Châtel Reviews & Ratings

It's the best of both worlds, really. What you have here is a charming, rustic French village with super restaurants and bars and with local skiing punching well above its weight, that's also linked to the massive Portes du Soleil circuit with over 650kms of varied runs. Want to tootle around sunny, friendly local pistes and stop off for coffee and lunch at a wide choice of scenic restaurants? No problem. But why stop there? Take your mixed-ability family and friends on a circuit from France into Switzerland. The easy connecting lifts aren't super busy and each resort you visit is a delight in itself, from Avoriaz next door to charming villages like Morzine and Les Gets. Don't leave Chatel without visiting nearby Chapelle d'Abondance just down the road to ski Cret Beni - the Spring skiing here is turning back is a joy - birds twittering, one restaurant bar, total happiness. A bit further on Saint Jean d’Aulps has the longest descent in the PDS (7kms), is wonderfully old fashioned and serves one of the best steaks I've had in France (apart from Le Renard in Chatel owned by chef Rob Brown of course). Chatel is great for couples and groups with varying ski skills. And wherever you roam in the Portes du Soleil, you'll find your ski tips turning back to Chatel for its looks, charm and snow quality. No wonder people return year after year.

Nice resort with good intermediate skiing options and access to the huge Porte de Soleil ski area. Quieter than other resorts in that area.

Really good time, quite quiet compared to other resorts on the area but would recommend. Not a resort for much apres but reallt good skiing

Great week in Chatel this March, lucky with fresh snow at the start of the week and quiet lifts and runs to enjoy it all with. The town itself is quaint and fun, the buses make it easy to get around and there was even an in resort mini music festival whilst we were there.

Real advantages are the access across the whole Portes du Soleil. Within half an hour of catching our first lift we could be in Switzerland or Avoriaz opening up a truly massive ski area.

Way too many button lifts rather than chair lifts, you soend a long time going from one button lifts to the other.

Charming Alps town. Lovely restaurants and few good bars. The slopes were reasonably quiet and well connected to the larger Portes du Soleil area

Chatel is a pretty traditional village. Not too touristy, plenty of locals and a very relaxed feel. Excellent ski area although it was half term so some lifts had long queues

A quieter experience. No apres close by. But stunning scenery and fantastic skiing! Busy getting home but otherwise not too bad. Some lovely off piste and an awesome place called the stash for jumps and grinds.

Our crystal chalet was located 10-15 mins from centre of village. We caught the free shuttle in the morning from outside our hotel. Then 5min walk to gondola station. Ski school meeting point at the top.
Due to some runs bring closed fairly restricted to staying at Super chatel until the end of ski school otherwise wouldn't have had time to get back. A few days we skipped over to Avoriaz.
Our boys coped well with the reds considering it was only their 2nd week skiing. Plenty lunch spots but big queues at some so we took picnics.
It was a bit of a faff having to get the shuttle back in the evenings. Left little chance to discover the Chatel apres but the spa and sauna complex was good at our hotel, except you did have to walk through the garage car park to get to the spa! Was expensive going new year week.

Went in Later December 2025, super empty slopes and incredible conditions! Slopes super well maintained, not all slopes/off piste open but hadn’t had much snow fall. Incredible views and amazing food

A really pretty resort with lots of options for food and drink. Access to ski area via the Super Chatel lift but area has a lot of button lifts. Free ski bus to other areas and can ski to Morzine and Avoraiz.

so fun, nice runs but not super groomed on weekends. Lifts were good but the race down at the end of the day was chaos

Châtel is a charming, traditional French ski resort in the Portes du Soleil area, praised for its authentic alpine feel, excellent tree-lined skiing, and good food, suited well for families and intermediates. It offers access to 600km of skiing, though some lifts can be slow, and its nightlife is more relaxed than neighbouring towns. All round really nice family friendly resort and really good for beginners!

Great resort all round. Would highly recommend. Efficient bus service around the town. Few shops and several bars all great.

The whole trip was amazing. The ease of access to the whole region is amazing. The skiing along the France Switzerland border is amazing. Visit Avoriaz to ski is an absolute must!

Really enjoyed Chatel, quieter than other resorts both town and piste but really relaxed with easy access to Avoriaz.

Chatel is beautiful. We really enjoyed our ski trip here. There’s a variety of slopes, lots of lovely blues and reds - and also blacks for those more advanced skiiers. The lift system is great. The snow was pretty good for December. Some nice cafes on the slopes for drinks & food. Loved it!

Châtel is a fab family friendly village which links up to loads of places in the Portes du Soleil - we were with a beginner so were able to ski in Avoriaz and Switzerland in the mornings and practice with him in the afternoons in chatel which was the perfect balance

The best week ever in Chatel and Avoriaz , super well groomed pistes and plenty of food / drinks / bar choices…… I’ll be back

Had not been in this area for 30 years. Last visit was to Avoriaz before they were linked. Being old did not partake of much apres but the singing (as out of tune in France as UK) in the early hours indicated it was excellent. Lift system really good and huge area to ski. Pistes were maybe not as ‘groomed’ as some due to the amount of snow falling so a nice problem to have. Bakery near apartment good. Would return.