The key thing is to appreciate the apartment for what it is rather than what it is not. It is warm, has comfortable beds and is brilliantly located - for skiing, ski-hire shops and the supermarket. There is plenty of storage space for clothes and luggage, and there seemed to be an endless supply of hot water. Also, Val Claret is a lovely location within the Tignes / Val d'Isère area. Mrs Martin, who looks after the apartment, was welcoming and helpful, including when we had to leave a bit earlier than expected.

Although it is advertised for up to six adults, that would be impossibly crowded. If you just have three adults, as we had, it works very well. The kitchen is a very small galley, so only one person can be there at any one time - not normally a problem, but it's important to be aware of that. As often with rented properties, the knives for preparing food weren't brilliant, and it would have been helpful to have a bowl or two for mixing things in. It would also have been helpful to have some information on how to manage rubbish - we had a stab at which things were recyclable, based on what happens in the UK, but it was not clear, for example, how were were supposed to deal with food waste. A plaque on the wall indicated that the basement contained a "vide-ordures" facility, but it wasn't clear where it was or if we were supposed to use it.

Location and number of bedrooms Extra kitchen bits like salt and pepper and cleaning stuff Quiet location. Clean apartment block.

Hard beds Hairy blankets Towels with holes. No hand towels.