This place is OK if you are young and don't mind skiing or boarding without any sleep. It's noisy, not just from 'auberge de jeunesse'-type guests but also from piston bullies on nearby slopes (this of course means you're close to them, which is good).

Upon arrival we were told we couldn't check in until 5pm. Fine; we went downstairs to check our bags into left luggage. When we had lugged our stuff downstairs (lifts out of action due to 100s of guests milling around), we were told with a Gallic shrug, <<il n'y a plus d'espace>>. oooook. As we have a 3 year-old, we chanced it and managed to get the keys for 4.30pm. There was otherwise nowhere to sit or stand.

The room is small and very basic. As a veteran of Center Parcs' variable standards, I am used to chipped pine and mildew, but the room is dirty, especially the bathroom. It is pretty insanitary, and we are not all that het up about such things. You get a great view of the crusty toilet when sitting in the bath, but at least there is a plentiful supply of hot water whilst admiring the view, and smell. And if I had a) thousands of crusty teenagers tramping their ski gear through the corridors and b) Plentiful negative reviews on TA, maybe I wouldn't bust a gut to clean either.

It's not a place I would recommend for small kids. Lots of swing doors and bad lifts blah blah. But it was available at short notice for our skiing trip, and there are good facilities in terms of the bar, restaurant and supermarket in the building. It's convenient for lower Thorens, though those seeking a bit more bar action may prefer upper Thorens. The building is cavernous and the elevator system merely bonkers, but once you accept that you will never understand why L is the top floor and C the bottom (and why one lift riser is two floors shorter than the other), you get past all that.

I wouldn't come back. Ever. But when it's -20 outside, really you're just pathetically grateful that the Place is warm.

Me and my boyfriend stayed here from 28th Jan 2012 until the following Saturday. It was my birthday the day after we arrived so it was nice to spend it skiing. The apartment itself had everything you needed if you like eating pasta or any other food you can cook on a hob. Anyway, positives about the apartments are:
- Equipment: It's basic, but there's everything you need like pots and pans and cutlery.
We stayed in one that sleeps 2-4, but like lots of other reviews i've read if your going in a group of four you better be a close group. There are 2 sofa's that when everyones ready for bed you put sheets on and sleep on, I would say they are comfy but not exactly what we were expecting going as a couple and spending the week in seperate beds but hay ho.
Another positive is that it is right next to the slopes so it is ski in/ski out. However, one downside is the ski lockers there were 3 in our block and after collecting our ski's after arrival we went on a hunt for them. After 10 minutes with no luck we went back to reception to ask if they knew to which the reply was "I don't know". It's wasn't very good that even the staff didn't know where anything was in the building. However, we did find it after the first day of skiing on Sunday (Tip: If your staying in apartment building Cuzco its on floor D) and right next to the ski room is the door to the slopes so this was another positive.

Now on to the negatives. After staying in the apartment for 3 days we were counting down the days to leave. We were kept awake until 2-3am each morning by people either in or outside shouting/setting off fireworks. We felt there was no point in complaining because the apparent 24hr security were not seen until we were checking out after a week at 5am. Furthermore, on the 3rd day of staying there we left the apartment to find a half naked boy/man on the floor (naked bottom half) who we had to step over and this was at 6pm. Not what you want to see, especially is your off out for a meal.

The room itself...
We don't know what was spilt in the bath?! It looked like it hadn't been cleaned ever but when I tried cleaning it, it just wouldn't budge so only god knows that.
The glass in the balcony door was hanging out and the wood holding it in was rotten so we left that well alone. We were concerned that we would lose our 200 euro deposit over this but thankfully not. (Please be aware that there is a 1euro charge per person per day just for staying in Val Thorens which you have to pay when checking out, however, the person on reception the morning we left forgot this and we haven't been charged)
The rubbish is disgusting, with people just leaving outside their apartments in the corridors and when checking out somebody had thrown their's all the way down the corridor to reception which was the worst part of the holiday. By this time we were ready to go home and we won't be going back.

The check in was quick but busy and I think the staff need a little more training. There is a restaurant in the apartments that does nice pizza's (we went 3 times in the week) but it is pricey! And the supermarket in the apartments was always busy, expensive and full of arrogant, pushy staff!!

Overall, we got hardly any sleep, were ripped off for so called 'pot noodles and bread' which was all you could buy and were exposed to. We won't be staying there again.
We don't have a clue why Neilson do business with them!!!
One last thing, a tour group held apres ski parties right outside our apartment from 4 till late and this was the main noise plus there was a group of students from uni that urinated off their balcony and threw their wasted food onto the slopes outside. Oh yeah and people running round inside at 2-3am with what sounded like their ski boots on.
All in all, the apartments were ridiculous and dirty!

Ok, so we've stayed here before and we really ought to have know better and so perhaps I have no right to write this review.

But then maybe I do because I paid good money!

The room / apartment ... very leaky shower, wobbly table. missing coffee pot, lights that didn't work.

Atmosphere ... the noisiest corridor on Planet Earth with hammered students running up and down the corridors, banging on their own doors at 4am because they had locked themselves out using foul language. As I type this there is a party in full swing. We even found one poor soul who hadn't made it back to his room lying in the corridor. My 5 year old just laughed at him which probably added insult to injury. Why do people think its ok to have noisy party's in their rooms and leave the front door open? Trust me, I'm no party pooper. I like a few bevvy's and a good night out but I am wired to behave with consideration for my fellow guests when returning to my room!

Staff - they couldn't give a toss. As long as the place is full that's all they give a monkeys about.

In all, it really is worth saving hard all year so that you don;t have to slum it in this place and can upgrade to somewhere like the Montana Village which has an all together more civilised approach. And its too expensive for drunk yobs (and sober staff) who don't care a jot about the other fee paying guests staying in rooms around them.

If you're after a loud party location then this is the accommodation for you... However if you like a clean room, walls without mould on them, and a restful nights sleep without students running up & down the hotel corridors at 3am.

Great location for ski in, ski out but the carpets were filthy, the toilet tiny, and in comparison to the photos on Crystal's website it looks like the pics are 20years old, when the hotel was possibly built?