Hotel Review – Saint Vincent Resort and Casino, Aosta Valley

It was raining heavily when I drove into the car park of the Grand Billia Hotel at the Saint Vincent resort, just outside the town of Aosta in the Italian Alps.

But as soon as I walked in the door the rain outside was long forgotten.

‘Why not take some lunch in one of our restaurants Mr Stewart’. I felt like I was on the set of a James Bond movie as I walked through the well-lit, contemporary styled corridors and into the high ceilinged dining room, full of life of this rainy Friday afternoon.

I planned to have a light snack and then get on with some work during the afternoon but Alessandro, the very friendly maître d’ had other ideas and of course this is Italy. ‘Would you like some wine?’ he said, ‘no thanks’ I said, ‘water is fine’. ‘Go on, ‘av some wine, why not?’ he said. ‘OK, then, I said’. I mean, why would you argue?

I ordered risotto, a perfectly decent meal for lunch, but Alessandro was waiting for more. ‘Av a main course’, he said. I thought that was a main course, but we’re in Italy. ‘It’s ok’, I said, ‘I’ll just stick to that’. ‘Well’, he said, ‘let’s see how you go’. I had a feeling I’d be eating more, and the fish course was delicious and I avoided dessert. ‘That’s a shame’ came the response, but accepted my resistance by this point was non-negotiable.

With not a lot of work being done I decided to explore the hotel and adjacent casino, the largest in Italy. Recently transformed with an extensive renovation project lasting several years and considerable amounts of money, mostly from the regional government, the resort has been restored to its former glory (it was once famed for its celebrity guests during the 50’s and 60’s but faded a little after that, until now with its renaissance), but also brought into the 21st century with contemporary and classic décor built and designed to the highest specifications.

The two hotels provide a four and five star option – Grand Hotel Billia being the five star and the Parc Hotel Billia being the four star. Both are exceptional in their attention to detail and the fact you get access to the hotel’s facilities when staying in the four star section makes it very good value for money.

There’s a lot to explore but I start at the spa. There’s two indoor pool areas and then access to an outdoor area with super-heated water – here, you can sit back and look up at the snowy mountains (the rain was stopping and the snow line started just above the hotel itself). I’m not usually into spas but I could see myself chilling out here after a day’s skiing in nearby Cervinia or Courmayeur.

There’s an interconnecting underground corridor that leads you through to the casino. They employ 1,000 people here and it’s the largest employer in the Aosta Valley – there’s two floors, with gaming machines on the ground and tables on the first. There’s a buzz about the place and a good mix of Asian and European groups having fun with their money. You don’t get this in any other ski region I’ve ever been to in Europe. But it was still the afternoon and too early for me to gamble and I head to my room.

I was staying in the four star Parc Hotel and my room was of a high four star standard. It was large and comfortable, but why stay in the room too long when you’re in Italy and there’s more food to be eaten.

I head for dinner in the Casino restaurant and order Ossobuco, or a slight variation of it – pretty much my perfect dish with the bone marrow running out into the rich gravy. When I’m done, I head up to the blackjack tables and give it a go – I’m not used to playing Blackjack but it’s a bit of fun and I enjoy losing my 20 or 30 Euro’s for the half an hour experience.

The next morning, after an early but once again spectacular breakfast, we drive up to the ski resort of Cervinia – the snow from the previous day provided us with deep powder both on and off-piste and we stopped for lunch in the renowned Chalet Etoile, one of the finest mountain restaurants in Europe, but at prices that don’t make the eyes water as they might a ski lift away in neighbouring Swiss resort, Zermatt.

Chatel Etoile in Cervinia.

Back down to the hotel and into that spa – I’m getting into that, weirdly. By this stage, I was forceful enough to demand only one course for dinner, because otherwise I’d leave Saint Vincent with an entirely different physical make up than when I arrived. Happy, but much much slower.

The conclusion of my stay is that Saint Vincent, although not located in a ski resort itself, is a place where you’ll look forward to coming back to. I can’t think of a location that offers such diversity, genuine and friendly hospitality, choice of restaurants with great food, world class spa and a relaxed environment after a day on the slopes.

Take a group, spend time as a couple, bring a family – all these options would work. In bad weather, stay in the hotel and enjoy the facilities, in good weather, let them take you to the slopes and get picked up again later.

I drove away at sunrise with clear skies and the sun gleaming on the peaks towering above the valley, an altogether different ski experience but one that even James Bond might remember fondly.