 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Does anyone have any experience of using child care facilities in Morzine - either L'outa private creche, the ESF Piou Piou club or the private nanny services such as Jack Frost, Morzine kids etc.
We are looking at holidays to next year and are considering the above - it would be great to hear anyones thoughts or if you have experienced great childcare in other resorts i would love to know.
We have 4 children in total in our party (age 8,9 - who would do ski school) and (3,4 who would do creche or nanny)
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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baronshouse, do you realise that in some resorts they can have ski lessons from age 3? It is quite variable but my 3 yr old will be in lessons this April when we go and my eldest did her first session when she was 4 and loved it.
Sorry I haven't been to moraine so can't help with you question.
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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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Thanks NickyJ - Morzine do ski lessons from 3 in the club piou piou but not sure about putting them in so young with the french ski school - we have used Esprit previously when my oldest was 3 and she did ski school with them and was fine but had shocking experience with them a few years later so wouldnt use them again. Thanks for your reply - where are you off to?
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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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We are going to St Anton with Esprit (eeks I really hope we don't end up with a shocking experience)
When we went when Ellie was 4 it was with Esprit in Courchevel and they were brilliant - the lessons booked through Esprit were provided by ESF though and the lady taking it was great with them. She was one of three children the other two in the group were both 3 and all really enjoyed it.
Where was your bad experience?
Another company to look at is Mark Warner they get good reports on here so we have actually booked with them next season for Easter week as they were offering much better prices than Esprit for the Easter week.
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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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By the way I should have said - Welcome to Snowheads  . Sorry very remiss of me (I didn't spot the post count).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi. I wouldn't panic re esprit we went to selva 2 years ago and the chalet has been removed from the brochure probably due to how shocking it was. Mark Warner was coming out quite expensive for the weeks we wanted. We used crystal last year who were fantastic but they ban only offer us rooms with shared bathrooms!! Which is why we are looking at organising it all ourselves which is coming in much cheaper but the childcare side is worrying me hence the post! Keep me posted though re your esprit experience. [/img]
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Thanks for that. Others will be along as there seem to be quite a number who go with young kids.
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I've used Cheeky Monkey's in the past and was very happy with them. The people we've spoken to in resort have also said that Jack Frost are great.
Regarding ESF our oldest has spent two weeks with them as a 3 year old and three weeks as a 4 year old. They're not into the 'softly softly' approach but that didn't really worry either of us. He improved and enjoyed the experience every time (well, after he got told to stop crying and start trying things two days into his first week anyway).
We stay in Les Gets and I can recommend Les Fripouilles there. We go self catering however friends went with Crystal last year and were very happy with their service.
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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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Thanks MeMyselfandI - i think our older 2 would cope in the ESF, not sure about the 2 younger ones - they seem so little to be left! Will look at the Nursery in Les Gets.
Jack Frost is one of the companies that we have been in contact with and are considering along L'outa for the little ones
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When it comes to the British run companies, personally I think they're much of a muchness - their recruitment criteria isn't really any different, nor is their concept, so it just depends on which personality you end up with that week. If you have certain personal wishes, eg. a more experienced nanny or someone particularly active, I'm sure they'd bear this in mind. There are also individual (more experienced) nannies out there with websites, who personally I'd trust more as you at least know who you'll meet.
I wouldn't put my kids in a French club - I witnessed a session of complete chaos in piou piou (?) in Avoriaz, with kids everywhere bawling their eyes out, encouraged to charge en masse into soft play things, etc... I also notice more with the French ski schools for little ones that there are kids left way behind/fallen with less attention paid by the instructor.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Baronshouse, we went to Morzine last Christmas. Our 4 1/2 year-old son went into the main ESF Piou-Piou near the Pleney lift with 2 other kids in our party who are 6 and 9 years old. The younger two did 2.5 hour morning lessons, lunch and then afternoon playgroup-type activities. The eldest did morning and afternoon ski lessons with lunch.
There were two other children in our hotel that were also in Piou-Piou, the youngest being only just 3 and the eldest was nearly 5, both of which were skiing with our son.
The little ones stayed in the Piou-Piou enclosed ski garden and the ski session included a snack break. Lunch was in the l'Aubergade hotel next door, by coincidence where we were staying, with all english (and 1 welsh) speaking staff.
It depends on how familiar the kids in your group are with being in that environment and being left without their parents. Our son has been used to being left in childcare, having skis on his feet, being taken on lifts and out on the mountain since he was 2 1/2 so he was quite happy in his lessons and in the playgroup. He never said he didn't want to go and always looked happy when we took a sneaky peak, both when he was skiing and in the playgroup. He came back from playgroup proudly clutching lots of things he had made!
ESF can be hit and miss but after 6 days and 15 hours of lessons he managed a full day on the last Saturday doing blues quite competently and only falling half a dozen times.
So, from our experience at Xmas we can't fault ESF Piou-Piou in Morzine.
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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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Thanks jd_evans. Your feedback is really helpful - great to know you had such a positive experience with ESF
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jd_evans, +1.
I've seen 5 weeks worth of ESF lessons (in LG) for 3 & 4 year olds now so in no way an expert but perhaps a reasonable sample size. Apart from the above mentioned lack of 'softly-softly' (if that even makes sense) by the end of the week the children have all been happy and I've never been concerned about my son being left behind or ignored. At the end of the five weeks he was skiing with the flocon class where they made a special effort with him due to his age. At 4 he can do chair lifts, button lifts then get down a long blue pretty comfortably.
I've heard a lot of bad things about ESF but never seen anything even remotely concerning first hand. Admittedly I haven't yet been during French school holidays when it all (apparently) gets rather more crazy.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi we are planning to go the end of Jan so hopefully this wont clash with the French school holidays - My eldest has ski'd before (at 3 with Esprit and then proper lessons at 6 and 7) so i have no concerns about putting her into ESF Piou Piou. The youngest 2 will be 3.5 and 4.5, both go to nursery and are very sociable so would probably be ok - decisions decisions.
All your feedback is really appreciated - especially about ESF as i really had my doubts.
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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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We used Morzine Kids in January and were most impressed. Felt completely at ease living our 8month son with Helen. Would highly recommend.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hi not sure if you still are looking for childcare but I am a qualified and mature nanny who lives out here all year round and am now in my fourth season. The benefits are that I know Morzine really well and that it is only me so you will get to know me before as I always chat to my parents first. Please see my website to get a better feel of who I am! Debs
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