Hotel le Coucou Méribel

We recently spent a week at Le Coucou and all I can say is wow. The hotel is cozy and inviting, the rooms are large and the staff is kind and helpful. We stayed with our 3 children and made use of every inch of the hotel! We ate at all 3 fabulous restaurants and the bar, we used the spa and gym daily, had spa treatments, and of course, we skied! This was our first time skiing in Europe, and Méribel did not disappoint. The hotel had a perfect ski in ski out location, and even on the first day when my youngest was hesitant to ski down the blue out front they showed us how to ski across the run and jump on a lift to some green runs. The ski room was amazing, they were efficient, kind and so helpful. We arrived to our skis set up at waiting each morning and the guys were so encouraging and complimentary of the kids, they made them feel amazing! It was great to have the ski shop there also as my one sons goggles somehow broke in his hands right after seeing a new pair that he wanted! lol. Honestly the only negative I could give this hotel is its location in regards to the town. You needed to be driven to and from shops and restaurants, and with only 2 vans the wait could be a while. But they always showed up with a friendly smile so it was not that big of a deal. I guess I just didn't understand how the towns were laid out there, and had assumed they were more like aspen or vail where most things are in close proximity. We had a crazy blizzard day while we were there and the hotel arranged a car for us to take the kids to Aquamotion in Courcheval which they loved. We also did a shopping afternoon in Courcheval which was really fun. Overall Le Coucou is fabulous and you can't go wrong staying here! The staff even brought gifts for our children on Christmas which was so kind!

We went skiing at LeCouCou in Dec. There are many great things about this hotel but also a number of disappointing things which leave us questioning if we would ever go back… Great things: - ski in / ski out & proximity to kids ski school - some fantastic staff although it’s patchy and there is an air of arrogance undeserving of the overall service quality - the ski room team are bloody fantastic!! The best in the business over the 20 years we’ve been skiing - the kids club staff are charming albeit under appreciated by management. Lucy is stand out! Areas of improvement: - the food is over priced and underwhelming… especially in the Beef Bar - breakfast is very average - even the chargeable items are poorly executed! - the hotel is a 20 mins drive from town (ignore any suggestions it’s closer!) and the complimentary shuttles they provide are so overwhelmed that you are constantly waiting to be dropped off or picked up somewhere. No exaggeration, you could be waiting for an hour!! - the concierge staff have a real attitude problem - Kelvin the Chef de Concierge is excellent but the rest of the staff are poorly trained and need to go to charm school! - the room decor is so dull for the price and I could sort of get over that if there weren’t also annoying niggles like a tv that doesn’t work properly, virtually no cleaning done during the stay other than new towels and in room dining that never picks up the phone I don’t think we’d come back. I can’t be bothered with the annoyance factor

Beautiful newer hotel on the slopes. The hotel is true ski-in and ski-out. The Ski Room staff is incredible - you couldn’t find a more welcoming and helpful group anywhere. They knew us by name when we walked in and treated us like family, helping us with equipment, area recommendations, etc. The service by all the hotel staff was great. The rooms are large and very comfortable, with the best hotel mattresses we have ever experienced. All the rooms seem to have balconies and good views. If you enjoy après-ski, the crazy Le Rond Point is within easy walking distance. Staying in Meribel, the valley between Courchevel and Val Thorens, makes moving between the Three Valleys fairly easy.

Beautiful hotel with the best service in the ski room we've ever encountered. Despite its small size, the staff worked perfectly together, offering friendly and dedicated service to everyone. They remember your names quickly and are very patient and fun with children. The rest of the hotel staff were friendly too but the concierge seemed a bit overworked. Nevertheless, a wonderful stay. Nice restaurants, particularly the Beefbar. Very good breakfasts. Really nice ski in, ski out access to the slopes.

This is based on the premise that the hotel charges €1000/night in high season (twice the amount for which you will be pampered at a 5* hotel in the Maldives 🙂). Pros: — Relative to French standards, very big rooms and HUGE beds, I think ours was at least 2 meters wide. Quality of sleep is good, however our friends complained about a noise coming from the hotel’s garage at midnight — so avoid rooms on the 9th floor. — AMAZING service at the ski room. They even help you to put on and take off your ski boots. They also take care of all your equipment. Very convenient! They also have a serving area with snacks, tea and coffee and hot chocolate. Adding some non-sweet snack would be a great compliment to the current selection. — The hotel is conveniently located with a ski in and ski out position on a slope (some hotels advertise it but then you have to walk 300 m in your boots). — Tasteful design in the rooms and restaurants — Generally good service and food at the restaurants (but exorbitant prices). They also invite live music performers which is nice. Cons: — The staff at reception seems underqualified and has poor English command to the point where sometimes it was difficult to get an answer to very simple questions like “What is the price of the ski passes for 4 hrs/full day?”, “What is the price for a room upgrade?” For every easiest question they go to their supervisor who is there only during work hours so good luck if you have an emergency at night, for example. — Some Deluxe rooms are located too low relative to snow level and thus have unattractive view, so check this in advance. — The hotel is very child friendly. While having dinner with an average bill of 150€ per person you will be surrounded by running and crying children, which to my understanding, doesn’t really match neither the style nor the price range of the hotel. And the staff does nothing about that. Of the three restaurants available at the resort, at least one could have been adult only. — The breakfast is OK especially relative to the average French breakfast you’d get in this area, but not 5*. — The more shocking experience has been that kids are allowed into spa. So imagine you come back from a skiing day and want to wind down in a jacuzzi or the pool. Well, you won’t be able to, as you will be surrounded by kids running around, shouting and jumping into the pool with splashes. This is again something I’d expected in a communal swimming pool with a 5€ entry fee and not in a luxury 5* in the mountains at €1000/night. — But the most disappointing element for us was the penny-pinching attitude of the hotel. For example, I was shocked to be charged €10 for an avocado toast for breakfast! You’d think that should have been included into breakfast, considering the hotel’s 5* status and again, pricing? I was surprised they didn’t charge me for a second coffee 🙂 Room service (€10 per person) is also chargeable which is nonsense at most hotels in this category. Ove

Exceptional hotel, ski in ski out, friendly staff and excellent food make this pretty much perfect in every way. The spa is quiet and the outdoor pool very nice. The ski room staff go beyond what is expected, they help with your boots, put your skis out and on checking out they even noted I only used boots for half a day and reminded me I’m charged less, very honest. Shall be back next year, BeefBar is a big positive.