 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi there,
I'm preparing a surprise trip for the wife. I've managed to snag some airmiles flights to Geneva, landing late evening on Thursday the 13th of February and leaving late evening on Tuesday the 18th. This gives us five days of skiing somewhere nearish to Geneva airport (so we can ski on the last day and still make the flight home). I've spoken to my wife's boss and secretary and have arranged for her to have annual leave on those dates, and now I need to plan the rest of the trip.
- Ideally within an hour or two of Geneva - happy to hire a car or take trains or arranged transport
- Would definitely like to be close to lifts, ski-in ski-out would be perfect
- Would like to take a good quality private lesson or two with English speaking instructors
- Doesn't need to be a challenging resort - cruisy blues and fun reds are perfect
- Doesn't need to be a huge resort, happy to ski the same runs more than once!
- Prefer not *too* expensive, but definitely somewhere nice (it's valentines after all!)
- Happy to stay in a shared Chalet (never done that before), or in a hotel or apartment
- Fine with either all inclusive or eating in restaurants
So -- where do you suggest I start looking? 
-simon
Edit: Now selected and booked for Courmayeur, any hints and tips gratefully received!
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 16-01-14 12:20; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Szymon, very romantic (apart from 'the wife'  ). Sorry to mention half term but it is! And French hols, so short breaks harder to find in France at any rate. There are a couple of hotels in Les Gets that come to mind which would be close to the pistes but not ski in ski out. There are a couple of Englsih run ski schools there who have excellent reputations and also local French schools who have good instructors who speak good English.
http://www.hotel-marmotte.com/uk/index.php
If it has to be Geneva how about going to Switzerland?
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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What about Courmayeur? It's less than 90 minutes from GVA by car. And you could spend a day or evening in the Pré Saint Didier Spa http://termedipre.it/en/
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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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Wish my husband would do this for me.... Lol! What a nice thing to do for your wife!
We are going to Morzine 2-6th feb but I don't think that quite hits your requirements. I have had a complete nightmare trying to get accommodation for a short break so I'd get looking ASAP. It seems the norm is sat-sat and with it being French school hols it might be difficult.
Hope you find somewhere!
Enjoy
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| moseyp wrote: |
| What about Courmayeur? |
I believe St Valentine is the patron Saint of Courmayeur! Extra bonus points!
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Szymon, how lovely.  Crans-Montana might fit the bill. It's far too long since I've been there for me to be able to advise you but you could try PMing valais2, who has a place there.
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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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Szymon, I did something similar and we wend for Gstaad, train from Geneva to Montreux change there for onward to Gstaad, great train journey round the lake, then onward through some amazing alpine scenery we stayed in a hotel they had a shuttle service to the slopes, also too some time out to actually wonder through the town, we where a little outside at Saanen, still part of Gstaad.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lovely idea. You could try Champery, train to Aigle and then lovely mountain train right into village. Conditions should permit to ski back to Grand Paradis and then bus into town. Stay at Hotel Suisses? Don't know about instructors. Have fun.
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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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Courmayeur sounds a good suggestion - though not ski in/ski out. You probably need to rule out any in-resort accommodation in France, for your dates, but you could look at staying in a hotel somewhere near a range of resorts. Sallanches, possibly - not desperately romantic though!
Switzerland might be better if you can get some good local info.
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You know it makes sense.
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Just to follow up - have booked in Courmayeur, many thanks for the advice . Managed to get five nights at the Affittacamere Scalvino, which is located at the top of the Val Veny ski lift:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/affittacamere-scalvino.en-gb.html
We fly into Geneva on Thursday morning, landing at 11am, will hire a car at Geneva and drive down through the Mont Blanc tunnel to the bottom of the Val Veny lift. Transfers are very expensive, so the hire car works out better - I believe there is a car park there where we can park for free, and if we decide to visit anywhere else we'll have a car ready.
Any suggestions on ski hire, lift passes, or anything else very welcome!
-simon
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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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No-one actually been to Courmayeur then who could give any suggestions?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Szymon - The place you have booked in Courmayeur sounds lovely. I went to Courmayeur once but it was a long time ago so I can't give any up to date information. I remember a long cruisy blue run through the trees with a wonderful mountain restaurant part way down. The reds there are not too difficult from what I can remember. There is also a short not too black black at the top of the Val Veny side which I enjoyed.
If you are intermediate skiers and fairly fit you could book a trip with a guide to ski the Vallee Blanche to Chamonix one day. It is a wonderful experience but you do need to have a bit of stamina to ski for several hours without much of a break.
The town of Courmayeur is pleasant with lots of nice restaurants and quite a few smart ladies clothes shops as far as I can remember.
What a lovely idea to take your wife on the surprise trip.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Szymon - I think you now need to change the title of this thread to get more info on Courmayeur. If Courmayeur was in the title I'm sure you would get more replies.
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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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| snowymum wrote: |
| Szymon - I think you now need to change the title of this thread to get more info on Courmayeur. If Courmayeur was in the title I'm sure you would get more replies. |
Many thanks for the suggestion, I've done just that
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Nice trip - so much to love about Courmayeur, just wish it was a bit bigger (but that'd probably ruin it!)
Anyway, You'll discover all of this on your own and more but here's a few of the best bits:
The runs on the North side down through the trees to Zerotta chair are my favourite but they're quite tight and can be busy - the black mentioned above is short, fairly steep and not bashed too often and a real laugh with lots of snow - can be unpleasant if it hasn't snowed for a while though
For fast cruising: lap the main bubble on the plan checrout (south side) - the piste to the far (skiers) left (i.e. "right" on the map) is a great red that is often much emptier than the main motorway down as it starts quite flat but then has a wonderful wide, steep pitch perfect for fast carving
On a nice day, the Youla bubble is worth the queue - if you're feeling fit, top of Youla all the way down to Zerotta (in one!) is one of the best top-to-bottom runs you'll find anywhere.
The restaurant in the main building at Plan Checrout does great pizza, there are 2 places at the bottom of the Zerotta chair that are awesome - Zerotta does one of the best hot chocolates I've ever had (or maybe I just had it on a particularly foul day!) and the other one, The Petit Mont Blanc, has a massive outdoor bbq where they spit-roast suckling pig: the pig is delicious as is everything else they do but you'd need to book - make sure you book a table outside, upwind of the bbq and beware, if you're sat outside on a sunny day and they bring out the limoncello after lunch, it's way too easy not to get back on the skis!
Have fun!
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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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Thank you jma . Do you happen to know if the parking if free at the bottom of the Val Veny lift? Also if we go into town during the evening is there any way back to our location at the top of this lift? Hard to see from maps!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Having done at least 1 day a season in Courmayeur for the last 8-9 years, I've never actually stayed there! (always on day-tips from Cham through the tunnel)
We've never paid to park at the bottom of Val Veny cable car but we've never stopped overnight either.
I have no idea about your second question, I'd check with your hotel...
...on which note, I'd assumed you meant you were staying at the bottom of the Val Veny lift in your earlier post but clicked on the link to see that your place IS up there on the piste.... I didn't know there was any accommodation up the mountain. Wow, you'll have the most amazing time, it'll be very quiet up there but you'll get first tracks every morning without even having to queue for a lift! I wouldn't bother going in to Courmayeur of an evening, I'd enjoy the serenity of your location.
You're going to have a wonderful long weekend. I'm very jealous!
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Szymon, plus one for Zerotta if it's the same place I remember, we were there in 2000, had a great week in mid march. The hot chocolates were really thick and dark, more like a liquid dessert ! We took a day trip to Pila, which was on our lift pass, about 30 mins away to Aosta then up on the gondola in 18 mins, it was really quiet, and it felt like we had each run to ourselves, I,m sure it will be busier in Feb. Courmayeur at night was also nice, the American bar the main place to be, beware though there are some expensive shops in town which could hurt your wallet, nice to window shop if you can get away with it. As others have said it will be great enjoy your time
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Szymon, There is a free carpark at the back of the Mont Blanc Funivie lift (the one at the bottom of the village. Last time we were there the area around the Val Veny lift looked more like a building site than a car park, but was being used as a carpark. Not sure if they were building something though. That was 2011.
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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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Szymon, I visit Courmayeur a lot, I was there today, and it was superb. Any specific question on the skiing fire away, I don't know much about the town though, although I did spend a week there four years ago. The val veny car park is free and you will be able to leave your car there no problem. Your hotel is well positioned for the skiing you will however be stuck there in the evening and away from the town. I think the val veny cable car finishes around five.
There are lots of nice cafés and restaurants on the hill, and most very reasonable.
I might ask you a few questions about romance, you seem to be good at that and although in principle I want to be I don't seem to have a clue.
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Folks, that's wonderful, thanks! Everything seems to confirm that we're stuck in the hotel in the evenings, that's fine we'll just hope that the restaurant on site is reasonable. We're mostly there for the skiing . Hot chocolate at Zerotta is now firmly on the list of things to do!
Does anyone know if we're better off buying ski passes online now or if it's the same price buying them at the lift?
I'm a tiny bit worried that the hotel aren't replying to a couple of questions I emailed them (they say on the booking.com site that they can arrange ski hire on site so I wanted to arrange that), but hopefully they're just really busy and will reply soon...
-simon
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Szymon, your plan is a lovely idea.
The word romantic has been mentioned a couple of times, but most of the chat has been about position of the hotel, its facilities, and skiing.
In all this, don't forget the "Romantic" bit.
Candles, oil burners, music (you can get excellent small speakers for your iPod/MP3 player), massage oil, etc.
(flowers would be nice, but probably tricky in February)
I'm sure you can think of other items.
And you'll have plenty of room in the suitcase: just take out all those non-skiing clothes.
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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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Jonpim, the "romantic" side is well taken care of, thanks . We've been married sixteen years this April, but only skiing for two years, hence the focus on the skiing side of things!
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Sounds a lovely surprise Szymon. I also didn't realise that there was anywhere you could stay in that was by the runs! So my advice about buying lift pass is going to be redundant as we stayed in the 'town' bit so walked to a local shop which sold the passes behind the counter (first time I'd encountered that but sure thing, you bought them in this shop.
Re. private lesson, I would definitely recommend this. Did you and your wife have lessons before your first ski trip? I had a lesson, for an hour or hour and half or two, sorry can't remember, an English speaking guy, from a large chalet looking building on the right hand side of the area that leads to lifts at the top of the cable car into the skiing area. I'm sure you can share an instructor which will make it a little cheaper each. Personally I like having a lesson on say the third day because it gives you a chance to have a go on the slopes yourself (obviously when you have some experience like you guys, beginner no, lessons from day 1!).
I don't know about the others, but personally and my boyfriend at the time also found this, that the 'hardness' of the runs in this Italian resort were higher than in other places we have been. I was comparing to France and my other half has also been in Austria before. I'm a skiier and he's a snow boarder. For what it's worth, e.g. reds that were long, had say a really steep bit in it. I think one person said that it's to do with ratings of the runs in Italy v France, and that the Italian way is that it's spread over the distance, hence the presence what we thought was pretty steep in comparison to the same colour in France. Anyhow I have only been to Italy once but that was my experience.
As others have said already, the town is lovely, really romantic for a couple, expensive shops (Rolex place, expensive women's clothes); not my thing but possibly good for your wife. Hope that helps, any more questions just ask.
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FAQ
. That said, I'm perfectly happy skiing in Switzerland, we've been to Zermatt before and it was wonderful (if a bit expensive!). So feel free to suggest places in Switzerland that are reasonably near to Geneva!
Anyone?
