts worked well, and they were fast.
My room was small (by US standards) with three beds. However I was alone, so I enjoyed the space. In the room, there was a TV ( who needs it) and a hairdryer with US electric plug, with the option 110/220 V. The telephone wake-up clock was accurate (unlike Sandpiper and Turkoise). The shampoo, the soap and the body gel were replaced as needed ( not daily), a current practice in the three trident villages. No hand lotion was given; I requested one and I received it. The bed was comfortable. My silver member gift was a six piece box of artisan chocolate ( www.maisonguinguet.com ).
Unlike my previous visits to CM in the Alps, I did not take the CM transport from Paris. I purchased the train tickets online, and I stayed two days before and two days after in Grenoble, a major city and gateway to some ski resorts. There is an express bus (www.transaltitude.com) and a local bus (www.transisere.com) to the resorts ( including Les Deux Alps and Alp d'Huez) from Grenoble. The latter is quite inexpensive. There is a free shuttle at the resort and the shuttle stop is in front of the CM building. There is also a shuttle bus from Geneva airport (www.aerocar.fr). Thus this CM village is easily accessable. I recommend to spend some time in Grenoble. The city has a practicle public transport system, and some museums are free.
The dress codes were: Dec 9 Sun black&white, Mon-red&black ( I had packed a solid red shirt, expecting this dress code. I impressed some GMs and the CDV), Tue-white&jeans, Wed-elegant, Thu-45 t-shirt &black, Fri-smart, Sat Dec 15 cappucino ( I had also predicted and I was ready for this color).
This is a family village with a mini club, but beacuse of the schools, very few children were around; and they did not create any discomfort. Overall I was pleasently surprised by this village. This is a great place for the singles, the couples and the families. This week was a steal based on what I had paid for the land and the transport. I may go back this season, if I catch a similar deal.