Jeffrey S
Google
My wife and I took a ski vacation from Thursday, March 21st through Saturday, March 30th in Verbier and stayed at the W Hotel. All-in-all, our stay was amazing.|The location was perfect and just a very short walk to the base Gondola (Barnes Line - Median 4). The hotel is located at the top of the hill and also provides easy walking down the hill access to all the great restaurants, bars and shopping. The hotel is also situated next to Mountain Air ski shop, which has a great assortment of rentals, gear and clothing. Also, if you're having trouble with your ski boots, there is a professional fitter on site who can properly adjust them (including stretching a molding the plastic and boot inserts). |The room we stayed in was a "Spectacular" room. The room was spacious and had a great balcony overlooking the mountains and the valley. The weather was nice and relatively warm during our stay and we were able to spend time on the balcony having a drink or two after skiing and taking pictures. The bathroom was also spacious. The toilet is in a separate room and the shower pressure was good. The bed was comfortable and we slept well during our 10-day stay.|The hotel itself has more of a modern, funky feel, which is akin to the W's brand in the US. If you're looking for something more Swiss-traditional, this won't be it.|The food was also very good. The breakfast buffet was wonderful and the wait staff was super-friendly, warm and attentive. We only ate dinner once during our stay at the hotel and chose the tapas restaurant. The food was just OK, but the service was excellent. The lounge area was also very nice and comfortable. Great for an afternoon drink.|The spa and the pool area were also really nice. The pool is a good size and there is a separate adult-only area, away from the play of the kids. The hot tub, steam room and sauna were all amazing and all set at the right temperature. I had an hour full-body massage one day, which was also amazing.|The ski room was also great. It's conveniently located right as you get off the elevator on the main floor. You can keep your skis, boots and poles stored in a designated area assigned to your room number and you can buy lift passes from the staff there. Niko was great. If you have a full-access EPIC pass, included is a 5 consecutive day pass at Verbier. Tell the hotel ahead of time and they can help reserve it (which requires sending them an email with the proof of your pass, along with ID). It's easy, but just takes a little time. |For restaurants outside of the hotel the concierge was amazing, especially Miguel. All of his recommendations were spot on. Recommendations are as follows:|- Au Vieux for lunch. It's right across the street from the W. The food is traditional Swiss and the outside seating area is great|- La Fer a Cheval for drinks and lunch. It's a short walk down the hill on the left from the W. Great outdoor seating and good basic food - salads, burgers, etc.|- L'Ecurie for dinner. We loved this place so much that we went twice. Traditional Swiss food.|- La Grange for dinner. We also loved this place and went twice. Traditional Swiss food.|Other restaurants we visited we Carrefour, Taratata, Le Chalet d'Adrien, which were all very good as well.|Getting to and from the hotel from GVA was arranged by the hotel. It's expensive, though.|Lastly, I was worried about conditions so late in the season, but the skiing was great. We had a few days of snow with accumulations of 6-12 inches each day. On the days it was clear, the sun felt good and it wasn't too cold. My favorite part of the mountain was riding the Jumbo Tram. There's a great cruising run that you can carve aggressive turns on all the way down with great views.|If I were to rank Verbier among the European ski resorts I've visited up to this point (Zermatt, Chamonix, Cortina, Lech, Val d'Isere), I'd say the town itself was probably the best so far.