Thinking of visiting Les Arcs for the first time? Read this for some honest facts about the French ski resort.

Les Arcs is a great place. I should know I've spent enough time there. In fact, it's almost like my second home. We have just booked another trip to Les Arcs in March so I thought I would take the opportunity to pass on some honest opinions about the resort for the benefit of anyone thinking of taking a holiday there.

Don’t stay in Les Arcs 1800 if you want alpine beauty. The resort was built mostly in the 1970’s and many of the apartment blocks are outdated. Large blocks like the Belle Challes and the Nova have lots of tiny apartments filled with bunk beds that gives a prison feeling to them. From the outside the blocks look more like huge cruise ships than quaint alpine chalets.

Do go on the torch lit descent from L’Arpette restaurant. The mountain restaurant holds an evening meal most weeks of the winter season. Meet there after the lifts close, drink lots of wine, eat lots of cheese, dance on some tables and then ski down in the dark. It truly is an experience that you don’t want to miss.

Don’t expect to go home with much money. Les Arcs 1800 is expensive. Lift passes are expensive, the bars are expensive, the restaurants are expensive, car parks are expensive, even the supermarkets are expensive. Embrace that fact, go prepared and don’t let it ruin your holiday.

Do drink a shot of Genepi. Les Arcs 1800 has excellent nightlife. The bars shut at 2am and the nightclub goes on until dawn. There are plenty of bars to choose from - Bar King Mad for the younger, trendier crowd and Red Hot Saloon is a student haven. Visit Before Café for some cheesy pop music and a shot of Genepi, Chez BouBous for a nice mix of French and English and L’Etranger for a truly French experience. Whatever you do, you will know if you’ve had a good night by how much is missing from the kebab you don’t remember buying.

Don’t miss out on the slopes. With all the nightlife it is tempting to just drink the night away and spend the next day in bed. As any experienced skier/snowboarder knows, nothing cures a hangover faster than a few runs. As Les Arcs is in the Paradiski area, the ski area is massive so you will have plenty to choose from. If you buy a full Paradiski pass you’ll certainly be pushing yourself to visit everywhere on the two mountains in one week. The Les Arcs area itself is a big area and there are plenty of different runs to suit all levels. Visit the snowpark for some good fun and later on in the season, take on the Altiport swimming pool for a challenge. 

KIMBERLEY BARBER

Me on the slopes in Les Arcs, France