Snowsure: 4.4
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Flaine is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Flaine Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
January 23, 2011
JT - Coventry from
United Kingdom
JT - Coventry from
United Kingdom
Just back from a week's skiing in Flaine/Grand Massif. This is the 2nd time I've visited this resort (1st visit in January 2009), and I've not been disappointed, despite the slightly poorer conditions on this occasion due to a lack of fresh snow.
Accomodation was courtesy of Le Totem Hotel in Flaine Forum. The overall package was very good, with the evening meals served being a particular highlight - excellent - almost cordon bleu standard! The lunches were also of a good standard, but the breakfasts were a little lacking with no cooked options and the porridge tasted like wallpaper paste! The rooms were small, but clean and functional and the hotel staff were polite and friendly.
Ski school for me on this occasion was provided by ESI (Ecole Ski International) which I was able to book via their own website prior to travelling to France. The instruction was excellent, and my technique (and speed!) has definitely improved - Thanks Seb!
All in all, a great holiday and particular praise goes to the piste bashers who groomed the slopes to a very good standard each night, despite the aforementioned snow-less conditions over the past few weeks. I would recommend Flaine to anyone, and would be more than happy to visit again - an excellent, functional resort with a good range of pistes to suit all levels of ability.
December 15, 2010
Gavski from
Pakistan
Gavski from
Pakistan
December 02, 2010
John Tolan from
United Kingdom
John Tolan from
United Kingdom
Flaine is not well known amongst British skiers - which is a shame. It is a huge ski area with a a great snow record. It has an excellent variety of pistes for all levels and more importantly a huge expanse of superb off-piste skiing possibilities. The resort is growing from it's Bauhaus inspired original purpose built resort with a range of architectural styles now in the valley. It has seen a significant improvement over the past three years in uplift. It's a functional resort - not chocolate box pretty. That said, it is well set up for families and the wider ski market - the night life could improve and prices are a bit steep as are most French resorts. A specialism of Flaine is the permanent ski race training on offer every day of the season. Flaine Superski offers race camps and ad hoc race training for improvers as well as for kids and potential instructors looking to pass the Slalom Test Technique and Eurotest GS Race. It is these factors that made me buy a property in Flaine rather than many other better known resorts. I haven't regretted it. Being only an hour from Geneva airport, its super accessible.
November 29, 2010
Andrew Keenan from
United Kingdom
Andrew Keenan from
United Kingdom
We've been, as a family, to Flaine now for the past 3 years and my 6 year old son is now a competent blue/red run skier thanks to the ESF ski school and child friendly runs which the resort can boast as having in abundance.
Whilst the après-ski isn't up there with some of the better known resorts this is, in my view, a good thing, but there still are some decent bars, in both Flaine Foret and Flaine Forum, to enjoy.
In terms of skiing and boarding there's no end of great runs to take on, and when there's fresh snow the off-piste is as good as any! The local shop in Flaine Forum is affordable and we regulary bought beer/wine, snacks, etc..
Overall, our experience of the resort can be summarised as welcoming, not overly extortionate, fast lifts and short queues, great expanse and child friendly!
Would we go back again? Without doubt, yes.
September 25, 2010
T J from
United Kingdom
T J from
United Kingdom
After marrying a man who's been all round the world skiing and is crazy about skiing, I decided I had to have a go, our destination Flaine. He'd been before and actually wanted to go back. Well, what a place, many describe it as ugly, I think it's fantastic. It has much to offer for people of all levels of skiing ability. The shops can be expensive but it's a ski resort, none are exactly cheap - it's not a cheap beach resort. As for bars and restaurants, there are a few and there are some that take turns in having happy hours (just after skiing's almost finished - perfect). Love the 'White Bar' and as for restaurants you can't get much better than Les Cimes; omg the best calzone you will ever eat, and the staff are brilliant. As for the skiing, well, it speaks for itself. The slopes are fantastic; I learnt to ski there courtesy of my poor husband and I wouldn't want to learn anywhere else. After visiting other resorts Flaine is the best place ever, so much so we decided to buy a place and now call it our second home, which means plenty more skiing to be done and I can't wait!
June 17, 2010
M Stead from
United Kingdom
M Stead from
United Kingdom
Having skied and boarded in different parts of the world I can say that Flaine is one of the best resorts I've been to.
From the mountain the architecture blends in really well, unlike Hameau. No need to get on the bus or drive. I've had to drive 30 mins to get to the slopes in some resorts.
There are some very good restaurants and some not so good.
If you want good service from a ski shop try Black Slide; nice people who go out of their way to help.
So to the people who knock Flaine: please carry on, it helps to keep the slopes quieter for us.
March 28, 2010
Susan from
United Kingdom
Susan from
United Kingdom
Flaine is expensive - but no more expensive than other French resorts, and relatively cheap compared to say Courcheval, and anywhere in Switzerland! Some bars such as the Perdrix Noire have reduced their drinks prices a little to help the Brits suffering from a weak sterling.
A baguette is 90 centimes like everwhere else. You must have bought a British-style sliced long-life loaf - in France these are overpriced and tasteless.
Hotels are indeed Flaine's weak spot, it really does need more and better.
We love Flaine. We have been literally dozens of times. Its snow record is second to none. The skiing is fantastic, and user-friendly. Pistes are well maintained and the Grand Massif area is huge. The lift system has recently been upgraded with several state of the art high-speed 6 and 8 person chairlifts and new telecabines.
Like most European resorts Flaine can be very busy in the February half-term holidays, so if you don't have School age children, go in January or March and you will have the slopes to yourself!
You would have been better-off buying skiing gloves from a ski shop, not a photographic/gift shop. The ski shops are generally trustworthy, reasonably priced and helpful; Flaine Super Ski is my favourite for reasonably priced and serviceable gear.
I wouldn't buy anything from the gifts shops in Flaine. I wouldn't from a UK resort gift shop either! I too have experienced some rudeness and shoddy overpriced goods in Flaine gift shops.
People say Flaine is ugly, but the mountain area is undeniably very beautiful. The buildings are not chocolate-box style, thank goodness, because to house the same number of people, the mountain would have to be covered in densely packed chalets! Whats more, you would have a long walk to the slopes. In Flaine you are never far from the snow. The concrete buildings don't seem too out of place in the summer set against the grey limestone cliffs. The Bauhaus style blocks may not be everyone's idea of pretty, but several have been listed for their architectural merit, and designers include Marcel Breuer.
So don't write Flaine off for one bad experience. Take it up with the Hotel company and the Office de Tourisme.
March 09, 2010
Rebecca Parker from
France
Rebecca Parker from
France
We visited Flaine in February 2010 and stayed in the La Flaine hotel on full board basis.
The resort is very expensive, a pint of beer is 8EUR, burger and chips 14 EUR, to buy a loaf of bread 8 EUR! The ski lifts and runs were quite busy and French skiers just cut right in front of queues!
The hotel is rated 3 stars but is more like 2 stars really. The rooms are very basic and walls are too thin so noise is a real problem, especially as the hotel is really popular with families with young kids. Our rooms smelt of urine for the whole weeks we stayed there! The restaurant food is fairly basic; both of us ended up with a tummy bug after just two days of eating there!
Local shops at Flaine are very expensive; watch out for shops selling poor quality stuff at high prices. We bought a pair of ski gloves for 26 EUR from the Photozoom shop, which only lasted one use and fell apart. We tried to get them exchanged but the shop owner just blatantly refused saying there were no exchange or refunds offered!
All in all, this resort is not worth the money, the Mayrhofen resort in Austria is miles better and much cheaper. We will definitely not be going to Flaine again.
January 29, 2010
Goggs from
United Kingdom
Goggs from
United Kingdom
January 25, 2010
lauren maynard from
United Kingdom
lauren maynard from
United Kingdom
I totally disagree with a comment placed in a recent review. I have been to Flaine many times and the snow forecast description is spot on. V. good skiing, good lifts, easy to get to from Geneva and one of the ugliest resorts in Europe. Nowhere decent to eat and hideous hotels. But I did have a lovely time skiing there!
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