Accessible or Not? Accommodation Review
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The French Alps. What a beautiful place to be. I first came to La Plagne, France in 2019 with a company called Accessible Dreams and people from Silver Linings. Then, and in 2022, we stayed in a beautiful hotel right on the ski slopes, called Araucaria Hotel & Spa. And I highly recommend it!
As this is a disability group trip, the organisers know that our accommodation needs to be suitable for everyone in attendance. And it is!
I‘m going to walk you through each area of the hotel individually and access its accessibility. Then you can decide if this is a place for you!
Twin Rooms
I have only ever stayed in a twin room on all of these trips so far and I have been pleasantly surprise with how spacious they have been. I cannot report on all the room types but it seems that twin rooms are very good. There are two single beds plus an en-suit and the rooms have had plenty of maneuvering space around beds and in the bathroom. Most rooms have a balcony but these are accessed by walking up a step. Great for fresh air and views (plus leaving smelly boots outside or keeping drinks cold!) but not accessible for everyone.
Restaurant
Food is buffet style every night with a good amount to choose from, including: salad and soup bar, cheese and bread, hot meat and pasta or rice dish, fish, and a desert corner (my favourite!). Breakfasts include: pancake machine (I want one!), bakery, cereals and hot dishes.
There are two lifts that arrive into the restaurant from room levels. There has always been a good amount of tables and chairs, and staff regularly help move about to fit in wheelchair users, which is greatly appreciated!
Bar, Communal Space & Toilets
Coming out of the restaurant, there is a gorgeous bar, quiet communal space, games, TVs
and play areas for kids and toilets. Let’s start with the communal space.
Picture 3 below shows this space; it is made up of two tables with moveable chairs and benches (to allow wheelchair users), a library wall and free water and coffee maker. This is generally a quiet space for those who want to perhaps read a book or work from their laptops. There are also free popcorn makers and sweets dispensers if you walk down past the bar!
The bar itself is lovely (see picture 2 below). All seating away from the bar is moveable and has low tables which is great from my own experience. Bar stools look cool but personally, they can be a right pain getting on and off, so perhaps stick to the area around the bar. There is sometimes live music in the bar so if this causes you difficulty or stress (for example sound overstimulation), you can avoid this by checking the posters around the hotel which show you what happens each night.
Toilets! What a nice topic! But relevant, we both know. These toilets are through a push door and there are three stalls, each with a sliding lock. There isn’t a great amount of space in the stalls and the sinks are fairly high so be aware. It may be easier to just go back to the room and do your thing there, if possible.
Ski Shop
The ski shop is on the -1 floor, but don’t worry, the lift can take you! It’s not a very big area but having an in-hotel shop that provides, boots, skiis, helmets and googles saves a lot of worry of heading into the shopping area to pick up everything. Definitely recommend doing this!
OVERALL, this is a great hotel if you fancy visiting La Plagne in skiing season.
Fancy giving it a go? My next blog is about ski lessons and accessible skiing. Don’t miss it - 15th January!
See you there.
~ Lauren x
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