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LondonExPat1
We rented a chalet for 14 here and really enjoyed it for a week. Even during one of the most crowded times of the season skiing on the La Joue du Loup side of the mountain was not overcrowded and is very pretty. There are not as many lifts here was you would expect which makes for unobstructed mountain views. A few nice restaurant on the mountain and nice family fun. It is a drive up but would recommend for a family. Not much nightlife so not cut out for those who want to go out at night.
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clipwillis
enjoyed the pleasant, small village where all the buildings are made (or at least faced) with wood - looks much nicer than adjoining devoluy.although the snow wasn't great when we went in the second week of january it didnt spoil the holiday too much and for the better skiers there were still enough slopes open.booked our accommodation through sunweb- would highly recommend it. appartment was much nicer and more spacious than i had expected and price included ski passes- excellent value.
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Fly_Peter
I can say I'm a very good skier, yet I just throughly enjoyed my second week on the slopes at 'La Joue Du Loup'. The slopes are very varied, and will appeal mostly to average skiers and families. For more experienced skiers, there are some black slops worthy of that color. The first time I was there, the black slopes were not open (not enough snow), yet some red slopes were left unprepared with very good moguls, so they could have passed as black at that moment.The village itself is small with mostly challet-style houses. Don't go there if you want to party, but do if you want some quiet nights to recover from the ski runs. Rent material at the local Skiset: very good prices and friendly owners: we were sick one day, and they just didn't count that day when we told them.Visit 'Le petit Galou' for local cheeses, jam and prepared dishes: it's a bit hard to find in the building of the cinema
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LIRoss55
This is the third February that I have spent in La Joue du Loup. The ski-ing is lovely and I really enjoyed the easier slopes as I am getting older and like to feel safe. The Vi Ai Pi restaurant and the Refuge higher up have reasonably priced hot drinks which are not a rip off and the service is pleasant. I also enjoy the sister resort Super Devoluy for ski-ing even though the resort buildings remind me of Stalin type towers at their worst. The best bit is the Racket walking that can be done on the 100kilometres of tracks. I really enjoyed walking from Super Devoluy to La Joue du Loup and also from La Joue do the Col de Festre. At this point I must say that the Maiso du Col de Festre is a very unwelcoming restaurant. My sister, 2 young nieces and I wanted a quick warm up snack before returning for the 8 km walk back to la Joue and the girl/female turned us away as all was booked, we sat outside for 80 minutes and only 4 people went in so she could have taken us in and said have something quick in less than an hour because we have bookings..... NO SHE pushed us out).Apart from this bad experience in the 10 weeks over 5 years I have spent ski-ing in the area I have only had superb service so it is a fantastic place to have a winter holiday with lots of different types of activities.
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MarkF350
Need to advise that we own an appartment in LJDL so may be classed as totally biased. We bought about 3 years ago and ski there on average 3 times a year and also visit in summer. We are a mixed level family group where my sons have overtaken my ability and mock our "controlled" descents whilst they flow between on and off piste effortlessly. There are a number of on slope restaurants to break your descent but allow the more fit members of the group to continue whilst you relax. In the village, all the restaurants are of excellent quality as we have eaten in all and there is always a warm welcome from the locals. The queues at the lifts are more often light, only growing if a delay occurs. There are some fantastic through-forest ski runs.
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currybelly
What a great resort!! I've been skiing for over 30 years and must admit this is one of the most enjoyable ski trips I've ever had. OK so the snow was fantastic for the time of year, but beyond that the resort is very compact with plenty of variety for a mixed ability group and no queuing!!We flew from Gatwick to Marseille , booked a luxury chalet, hired a People carrier (very easy drive to resort (1 switch-back)), Ski lessons and lift pass, all for under £500 per person over the Easter week.Very attractive resort given that it's purpose built, and much more so than the Superdevoluy side of the mountain.A resort probably not for the solo advanced, but if you're looking for something that will give you a little challenge but still allow you to ski the mountain with your family then this is the place.Very friendly resort staff and a great ski school. We will be back!!
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DK1bunny
This was our second Easter ski trip here and I was once again delighted.We come here as my son loves the ESF school and happily does all day classes for the two weeks straight, so far he has done their Flocon, 1 star, 3 star and bronze and raves about his favourite teachers during the off season.The resort is straight forward, compact and quite pedestrian. It's all quite reasonably priced and has everything you need. Being that my son will sell his soul for nuggets and chips I can't comment much on the fancier restaurants but the little fast food place Rapido is very welcoming of children. The supermarket isn't horrific prices for the basics, although they clearly have the tourists sussed with 3.50 euros for a tin of Heinz tomato soup!For the two stays we have used the site at the entrance to the resort but I will be looking at the apartments overlooking the piste for next season. This year there was great snow cover right up to the end of the Easter holidays.Generally it just feels very well designed and perfect for younger skiiers and families. We have been trying other resorts but keep being drawn back here and as I say, will probably be back again at least once next season.
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Mattatbtt
I've been skiing at Joue Du Loup and the neighbouring Super Devouly with my family all season and think the skiing is superb. I've also been to the much larger Les Deux Alpes and Alpe D'Huez this season which are bigger, busier but not, in my opinion, better.Joue Du Loup and Devouly have 100km of pistes which might not read well in a brochure but is actually a lot of skiing. The resort has a 1000 meter vertical drop and enjoys the benefit of having gentle slopes down to the resort and the more challenging runs up high.For the experts there are five black runs ranging from the relatively tame Myrtles (a great run for letting the kids go home to tell everyone they've skied a black without risking their necks) to the daunting, steep and hair raising Mur which is quite a challenge, especially when it is ungroomed (which is most of the time).There are some fabulous and varied red runs and lots of wide long blue runs which are great for both less confident skiers and those who just want to relax and feel in total control (and perhaps look good!).For absolute beginners I would recommend SuperDevouly over Joue Du Loup as it has better beginner facilities. There are also excellent english speaking instructors. I recommend asking for Yves who teaches both skiing and snow boarding and has taken my family from basics to powder skiing.The resorts are linked by blue runs so it's really easy to ski the whole area.There are a few reasons to choose La Joue du Loup or Super Devouly for your holiday. Firstly there are no crowds, other than during the French half term holidays. During the holidays it got a bit crowded but no more than all the other French resorts. Outside the holidays it is perfect, no queues and no crowded pistes.Secondly it is very affordable. The lift pass is around 30 Euros a day, lunch will set you back about 12 Euros if you have the plat du jour, and drinks are at normal city prices. There are three restaurants on the mountain, all of which are great and a whole bunch in the two villages. There is also a great and loud apres ski bar half way up at the bottom of the Festore Chairlift. Thirdly, you won't be surrounded by English speakers. I don't mean this as an attack on English speakers but it makes a nice change to be in a ski resort where the native language is just about all you hear. It feels like skiing in France rather than in a suburb of London. I highly recommend these resorts for families and in fact for anyone other than those seeking wild and varied nightlife.
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Mole60
Lovely week in La Joue du Loup! Small compact resort with a variety of cafes, restaurants and shops. Everyone we met was very polite and friendly and patiently endured our attempts at speaking French. Enjoyed our stay in an apartment overlooking the centre of the village and only a short walk to the bottom of the slopes. There was a well stocked little supermarket and bakers shop - everything we needed at reasonable prices. Not a party location but that's not what we came for.
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4Bradfords
We have been to La Joue on 6 separate occasions. We have taken friends and Grandparents, our kids have grown up here (albeit one week a year) The nursery and Ski kindergartens are excellent (Pipi Penguins) and there are some great restaurants for your evening meals. We love the Lou Patou which does local dishes .The drive from the UK is a long one and we always do it in 2 days - trying it in a day would mean arriving in the dark and the last 60Km is very windy (you are climbing a mountain) . The skiing is good for UK Intermediates - the nursery slops are down in the resort but you MUST have the courage to go up the excellent chairlift to the huge ski area that La Joue shares with Super Devouly. When you get up there you are frequently above the clouds.My wife loves the little boutiques that sell Alpine chic ! Have a look for terracotta cookware and lavender oil - both locally produced.All in all if you are looking for a reasonably priced family ski holiday - La Joue is the place.
