While on a recent spur-of-the-moment skiing trip, the Val Thorens Novotel was the last place to have rooms in the Les 3 Vallees region of France. Being the last room available in town made me nervous, but it turned out OK. The single room I had wasn't fancy, but was spacious, clean and had an excellent view of the slopes. There was an American-hotel style tub and shower, a big plus for me when traveling in France. The location of the hotel couldn't have been better, directly on the slopes. The staff was friendly and seemed to be enjoying their work. There's a great little ski shop where you can rent demo quality skies in the basement.

The biggest downside was the food. I'm usually pretty adventururous when it comes to foreign dining, but the food at the Novotel was just downright uninviting. For example, a Coq a Vin Blanc sounded good but came with just necks, lower legs (the parts without the meat) and backs of the chicken and the white-wine sauce was watery and... more