 Poster: A snowHead
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After my 7 year old and I had an enjoyable holiday with Esprit last year in Val d’Isere we decided to go with them again, albeit to their “flagship” property rather than the more ‘functional’ Chalet Hotel Ducs de Savoie. The attraction of the Chalet Hotel des Deux Domaines was the pool and sauna/steam room along with trying a different ski area.
I booked almost as soon as we came back from Val d’Isere and was pleasantly surprised that the cost differential to Chalet Hotel Ducs de Savoie was only around £300 which seemed good value for a 5* Chalet Hotel as opposed to the 3* Ducs. Although others have complained of issues at Chambery I decided to fly there again as the transfer is around 1 hour shorter and the BA flights last year were very good. However, around 5 months after booking I received a call saying the Edinburgh-Chambery flight was being stopped and we’d have to fly to Geneva instead with Jet2. This was disappointing but I can only assume that the EDI-CMF route wasn’t popular enough. The other issue was the internet is littered with stories of Jet2 leaving skis in EDI as the aircraft were not capable of carrying a full load of passengers, luggage and skis.
It finally came time to head off and we arrived at EDI at around 05:30 for our 07:20 departure. There was a bit of a queue at check-in but the Jet2 staff (Jet2 actually employ all their own ground staff rather than sub-contract it out) were pleasant and efficient and had us checked in quickly. After a bit of shopping and breakfast we headed to the boarding gate. It was a bit of a scrum as Ryanair had two flights departing from adjacent gates and all the queues were merging in to one. Bizarrely we boarded from Gate 25 (IIRC) which is at the furthest most end of the satellite terminal at EDI only to get on a bus and be taken to the remote stands opposite Gate 1!
The Jet2 aircraft hit its age well with a pleasant interior and more legroom than I expected. The seats weren’t the most comfortable as the padding is quite thin but they were fine for the 2 hour flight. We arrived at the infamous charter terminal ‘shed’ at GVA but quickly cleared immigration and didn’t have long to wait for our bags. Thankfully there were no issued with bags being left behind in EDI.
The transfer to Belle Plagne was uneventful. There was lying snow all the way from GVA to the resort but the roads were clear and it took a little under 3 hours.
We were warmly greeted by the Esprit staff and told we could go straight to our rooms as they’d bring our bags up. First impressions were good. It was clear that this was a significantly more upmarket place than the Ducs de Savoie. It was in much better condition and finished to a higher standard. Our room, 403, was the only room without a balcony and while I initially thought I’d miss it, I never gave it another thought for the remainder of the holiday. The room was clean, large and nicely furnished. As it was on the apex of the front section it had an attractive vaulted timber ceiling and stunning views.
Our bags were quickly brought up and I set about unpacking and taking our skis and other ski gear down to the boot room.
The boot room is large and warm and each room has its own locker. However, rather bizarrely the lockers are not in numerical order. I could find no trace of 403 anywhere near to 401, 402 or 404 so went to reception. I was told that there was a floorplan and that we definitely had a locker. On returning I found it; around the corner and on the opposite side of a wall. Note to Becky: it would be much simpler if they were in numeric order!
Once we were sorted we had some afternoon tea and then it was off to the pool and Jacuzzi. The pool is a reasonable size and the Jacuzzi was warm. It was just what we needed after a day’s travelling.
At 5:00pm it was time for Oscar’s Kids High Tea. This is traditional Esprit fare with the kids being supervised/entertained by the Snow Rangers and childcare staff. I returned to the room and finished unpacking and went back to get him at 18:00.
After a bit of chill time Oscar was off to Cocoa Club where Esprit provide supervision and other activities until 22:00 during which time I went to dinner. They use the “Chalet dining” concept here which as a solo parent (my wife doesn’t ski and stays at home) is good for me and allows me to meet other adults/parents. I find these dinners good and you get to meet some interesting people.
While the food served will never receive a Michelin Star it is very good and there is normally a good choice even for my fussy palate. Every night I was able to find something on the menu I liked and never once did I have a poor meal.
Our room was a bit too warm for my liking and adjusting the thermostat didn’t seem to have much effect so it we had to open the window. As it was well below freezing outside I had to get up and close it during the night as the room a cooled too much. And then I had to get up and open it. And then I had to get up and close it. And then……
Breakfast was generally good with a choice of continental and hot items. The hot items are supplied by a British company so anyone with an aversion to French sausages (personally I love them) can be reassured it is British Bangers, Heinz Beans and British back bacon that is served. A couple of days the hot items were decidedly lukewarm but still edible.
Oscar had completed his Sprites Intermediates level in VDI last year so was booked in to Sprites Advanced this year. Unlike last year where the tuition was provided by Evo2, in BP Esprit use the red suit brigade.
Oscar asked me to follow them on the first day and I’m happy to do this as (a) it helps me orientate in an unfamiliar area and (b) lets me see the level of tuition he gets. Esprit have a maximum of 8 in a class and on this occasion there were only 7. The instruction was a bit typical esf: arms out, follow my tracks, etc, etc. According to Oscar and some of the other kids they seemed to spend the week cruising the blues and didn’t venture on to reds or to the edge of the piste as they did in VDI last year. It wasn’t particularly impressive and I don’t think Oscar progressed at all in the 5 days. In fact, I think he regressed in some areas. However, he seems to enjoy it and that is the main thing.
I managed to find a ski buddy who was a similar standard to me and from Tuesday onwards we headed out for first tracks as our kids went to ski school. This makes the holiday so much more enjoyable. My afternoons were spent either just with Oscar or some other parents and their children.
The Paradiski is very different from EK. It is much wider and has a lot of cruisy blues. There were some nice challenging reds such as Kamikaze heading over to Champagny but I definitely prefer EK. There had been a big dump of snow the previous weekend but in places it was starting to thin out and in others it was rock-hard and icy. My skis took a hammering on the run down to Chapagny and I had considered getting a service and base-grind but with no snow in the forecast I decided they would be just as bad the next day. The upper slopes were holding the snow better but it was here that any soft crust was scraped away and revealed the hard base beneath.
My ski buddy and I took a trip over to Les Arcs and we both agreed that the snow seemed to be holding up better on that side. There were some great runs and the views from Augille Roughe were stunning.
Overall we had a fantastic holiday. You could nit-pick and find small issues with the hotel but it really would be nit-picking. Becky and here team do a great job in keeping the hotel in good condition and serving up good quality meals. Tommy and Joe do a great job with the kids as does their staff. How they have the energy to keep it up all season (along with the outside work fun) is totally beyond me.
So, will we return to Hotel des Deux Domaines next year? No we won’t. There is nothing wrong with it but having priced up two options; Hotel des Deux Domaines and Ducs du Savoie, the latter is working out £700 cheaper and that is too big a difference to ignore. This is largely due to Esprit having an offer in VDI for solo parents where they don’t have to pay the under occupancy supplement but not offering this in BP.
Granted we won’t have a pool but we only used the one in DDD twice so I can live without that. The rooms might not be to the same standard but my 8 year old and I don’t need luxury. With food of a similar standard and some of the renovations and extensions that have been done to the Ducs along with my preference for the EK, we’ll are highly likely to be booking the Ducs de Savoie. My only niggle with booking VDI is Esprit do not offer Sprites Advanced (strange considering the type of area it is) so I’d have to book something separate fpor Oscar. That is no big deal but it does mean the loss of a couple of the key benefits of booking with Esprit; the supervision of kids to/from lessons and the opportunity for Oscar to meet friends.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That's a shame about the Sprites Advanced lessons. As you highlight that is one of the main reasons people use them to ensure your kids are supervised and cared for until midday or later when booking lunch.
Great report. Off to EK in a few days (without kids) so I hope its as good as you suggest.
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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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@Gaza, agreed suprisied at the lack of sprite advanced being offered. They offer it in Courchevel - that place is a great location, truly ski in, ski out, how does it compare costing wise?
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@Gaza, very useful report. It highlights the fact that "location" is far more important than rather more luxurious furnishings and a sauna. Shame the ski lessons weren't more engaging though - maybe use one of the specialist outfits next time?
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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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It's not far off BP @NickyJ. The biggest issue is that they charge an under occupancy supplement in most places and also reduce the child discount. There are 2 rooms in the Ducs where they don't do that. The same applies to a room in La Rosiere but those are small places.
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| Quote: |
| Our room, 403, was the only room without a balcony and while I initially thought I’d miss it, I never gave it another thought |
You see that would wind me up something chronic
(ps great report and pics - looks like you had some decent weather!)
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Duplicate
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 17-02-15 20:17; edited 1 time in total
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We went with two Belle Plagne and couple of years ago with Esprit and we were very upset with ESF over the Spritelets lesson, they were being left to the care of the esprit staff while the ESF instructors completely ignored them and concentrated on the French children in other lessons going on the same snow garden. When we took it up with the Esprit manager she did have words and got it resolved by I was also very disappointed that the snow Rangers didn't take it up with the instructors themselves. It was a far cry from the quality lessons being given to my eldest in Courchevel when she did Spritelets
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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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| red 27 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Our room, 403, was the only room without a balcony and while I initially thought I’d miss it, I never gave it another thought |
You see that would wind me up something chronic
(ps great report and pics - looks like you had some decent weather!) |
We would never have been in the room long enough to enjoy it!
Our day went something likes this:-
6:50 - Alarm call
Next 30 minutes spent trying to wake up as sleepy 7 year old
Get party dressed (hotel too warm to layer up)
Breakfast
Return to room and get layered up
8:15 - Boot room to get further kitted up
8:45 - Hand Oscar over to Snow Rangers then ski down to Plagne Bellcote
9:00 - First lift of the day.
13:00 - Return to hotel and collect Oscar.
13:30 - Back on slopes.
16:30 - Return to hotel and grab some afternoon tea
17:00 - Kids High Tea for Oscar and beer for me.
18:00 - Collect Oscar and then return to room for shower as and chill time
As you can see there was no time to enjoy a balcony. 😀😀😀
The weather was good to us. Even on the last day when it snowed the light and vis were not too bad.
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FAQ
