Something we have wondered re safer chalet trips

A snowHead

@clarky999, but almost certainly only once ... wink

questions pre-booking, "have you certified yourselves as having had the batflu?"

A snowHead

@thecramps, like a few others I think your idea has some merit, in that it should reduce some risks present in a typical chalet holiday. Unless you are prepared for the hassle of putting a like-minded group together yourself, you would need a TO to take it on board and set out some relevant conditions applicable to certain weeks. And either way you need a TO prepared to apply, and somehow enforce (if legally possible?), those same conditions on its staff.

But I think you are over optimistic on chalet cleanlinesss. Sometimes there is even an overlap, with new guests arrriving before the previous week have departed. And even with a gap there is limited time to do a deep clean. For restaurant you only really need to clean table/chairs and toilets, but for a chalet you should clean everything.

(The last part also applies to self-catering apartments, where cleaning between bookings can be equally patchy. I don't see many SC supporters explaining that they will do a deep clean for 4-5 hours before bringing any of their gear, or family, into the apartment Very Happy

).

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@ecureuil, when we were renting our apartments, they were pretty well cleaned on changover. I'd have been confident that not upping the cleaning carried no "risks".

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@ecureuil, fair point, but it wouldn't be the first time we have put on rubber gloves and done an hours cleaning ourselves. Not suggesting that as a solution for TO's of course, but if I arrived somewhere and felt it needed doing, I'd just do it in the purely selfish interest of getting a ski holiday. Not at all suggesting others should do that, just that we would.

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@ecureuil, My 50 sq mtr apartment was thoroughly cleaned between lets - it took a good 4 hours. It takes me longer.

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When we reserved out own apartment, we made it 3 weeks Sat-Sat but don't intend to arrive until Tues-Thurs week#1. It'll get a covid clean if anyone's been there previously, so will be empty for at least 4 days before we arrive. Longer if there's no one there the previous week.

It struck me that the OP might try a similar approach: book a place for 2 weeks (hopefully at a discount given the situation), then allow people to arrive any time on or after, say, tuesday of week#1. If catering is provided, tell the hosts that you expect the deep covid clean to be done on the Saturday/Sunday, then be left empty for a few days, then people will arrive over the next few days. Weekday travel might be attractive anyway and I imagine this might appeal to people more than the usual Sat-Sat exercise.

I'm not saying it would suit everyone, but I would imagine there are enough people who'd be attracted by a weekday-to-weekday, covid-secure chalet holiday. Yes, it doesn't address the problem of careless staff, but the only way to fully avoid that is to have none, and go for the 'ordering out' service i.e. you don't see any staff from arrival to departure. But then it seems so close to simply renting your own apartment and ordering out that it may not feel worth the organisation effort.

You might think that this is close to a hotel-type arrangement, but the difference is that in a hotel the arrivals and departures are constantly overlapping. Even if your room has been empty for a few days before your arrival, the rest of the place is still in constant use. With the longer chalet rent, you're guaranteeing the whole place is empty for a few days before you arrive and only your group is in residence.

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@ecureuil, well I would expect them to to have several people doing the cleaning

I once organised a holiday in a self catered chalet in Les Gets - had 6 en suite bedrooms. We were four couples, two lads who shared a room and my mum, who paid for a room for herself. We each catered one evening (we had agreed in advance to do sensible home cooking, nothing fancy and no competitions or showing off) and went out the last night. It was a great success and we had v pleasant, sociable, evenings. I knew everybody, but they hadn't all known each other before the holiday. I agree that the young chalet staff, coming and going, would pose a bit of a risk but the evidence suggests that the risk of contamination from "surfaces" is slight to non-existent. It would be the least of my worries.

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Just another thought on safety re catered chalets, if you go towards the end of the season chances are that the chalet staff will have had, and recovered from Covid19?

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@CaravanSkier, I am not too sure how far you want to continue that train of thought Twisted Evil

Airbnb have asked owners to sign up to their "COVID Cleaning Protocols". We have done with our apartments but we probably doing 95% of this anyway. Add in the additional sanitisers, wipes etc and it probably adds maybe 20% to the cleaning time and costs. Details here for those interested. https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2809/what-is-airbnbs-5step-enhanced-cleaning-process

You know it makes sense.

@thecramps, its a decent idea IMHO, but the problem is if we in the UK come out of this lockdown back into tiers then you'll potentially have folk coming in from areas with all sorts of different levels of infection in their region, plus IMHO travelling through airports/on planes could mean someone picks up the virus on their outbound travel, but then doesn't display symptoms for 2-5 days, by which time the whole chalet is possibly infected.

Good luck if you go for it!

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@thecramps, Well I like your idea! But would I be brave enough to join a group of strangers, even if of similar age (over 50's) I'm really unsure right now - but as and when things improve, then yes, most definitely!
As someone who has done many many catered chalets over the years - as part of large groups and as just a couple - the thought of having to go self catering feels me with dred!
However, this season is different, therefore we will be taking a slightly different approach.
Yes - we will do self catering if really necessary (last resort), but with as much assistance as is on offer in the way of chefs / shove-in-the-oven deliveries etc etc.
We will only ski during quieter weeks, avoiding all school holidays - and will drive.
I may be wrong but I am going to hold out till last minute to book (the week before travel) - in the hope we could possibly secure a catered chalet or semi catered for our small group alone. There are quite a few smaller chalets that only cater for 4-8.
I feel sure there will be plenty of availability - chalets or apartments. (possibly another topic) - but I have never had problems booking last minute, but then I guess thats the joy of being able to drive.

A snowHead

A snowHead

It is really difficult to find a 6+ room chalet with more than 3 bathrooms.
Believe me! We require 6-9 bedrooms as a group and we like to self cater due to some fussy eaters!

Anyone know of any?

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@Dippy,
Lots of meals on wheels wheels in the alps service in the alps.
Lots of shops in resorts also do a catered oven type meal.

We usually have a chicken and potato night if we can find them roaster things with potatoes at the bottom husually have to prebook the chickens!)
A raclette/fondue night
A cheeseboard and charcuterie night
Pizza delivery night if we can find one (usually our 1st night!)
A meal out
Our rest day/early finished is usually a planned meal like bourginion or cawl or some other low and slow meal
Plus we usually have a filthy burger meal x either out or home cooked.

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The big hurdle I'm seeing is insurance, if FCO advises against travel, insurance companies won't cover you. I was thinking about a carte neige and ehic solution to get around this, but after 1st Jan ehic is in the toilet due to Brexit.

Shout if there is another thread on this, but how do you deal with potential ski accidents and getting treatment, and the pretty huge risk of getting covid once in the hospital?

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@Mr.Egg, if you need 5 bedrooms any year with 3 en suite and 1 family bathroom try Le Bollin through Tignes Chalet Company. Quite a place, as you would expect as the first owner was Schnebelen, the developer who put Tignes on the map with the massive 60s developments.

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@chocksaway,
https://lesbalconsdelavalleedor.fr/grand-chalet-de-charme-a-valloire-hameau-du-pontet/
last 2 years we've made 'this work' <---- this how difficult a time i have, when it's only 'make it work' Laughing

Im so glad we go to austria for our week & not have to make it work.

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@Mr.Egg, nice looking place.

The advert though made me think of a further complication for this winter - not a deal-breaker, but just another irritant. I am guessing that facilities like spas/jacuzzis, steam rooms, and saunas will be locked off. Keeping them disinfected and social distancing measures will make their usage impractical.

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@ulmerhutte, @ €2500 a week, its a bargain.

@Mr.Egg, Crikey, perhaps you could employ a certain M Barnier who may have time on his hands in a few months. By a strange coincidence I am led to believe that 'it was he' that ended up as a negotiator when the Schnebelen empire and Tignes had a colossal bust up Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

The fact that the holes in their backsides are immersed in a soup of chemicals and (hopefully expiring....) pathogens won't make people any less likely to contribute - or take on board - harmful viruses through the holes in their faces.

A snowHead

I'm going to come into this discussion from different recent experience. We arrived home in Edinburgh from Rhodes late yesterday evening being the last flight out due to Greek lockdown. We felt very safe the whole time on a Jet2 all inclusive package. Everyone wore masks at the airport, on the flight, all staff in hotel absolutely all the time, other tourists wore them while moving about in the hotel but not while lying on the beach or swimming in the sea or pool. We were advised the rooms were cleaned well before arrival and would only be cleaned once during the week - i.e. bed changed but new towels were placed in the bathroom most days. Most catering was buffet but it was all fenced off and you had to stay back and point to what you required which was served by staff. Staff would ask you to move back if you got too close and there was a lot of cleaning going on all the time. Yes we sat drinking in the evening but all at socially distanced tables and there was no riotous behaviour. I think the hotel was about half full so there was plenty of room. Virtually all tourists in our hotel were Brits (all other hotels in our resort appeared to have closed for the season anyway). I think everyone was just glad to get away for some sun and were happy to follow the rules. Staff worked so hard it was perhaps a sackable offence to disobey any rules and they seemed happy to have tourists bringing some income after a late start to their season. Surely something like this could be applied to ski hotels and chalets?

A snowHead

@Mr.Egg, Love your planning - and all does sound very doable.
But .... call me a lazy cow - my idea of a weeks skiing is:-
Breakfast put in front of me.
Ski all day - and I mean ALL day.
Return knackered to cake and tea - put in front of me.
Hot tub.
Canapes followed by 3/4 course dinner - yep - put in front of me - and all without having to move my backside very far (apart from the one night a week off)

Now thats my kind of skiing!
However - yes will compromise but would have to include eating out a lot!

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Help!!

Something we have wondered re safer chalet trips

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