 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey all, newbie poster! Going skiing in the Portes du Soleil in first week of Feb (staying in the Hotel Igloo in Morzine, anyone else)?
After some advice on........best slopes (on piste), best places to eat (that aren't super expensive) and most importantly looking for transfers from Geneva to Morzine, have looked at reviews for both Morzexpress and Alpybus and read some bad reviews for both, can anyone recommend them or an alternative?
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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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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My children use Morzexpress - they did the research and reckoned, for them, they suited very well. Pick up and drop off at the chalet door, and have been punctual. I've used others too and they've been much of a muchness. I guess it's called arbitrage.
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If you like cheese then La Ferme de La Frutiere is amazing, they also have a cheese shop and do demonstrations on how they make cheese. We had a pretty epic fondue & raclette there... 
We mostly headed up to Avoriaz for skiing as we were there quite late in the season and loved the slopes around there. The Swiss wall was worthy of it's reputation and the moguls were rather vicious...
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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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Cheers all, @noggy: no bad experiences with Morzexpress then?
@Dia_findtransfers: is that in Morzine or one of the other towns in the Portes du Soleil?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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essexdave, I believe that La Ferme de la Fruitiere is in Les Gets - we have been there.
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No, it's in Morzine in the centre. 337 Route de la Plagne - 74110 Morzine
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Dia_FindTransfers, yes of course - you are quite right. Sorry. There is something similar sounding in Les Gets.
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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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Few years since I was in Morzine but have been 3 or 4 times, summer and winter.
Is Bar Robinson still there? If so, a pint of their draft Mutzig beer is highly recommended. At about 9% proof it's surprisingly drinkable - but you know you've had a drink after just one or two when you've had a full, hard day on the slopes  .
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essexdave, stayed at hotel Igloo a couple of times, its an ok place, especialy if you get a room to the back. Sauna (a couple of years ago) was small and not very nice, but I guess it did the job - helped relaxing muscules after the days sking. Depending on aweek, breakfast room could be crowded. Josette and her staff are fabulous, ask her for arecomendation for restos and bars, I believe she owns one of them in the centre.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Josette is very helpful and should know a few restaurants as she's a Baud so her extended family own most of Morzine. The Igloo room I stayed in was fantastic for the price but personally I wouldn't bother with breakfast again, and yes the gym/sauna is a bit of a joke. Bit of a walk to the lifts, but most of Morzine is like that. You now have the advantage of having the Bec Jaune microbrewery just across the road, definitely go there at least once - the beer changes every week or so and the food is brilliant. When I recommended the Igloo to friends last season the Bec Jaune quickly became a daily event.
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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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Pamski, I imagine it's a rather popular restaurant name in different variations!
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essexdave, are you a newbie poster, or newbie skier? Morzine side of skiing is rather easy. On a way from Morzine (via pistes) to Les Gets side, in between the two you will find Chamossiere lift from the top of which you have a black run and the red run only - both are one of my favourites in French Alps. The black one is relatively easy/straight forward as it is rather straight and wide, so great for practicing steep slope technique. The red run is fab - it has nice sections, turns, long engough to feel you are competing with the great downhill athletes It is relatively quite, as Les Gets main bowl attracts most of skiers and Morzine side is to the left hand side. So in a way - the first part of Morzine ski area (top of Pleney lift) is good for beginers and newbies, the further lifts serves the needs of those who can ski better. It brings good memories
BTW, I used Morzexpress - top service (this again was a couple of years back) - punctual, no waiting, well organised and good prices as well.
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You know it makes sense.
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Newbie poster and skier, tend to stick to the blues and very wide reds, will be first time to Morzine, only previous is 1 week in Livigno
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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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essexdave, if you are newbie skier, then (depening on the snow cover) I would also advice to get only the Morzine ski pass (and not the whole PdS) as the area is huge. Top of Pleney is flat, so getting to the (busy) Les Gets side would probably work best. Getting back to Morzine from Les Gets on skis, takes 25-30 min, but it is not a problem as such. By the way, if snow is good at Morzine level, you can ski down to Hotel Igloo - you will see this on your first day If snow is not good at the resort level, then you get down to the bottom of Pleney either on skis (snow canons allows for this usualy througout the season or by taking the Pleney lift back and walking back circa 200-250 m to the hotel.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Skiidygonzalas served us very well the time we needed a shared return transfer back in March. They meet you in a huge sombrero at Geneva.
http://www.skiidygonzales.com/destinations/morzine.aspx
The PdS is a wonderful vast and varied ski area and has something for everyone of all levels. My view though is Mutzig is it's the drink of the devil and best avoided.....urgh 
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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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| Quote: |
it's one family who own most of the village
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I'm not sure that's quite true. There are a lot of "Bauds" but that's because the founding families mostly took the name of the village they emigrated from.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was told last year by the owners of the Grand Ourse that the majority of Morzine was owned by a couple of Russians. I have no idea if this is true or not.
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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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If there is a lot of snow, the runs down from the tops of the mountains on the Morzine/Le Gets side are excellent. It really suffers from poor snow though and then you have to go to the Super Morzine.
Morzine is great fun!
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| under a new name wrote: |
| Quote: |
it's one family who own most of the village
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I'm not sure that's quite true. There are a lot of "Bauds" but that's because the founding families mostly took the name of the village they emigrated from. |
Of course it's not true they're all same family  but I have been told she is part of one of the bigger ones.
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albinomountainbadger, well, that's what the poster said... and for instance, Champoluc is more or less still owned by the 3 founding families. Much name changing though in the intervening years.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| albinomountainbadger, well, that's what the poster said... and for instance, Champoluc is more or less still owned by the 3 founding families. Much name changing though in the intervening years. |
I was the poster! The winking smiley after that line meant, 'I'm taking the mickey a little bit here'.
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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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albinomountainbadger, no you weren't 'twas mjit. Above
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Ooh sorry, I'd missed that, I made a Baud reference before his (hers?) and didn't recognise it wasn't exactly the same.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I wasn't being literal either!
As albinomountainbadger said, one surname gets around a lot in Morzine - in no small part because they owned a lot of it 'pre skiing' and haven't just cashed in and sold up. Which isn't a bad thing.
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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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I've used skiidy gonzalez quite a few times and they've always been excellent. Got an email from them the other day offering 15% off on any bookings made before 31 October 2014. The code is "frosty" if you're interested.
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Ditto skiidygonzalez. We used them from Geneva to Morillon, very reliable.
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You know it makes sense.
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+1 for Ski Lifts have been using them for a long time now and apart from one slight mix up around child seat vs baby seat (euro definitions different from Uk and its was not clear on their website that year, now rectified) its been plain sailing. In all fairness with above mix up, they resolved it satisfactorily at the time as well, just a slight delay for us and the bus we were on.
+1 for Babeth's food is excellent, ambiance is truly an experience, and BaBeth herself is a complete character, the last time I was in there she had just released her memoirs and was standing next to a life size cardboard cut out of herself handing out snappes (do i sense a theme) to anyone who would have a look at her book. Their has I believe been a documentary on her as well. Definitely worth a visit if only for a coffee.
If you do go for lunch there accept that it is going to be a long affair with full pomp and ceremony. I love doing it after a circuit as then I don't feel bad about taking my time over lunch as I know that I have broken the back of the day and have a reasonably straight forward leg home.
We start in Avoriaz and go anticlockwise round the circuit and push hard and try and get to plaine dranse by about 2:30, its possible if you tear and don't mess about with additional runs on the way/get off at bottom of Pre La Joux (bypassing linga etc) rather than chatel when you get the bus.
In the linderets on the way down to the Ardent I highly recommend Le Cremalarie which is fantastic, great food, awesome location and probably my favorite restaurant in portes du soliel.
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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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La Cremaillere is very fine but invariably busy. You need to book.
There are not many PDS restaurants that you need to avoid.
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Poster: A snowHead
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That's funny I have never once booked La Cremaillere and have always got in and ps thanks for correcting my appalling spelling
Gordon
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gordonrussell76, I am invariably in a (very) large lunch group. All arriving at different times, and almost always somewhat disorganised. And sometimes in minging weather and my wife can't sit outdoors anymore (Reynaud's).
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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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Ah, fair enough, and sorry to hear about your wife, a friend of mine has that and its no fun and fair play to her for going on a holiday where you are guaranteed to be cold
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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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Chez Flo in Avoriaz has always been good for us as has Marmottes down in Lindarets.
Morzine I like Clin D'Oeil or Chaudanne.
+1 for Skiidy Gonzales - family have always been well looked after with them and they employ my husband 
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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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gordonrussell76, thanks, it really is the most bizarre thing.
She's skied (a lot - usually 4-6 weeks a year as a kid plus some seasons, of late 50-60 days/year - so it's not a lack of being familiar) since she was 4 and all of a sudden a few years ago she complained that her hands were cold in her favourite gloves. No warning, just all of a sudden a big, cold problem.
So - heated glove liners, heated boot liners, and no sitting out.
Swiss Dr's response, "We know little about it. Probably because Men usually don't get it"
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Have used MorzExpress twice and both times the service has been great.
Plenty of options restaurant wise in Morzine: Tyrolean for pizza is close by; Clin D'Oeil, Les Vents d'Anges or La Chaudanne for something more elaborate; La Ruade (at the base of Le Pleney) for a very cheap plat du jour and/or your first apres drink.
There's also a new place - Bec Jaune, pub that serves food - that just opened last season across the road from the Igloo.
On piste: Chez Nannon, La Cremaillere, L'Passage, Les Marmottes
Walk to either the Pleney or Super Morzine lift is pretty short. The Igloo is very well located.
As for breakfast, if you get down early then there's always plenty of room.
Like people above have said, Josette and her team are outstanding.
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