Sowell Hotels le Parc & Spa

It was good stay for our family. The location was good, facilities, breakfast. All the staff friendly and helpful, espcially in SPA and pool area.

This was the second time at this Hotel (Jan 2023) and I must say the quality was very much the same (minus the shell on prawns unfortunately) no matter - what was there was all good especially food, drink and comfortable room. My only criticism on the all inclusive would be the bar for spirits was from 18:30 -- 18:00 would be better. Water available 24/7 in the lounge area as the tap water is not suitable for drinking. Showers are of a weak spray - just about get the soap out of short hair (feel sorry for anyone with long hair) Didnt get to the spa area this time but adequate facilities last time.

.So do not recommend this hotel. The bread during breakfast was not fresh, especially if you went for breakfast early. There was also little variation in the bread. The rooms are very small, especially the toilet and the bathroom. Price, quality does not really match!

We stayed here with 2 for a ski holiday of 1 week, all in. First night we were shocked entering the dining room, a feeding shed 'vreetschuur' as we call it in Dutch. Tables close to each other to cramp as much people as possible in it. However, the longer we stayed the more we got used to the hotel's limitations. The more I was tempted to give 4 stars,specifically because of the staff. Looking back, no it is not worth that. So, 3 stars. Food is mediocre, with plenty of choice though, every evening several different courses. French fries were very good (in France). Desert is very good as well. The smell in the hotel and particularly in the hallways is chemical as if they want to cover an even worse smell. Also in our small room the same smell, making you opening the window fully and all night long. Breakfast is good with again lots to choose from, and you are able to make a take away lunch. That's a positive to this ski area, you have a lot of pic-nic areas to eat your own food, and the other places don't make an issue out of it when you do so. Small separate toilet, in so small that if you want to wipe your bottom you need to open the door. In the small bathroom, you can only be there as 1 person, there is a very good shower with shower gel tubes, you find nowadays in every hotel. The beds are ok, semi-hard. Staff is very friendly, and very active in cleaning everywhere and everything. You don't need to bring your smart clothes as everybody walks around in very casual attire.

A group of 13 of us have just returned from a stay here, for a week skiing in Serre Chevalier. We were "all-inclusive" with Crystal Ski, though it's worth noting that it's not a hotel exclusive to Crystal - the rep does visit sometimes, but there's nothing like a welcome meeting (despite the sign) or an info board. It was great to have a multi national hotel rather than just "brits abroad". We were all very impressed with the hotel, the location was a worry, but it's a very easy walk (5 mins) to the gondola, and there's a lift down the steep part. We paid to store our skis and boots at one of the hire shops - so had heated boots and could walk there in our normal boots, which made it so much easier. The ski area is amazing, it's huge! But worth noting this is the first town/city along the valley, if the gondola up is off they give you a free bus ticket to get along to the middle valley. On our last morning, there was so much snow they had to scrape each carriage, so it was a very slow start. The hotel is probably the nearest to this lift, but is in a bustling working town, so can be a bit noisy outside. The bonus is the walk up to the walled old town, which has quirky shops and restaurants, we loved this. The rooms were comfortable if a bit dark - not enough lights. The bed was good for me, and I like a firm mattress. The toilet is tiny.... hard to close the door on it. We used the sauna most nights, but the pool is freezing, just braved it once. brrr. Our group on the whole loved the buffet food arrangement, you are encouraged to make a packed lunch at breakfast to take for lunch. They supply boxes, bags and cling film for this, and it saved us so much money. The free bar and soft drinks is also a bonus, and wasn't abused, just a welcome bonus. There are 2 rooms with tables and chairs used as lounges, but with hard plastic chairs, it's very much a 6th form common room feel. The bar area is just the hotel entrance, with a couple of tall tables and chairs. It could really benefit from a cozy lounge to relax and play games etc. My biggest issue was the evening meal though, I'm a vegetarian (no fish), and at the buffet, there were only two nights with a hot meal I could eat, plain rice and chicory which was very unappealing. There was plenty of salad and soup, but no hot protein options. The staff offered plain pasta (without sauce) on 2 occasions and, on one night after we spoke with the rep again, I was given six veggie burgers at once. Despite raising concerns, options remained poor, while meat and fish choices were abundant. Given we noted this at booking, a basic vegetarian option should have been provided. My evening meals were very disappointing. But all of the others in my group really enjoyed the choice, Despite this, I had the best week away, but the lack of a good evening meal was such a pity.

Just returned from a week all inclusive here, and the hotel is good for the most part. It 100% isn't a 4* spa hotel, but it's clean, the staff are friendly and it's fairly close to the gondola (about a 5ish minute walk in ski boots). The hotel only has 1 very slow lift, so at busy times you might have quite a long wait. Our room was on the first floor, and was sadly above a local snack bar, so we had the smell of cooking in our room most days, even with the window closed, as it didn't seal properly, so there was always a lingering smell. Having the window open was a complete no-go as the smell was really strong. We did mention this to reception, but were told they were full and couldn't move us. We were given a 'superior triple room', which was a good size for 2 adults, but the armchair in our room would have been the 3rd bed, and it would have made the room feel very small if you were 3 adults sharing and needed to use the sofabed. The toilet and bathroom are seperate and the toilet room is very snug. If you're tall, you'll probably have to leave the door open. Great shower with plentiful hot water and good pressure, and the provided hair and body wash smelt really nice. The room had a lack of lighting, and the provided Krups coffee machine was a great touch, but we had to use the torch on our phone to see what we were doing, as there isn't a light near it 😂 The bed is by far and away THE most uncomfortable thing I've had the misfortune of spending a week on, it had the feeling of a mattress topper on a plank of wood and don't even get me started on the "pillows". Small square pillows of what was seemingly loose cotton wool in an oversized pillow case. ZERO support whatsoever. The Crystal info before booking said the spa would be €10 per use, but it's actually free to use if you're all inclusive, which was a nice surprise. The sauna needs to be booked in advance at reception in 20 min slots, and I'd advise booking on your way out in the morning as it fills up pretty quickly. You can also request a towel robe to use in the spa at reception, we learnt this from another guest, as we were weren't told on check in. The spa itself is very small, with 1 sauna and a small pool (which is cold, even though it says its 26°). All drinks except premium alcohol are included at the bar, including spirits and mixers, which the Crystal info didn't mention, so again, pleasant surprise. The bar is located in the main reception of the hotel, which is a bit odd, and there's minimal seating nearby, although there are 2 rooms nearby with additional seating and drinks machines for soft drinks and tea/coffee. This room is also where you'll find the afternoon snacks. The food was nice, but it's an odd medley each night, with what's on offer not always going together to make a meal as such, but the staff are great at keeping it topped up, and you can help yourself to as much as you want, which is fab after a day on the slopes. Lots of puddings and cold cu