Visited February 2024 • Courchevel, France
You can watch our full hotel tour and experience here:
Overview
On our recent ski trip to Courchevel 1850, we stayed at Hotel Carlina, a 5-star ski-in/ski-out property located in one of the most prestigious ski destinations in the world.
Courchevel is arguably France’s most famous ski resort, known for its luxury hotels, extensive terrain, and seamless alpine experience. Naturally, expectations for a 5-star stay here are extremely high.
This review breaks down what worked—and what didn’t.
📍 Location — ★★★★★
The hotel’s location is one of its strongest assets.
- Just a couple of switchbacks from the village center
- Direct ski-in/ski-out access to the Bellecôte green piste
- Easy run down to the main lift and ski school area
For families and convenience, this setup is hard to beat. You can get on the slopes quickly without dealing with long walks or crowded transport.
🎿 Ski Experience — ★★★★★
The in-house ski shop is excellent.
- Skis are prepped every morning
- Staff are helpful and efficient
- Overall seamless experience
This is exactly the kind of service you expect—and want—when skiing in a destination like Courchevel.
🏨 Room & Stay Experience — ★★☆☆☆
We stayed in a family suite with a terrace overlooking the slopes. On paper, this sounds ideal—but execution fell short.
Issues we encountered:
- Terrace snow was never cleared during the entire stay
- A persistent leak lasted most of the week
- Buckets placed in the room detracted significantly from the experience
These are not minor inconveniences—they’re fundamental service failures, especially for a hotel positioning itself as 5-star.
🚐 Shuttle Service — ★★★☆☆
The hotel offers complimentary shuttle vans around Courchevel 1850, which is useful:
- Great for getting back after ski lessons or dinner
- However, availability is inconsistent
- During peak (February holiday week), vans were often unavailable
🍳 Breakfast — ★★★★★
Breakfast was a standout highlight.
- Yogurts, smoothies, cereals, pastries
- Eggs made to order
- Wide, high-quality selection
We were consistently well-fed and ready to hit the slopes each morning.
🏔️ Common Areas — ★★★★☆
The hotel leans into a traditional alpine luxury aesthetic.
- Large lounge with slope views
- Relaxing and well-designed shared spaces
- Slopeside lunch available (not tested during our stay)
🏊 Pool & Spa — ★★☆☆☆
The pool area looks great but doesn’t deliver in practice:
- Good size and nice slope views
- Pool temperature is too cold
- Hot tub is only warm—not hot
For a ski hotel, this is a major miss. Après-ski recovery is a core part of the experience.
🚗 Departure & Logistics — ★★☆☆☆
Our departure highlighted operational issues:
- Not enough staff to assist guests
- Driveway was not ploughed after snowfall
- Cars were buried in snow and struggling to exit
Parking costs €40 + tax per night, supposedly for a covered garage—making this even more frustrating.
⚖️ Final Verdict
Despite a prime location and strong breakfast and ski services, the overall experience fell well below 5-star expectations.
Ratings:
- Location: 5★
- Breakfast: 5★
- Ski Shop: 5★
- Service: 3★
- Rooms: 2★
Bottom Line
We would not stay here again.
The fundamentals—room quality, maintenance, and service consistency—need significant improvement to justify the price point and 5-star positioning.
🎥 Video Review
If you’d like to see the experience visually, check out our full walkthrough on YouTube (linked above).
For more luxury travel reviews, follow along on our journey.