France

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany)

Sleepy, great value ski village with value chalet accommodation - great family skiing resort

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Overview
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Pros & Cons
Restaurants
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Vaujany resort guide - a general overview

Voted 'The Best Small Resort of the Year' in the 1997 edition of the Good Ski Guide, and 'The Best Family Ski Resort' in 2009. Vaujany is a small and rural village perched on the hillside of its own sector of the Alpe d'Huez skiing area. The village is served by a huge queue-free cable-car which whisks you up to an impressive 2,800m. The village of Vaujany is lovely - very quiet but not much in the way of an apres ski scene, this isn't really a problem though as there are many fantastic chalets in Vaujany for you to relax in after a day on the slopes.

As a result of the compensation from the French government for the building of the local hydro electric dam (which submersed some of the land that belonged to the village) this small community is exceedingly wealthy. Consequently the infrastructure of the village would put resorts such as Whistler and Courchevel 1850 to shame. There are plenty of pedestrian escalators accessing the various levels of the resort (very little uphill walking required) and the leisure centre (25 metre swimming pool, full size ice skating rink, basket ball court and bowling alley) is very impressive indeed. A new creche will shortly be added to the leisure centre which will make Vaujany a truly outstanding family ski holiday destination.

Resort stats

220km

1,250m - 3,320m

Level of skiing

Beginners

Intermediates

Experts

Snow sure

Off-piste

Ski area

Qualities

Charm factor

Non-skiers

Nightlife

Resort layout

Fine dining

Short transfer

Resort value

Airports

Grenoble: 1hr 30mins
Lyon: 3hrs
Geneva: 4hrs

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4 ski chalets in Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany) View All

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany), France

Chalet Dibona

Sleeps 6

Average Price

£302 pp

Fireplace Traditional feel Self-Catered

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany), France

Chalet Rostaing

Sleeps 12 - 16

Average Price

£296 pp

Fireplace Traditional feel Self-Catered

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany), France

Chalet Saskia

Sleeps 20 - 26

Average Price

£616 pp

Hot tub Sauna Fireplace Near resort centre Cinema/TV room Good views Self-Catered

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great Nursery slopes that are gentle, sunny and easily accessible
Extremely efficient modern lift system to access the snow sure Alpe d'Huez ski area
Pretty and traditional village with a very friendly atmosphere
Highly recommended nursery/creche in Vaujany
Fantastic tree skiing for experts

Cons

No Nursery slopes in the village, beginners need to catch the gondola to the Montfrais area
Not a huge variety of restaurants, but more than enough for a week's holiday

Restaurants

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany) Resort Restaurants

Vaujany has a decent range of restaurants in the resort. If you are looking for fine dining, try the IDA Restaurant in the Hotel V. Here they offer a set menu or a la carte gourmet food. For more traditional local specialties, La Table De La Fare and Le Chalet Gourmand are both favourites. If you have a car it is well worth driving to Auberge La Cure near Oz en Oisans, the food here is top notch and excellent value for money. Other recommendations are La Mi Do Re for pizzas and La Crepe'rit for sweet treats.

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany) Mountain Restaurants

Good cuisine is not just limited to hotels and ski chalets. Vaujany has some superb mountain restuarants. The Bonsoir Clara restaurant is reputedly amongst the best on the mountain boasting an innovative menu combining traditional mountain flavours with modern French twists and a great wine list. L'Ile D'Oz and Les Airelles also come highly recommended. La Grange at the Alpette mid station serves good pizzas made on the premises in their traditional, wood burning pizza oven.

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany) Apres Ski

There are three or four bars in Vaujany where you can have an apres-ski tipple before heading to your hotel or ski chalet. Vaujany is generally pretty low-key, however, and is better suited to families or those looking for a quieter holiday.

Alpe d'Huez (Vaujany) Nightlife

Le QG bar has a fun atmosphere if you want to get out of your hotel or ski chalet. Vaujany is not the most lively of places though so do not expect a thumping nightlife scene.