 Poster: A snowHead
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Must say that when I have found really poor overpriced poor food in ski resorts The large French resorts seem to be the worst offenders. Equally for genuinely memorable meals the very best ones I have had have often been in France though rarely the high altitude establishments. (As in up at the top of the lifts rather than the high altitude resorts some of which have some really good restaurants even if I often find the resorts a bit soulless.)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| pam w wrote: |
| They don't all go to the fancy and more expensive places such as St Anton or Ischgl. |
I think that because Ischgl doesn't have much in the way of cheap and cheerful accommodation people think everything else must be expensive. For drinks and meals (on mountain and off) it's cheaper than either the 3V or Espace Killy by some margin. Indeed I know one bar in Ischgl that sells some of the cheapest beer I've bought anywhere in the Alps.
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Lager, Yes, you're right, I did think they would be generally pretty expensive places. I've never had the slightest wish to go to St Anton (too much testosterone and boasting about boozing) but always fancied Lech - looked at it every year I arranged ski holidays, and every year it was hugely over our budget! But you could pay the extra for an awful lot of beer with the difference in accommodation costs.  and wasn't someone raising an eyebrow at prices in the Mooserwirt the other day?
I suppose that in France the range of cost possibilities for holidays is just far bigger, even within the same resort. There are very expensive and impossibly luxurious chalets and world class restaurants needing a second mortgage to patronise, or very, very, cheap apartments where with some judicious planning and a little bit of effort you can have a very cheap holiday indeed, even in the biggest ski areas in the world.
There are also little, inexpensive, French places which would be the equivalent of somewhere like Niederau, I guess, but TOs don't go to them. Like La Giettaz, for example, which has more skiing and, I think, cheaper lift passes than Niederau.
It's so easy for people to get information on everything on the internet - you do wonder why some of them are nonetheless shocked and horrified at the prices they find.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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pam w,
Having always skied on a 'budget' with family i agree with you.
An hour or two spent on the web checking out the local town/village websites is essential. You find links to local facilities/cafes etc, generally easy to check out the prices as many have menus available online. Lift pass offers are there too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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We've always found Austria to be quite reasonable price wise, hence we go at least twice a year!
Not always the cheapest when booking the holiday, but when total spent is added up we find it better value.
Found France to be a dirty arrogant country!
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Found France to be a dirty arrogant country
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charlichoo, I suggest its not the country its the people, great country...............yes I agree that the French people in general dont have the same standards of cleanliness, customer service as the Germans and Austrians, and the accommodation leaves a great deal to be desired in general (undersized, overpriced rooms, of poor quality particularly maintenance etc) and on the many times I have been skiing in France I come home feeling ripped off - Thats way I now ski the majority of time in Austria, "you pays your money.............." its a free market economy at the end of the day.
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it's generally pretty easy to gauge the quality of accommodation on offer - for example by finding out how many square metres an apartment is. If you don't ask, or assume that a bargain basement holiday is going to give you super spacious accommodation, then whose fault is that? France has cheap, small, rather tired, apartments which you can get for super low prices (or some rather silly prices through the big TOs), or very, very, fancy accommodation at astronomical prices. and everything in between. You need to do your homework. Some accommodation certainly "leaves a great deal to be desired" but then you shouldn't buy it! It's really very, very, simple. Families wanting to keep it all cheap will choose those apartments, aware of the limitations. There are plenty of good quality apartments on offer. It is indeed a free market economy and the (slightly puzzling) fact remains that the majority of British skiers choose not only to go to France, but to go to the big name resorts which don't, on the whole, present the best VFM.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Just come back from Zell am See for the Christmas break. Admit to being full of trepidation about how busy it would be. Yes the queues were mad and bad, but the snow was good at Kaprun, but a bit icy at Zell. Good conditions on the itinerary routes down from the Glacier. My 4 yr old grandson was whizzing down a slalom after 3 days and he did the blue from 3029metres on the 4th day...ah yes but most of all the excellent beer was 3 euros for half a litre, in all the restaurants and apres ski bars. Fab stuff as long as you can stand the ump-papa music in all variety of sounds (including country and western). I read somewhere on a twitter post that the brits (and all of europe) were getting hacked off with the stupid French prices. Well the ski pass was free for the children and I can't fault the ski instructors who looked after the kids all day, unlike the French guys who tend to be more interested in what they look like, and what they are eating for lunch. So all in all I would recommend Austria as I think it represents very good value for money, the apartment we rented was large and clean, and about half what you would pay in France.
Having said that we will be going to France, but it will be Auron, where we have been every year for over 10 years, always the same guys at the ticket office, bars and restuarants, lift passes really reasonable, and lunchtime meals always good value, who in their right mind would go anywhere else!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, 
JennyCruse,
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we will be going to France, but it will be Auron, where we have been every year for over 10 years
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I'm interested to know where else in France you have skied - or indeed holidayed at all - during that period.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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It doesn't have to be expensive to be a Rip-Off.
Lunch yesterday at Les 3 Ourses in Vallorcine.....the worst Croute and Tarte Myrtilles I have ever had.
The prices were not high......but for what it was: A Rip-Off
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I have skied 3 Valleys many times, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Pra Loup, Serre Chev, Montgenevre, Alp d'uez, Deux Alps, La Plagne.....and more. NEVER skied at Christmas-New Year as I always feared big crowds and dodgy snow. For the record I think Serre Chev and Montgenevre about the best bet for that time of year, I've noticed they've had good snow at Christmas for at least the last 3 or 4 years. I do work in France in the summer at my busines Adventure St Tropez, and to be honest down in the south of France everyone seems very friendly and pro-English, but maybe that is a local thing, anyway we have worked over there now for 10 years with no problems.
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You know it makes sense.
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| JennyCruse wrote: |
| down in the south of France everyone seems very friendly and pro-English, but maybe that is a local thing |
No, it's not. I've lived in French cities and countryside, north and south, beach and mountains. There are lots of very friendly and pro-English people throughout France. Of course (though I am genuinely yet to meet one in this part of the country) there are a minority of absolute ********* but, unfortunately, the same can quite clearly be said about the UK.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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posted here before re my first trip to france in tignes 6 week ago. never again. in the end we could barley afford to eat and certainly no apres ski. yes i know tignes is prob in the high end re france but it was a complete rip off and we will NEVER go back. 10- 11 years going to italy and mostly austria we never got screwed once the way we did in tignes. I just can't understand why people put up with it. if people stopped paying/supporting those prices then they would be forced to bring the prices down. yes we knew before we went it was going to be expensive, but it was way worse than we expected.
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Poster: A snowHead
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creedgearoid, Thats why we dont go anymore out of choice, Espace "Turpin" not "Killy" ...............2€ for a pee in a dirty loo last time, and charging for toilet paper, whats all that about?!! Thats Espace Killy for you
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Weird. I was in Tignes for a week last month, and had six perfectly decent lunches, not cheap but not extortionate and, in each case, the loo was clean and free. I did not, however, take pot luck, but went to places that people I was with already knew. And I didn't partake of what seems to be a favourite British menu, spag bol, chips and Coke: that menu is guaranteed rip-off territory everywhere in France - they can see the suckers coming.
Talking of choosing to pay for poor value: a few weeks ago, I was taken to a very silly restaurant in Mayfair, namely Cipriani (affiliated to the various overpriced establishments in Venice). It has received poor reviews and I have no idea why my hosts wanted to go there, but they were paying so it was up to them. Croque monsieur for £17.50 anyone? 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hurtle, +1 for Tignes (and Cipriani - I wasn't taken with it)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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holidayloverxx, it was total pants and the service was sub-Fawlty Towers.
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FAQ
fantastic.
