Jonathan - from Scotland
In praise of Mottaret

First, most people come to a ski resort to go skiing and not for a tour of the toilets, so let's focus on the former for a start. I've been to quite a few resorts, including many of those touted along with the 3V as the 'best ski resort in the World'. Everyone has their favourite (Val d'Isere-Tignes, Verbier, Whistler etc) and they all have good aspects, but to date, the 3V wins as the best all round resort in my view - great uplift system; superb variety of terrain and runs; excellent piste grooming.
Mottaret is without doubt the best centre for accessing all of the above. There is a variety of runs close by including the pair at Mont Vallon; you can be at the top of Combe Saulire before the Courchevel crowd; you can access Val Thorens and the 4th valley relatively easily; and you can get down to the Meribel Chaudanne lifts with a nice warm-up run down La Truite.
Secondly, I've stayed where Phil had his unhappy time and would agree that the accommodation could do with sprucing up. But you get what you pay for and as this is probably the cheapest accommodation in the 3V (other than in the villages on the valley floor with poor access), one should perhaps have lowish expectations. He is right in implying that the UK tour operators could do more to manage these expectations, to assist where accommodation is manifestly sub-standard and to prompt improvements on the part of the owners. I don’t think Crystal should be singled out, though, unless he thought their reps to be particularly ineffective regarding his problems. I can report that staying in hotels nearby has been a different and great experience and in reality not that much more expensive overall, when food costs are taken into account.

The staff in the accommodation receptions are extremely hard pressed and at rush periods work their socks off to deal with loads of customers and their requests. I've always found them to be cheery, curtious and helpful.