Simple places to stay for Les Sept Laux skiing
For a simple ski stay at Les Sept Laux, the choice is between dorm and group rooms in the Haut-Bréda valley, a plain hotel on the Grésivaudan valley floor at Domène, or self-catering apartments a few minutes from the lifts. Les Sept Laux is three linked bases, Prapoutel at 1,350 m, Pipay at 1,500 m and Le Pleynet at 1,400 m, with around 120 km of runs up to 2,400 m. The Gîte de la Martinette, rated 9.6 from 285 reviews, is the closest of the simple places to the snow. One inn shown for this resort, Auberge La Douce Montagne, is in fact in Allemond in the Oisans, the valley of Oz and Alpe d'Huez, so it does not serve Les Sept Laux.
Les Sept Laux is Grenoble's nearby resort on the Belledonne range, three small bases linked on skis rather than one village, with no long main street of shops. It suits skiers who want a lot of terrain close to a city and accept a simple bed, less those who want a lively resort village.
Which side of the mountain to sleep on
Les Sept Laux is a short drive from Grenoble, which is why so many skiers sleep in the valley and drive up. The trick is knowing which side of the mountain you will ski from, because Prapoutel and Pipay are reached from the Grésivaudan, while Le Pleynet is reached through the Bréda valley.
The resort has two road approaches and they do not meet. Prapoutel and Pipay are reached from the Grésivaudan valley, the side of Domène and Grenoble, while Le Pleynet sits on the far side, up the wild Bréda valley. The three bases are linked on skis but separate by road, so a bed on the wrong side means a long detour around the massif. I decide the base first, then the bed: Grésivaudan for Prapoutel, the lowest base at 1,350 m, and Bréda for Le Pleynet at 1,400 m, which is where the Gîte de la Martinette sits.
The Gîte de la Martinette is the honest answer for a group or a family who wants a real mountain base without hotel service. It is a large stone lodge in the hamlet of La Martinette in the Haut-Bréda, with eleven rooms, room for up to 48 people and a dining room, rated two épis by Gîtes de France and open all year. It sits about ten minutes from the ski area and on the GR738, the Belledonne traverse, the long hiking route across the range, which explains its walkers' layout. At 9.6 from 285 reviews, it is the best rated simple stay here.
Hotel du Midi is a two-star hotel in Domène, on the valley floor below Belledonne, rated 8.4 from 136 reviews, with individually decorated rooms and mountain views. It is a driving base, not a ski base: the slopes are a drive up the mountain road towards Prapoutel, and in snow that road calls for winter tyres or chains. It suits skiers who want a quiet room close to Grenoble and do not mind the climb each morning, less those without a car, since the hotel gives no walking access to any lift of the resort.
If walking to the lifts matters more than a hotel, the VVF Les 7 Laux, rated 8.6 from 432 reviews, is a three-star holiday village about four minutes on foot from the lift base, with apartments, a kids' club, a games room and a bar. Its kitchens make it the self-catering choice, the only way on this page to sleep within walking distance of the snow. And skip Auberge La Douce Montagne if you are skiing Les Sept Laux: it stands in Allemond in the Oisans, with a shuttle to the Oz-Station lifts, on another mountain entirely.
A traveler's perspectiveFor a group or a family on a simple stay, I would book the Gîte de la Martinette and ski from the Le Pleynet side. With young children who need to walk to the slopes, I would choose the VVF apartments by the Prapoutel lifts and cook in. I would only take Hotel du Midi in Domène if I had a car with winter tyres and wanted to be close to Grenoble. And I would not book Auberge La Douce Montagne for Les Sept Laux, because it serves Oz and Alpe d'Huez.
Budget & valueGite of Martinette
A rustic budget base in the Belledonne foothills
Why guests love itWe booked this as a base for a week of budget skiing in the Belledonne, and the mountain view from the terrace turned out to be the best part of the stay. The dorm-style rooms are basic, and we ended up paying the small supplement for a private room once we saw the shared space fill up over a school-holiday weekend. Walking to Auberge Nemoz for dinner became a nightly habit rather than a chore.
Budget & valueAuberge La Douce Montagne - Hotel Restaurant Bar
A traditional inn for a longer, thriftier stay
Why guests love itWe stayed a full week and the budget rate made that possible without stretching the trip's finances. The restaurant downstairs became our default most nights, partly out of convenience and partly because the fixed menu was good enough not to bother looking elsewhere. Rooms are plain, but the laundry service turned out to be the unsung feature, since a week of ski gear needs more washing than most people plan for.
Budget & valueHôtel du Midi
Mountain views on a budget, valley-floor base
Why guests love itWe booked Hôtel du Midi purely for the rate and were pleasantly surprised by the mountain view from our room, which we hadn't expected at a budget price point in Domène. The drive up to Les Sept Laux each morning took longer than staying at the resort would have, but the savings covered an extra day of lift passes, which felt like the better trade for our family's budget.
Local tips
- 1Choose your base before your bed: Prapoutel and Pipay are reached from the Grésivaudan side, Le Pleynet through the Bréda valley, and the roads do not link them.
- 2At the Gîte de la Martinette, expect a group lodge layout: eleven rooms for up to 48 people and one dining room, so it suits a club or a large family better than a couple.
- 3Carry chains or fit winter tyres if you sleep in Domène: the road up from the Grésivaudan valley to Prapoutel climbs to 1,350 m.
- 4Pick Pipay, at 1,500 m, as your first lift of the day if snow is thin low down: it is the highest of the three bases, above Prapoutel at 1,350 m.
- 5For a walk to the lifts, the VVF holiday village is about four minutes from the lift base and has kitchens, a kids' club and a games room.
- 6Do not book Auberge La Douce Montagne for Les Sept Laux: it is in Allemond in the Oisans, with a shuttle to Oz-Station, not to Les Sept Laux.