 Poster: A snowHead
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Nobody has mentioned timeshare (that dreaded word). It's what we've been doing for the last 8 years. Superb quality apartment, usually in a hotel-type setup. Onsite restaurant(s), swimming pool(s), sauna, steam room, etc... Maid service, boot room....
Off tomorrow to Austria - can't wait!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sue S, Nothing wrong with timeshare ... it's been around for a a long time. However shouldn't it be seen as an alternative ownership model rather than an alternative 'Type of Stay'? At the end of the day you can rent as 'uncatered' apartments many if not all timeshare properties?
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 3-02-06 11:12; edited 1 time in total
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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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'unfurnished' apartments ???
Might be a tad uncomfortable...
Yes, I agree you can usually book them direct so I suppose my vote is for self-catering! But then I've never stayed in a chalet... So put me down as a don't know who's not concentrating too well at the moment as anticipation is taking over all her brain cells! 
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I guess my preferences have been swayed by some rather unpleasant experiences of chalet holidays. Most memorably was a trip many years ago to a Mark Warner property in Meribel where our group of five were joined by a party of alcoholic and, frankly, uncivilised banking people. The hubris they displayed was simply breathtaking; property destruction, abuse of the staff, insults to us, vomiting in the living room, throwing dinner at each other, spitting unacceptable wine on the floor and urinating from the balcony.
Whilst this was bad enough what really surprised me was their tacit belief that they could do anything they wanted to without recourse; a consequence no doubt of their upbringing and an unconsciousness acceptance of their right to dominate and exercise power. Of course, this is a reflection of them and not the actual chalet but it did bring into sharp relief this uncontrollable aspect of a holiday. I suppose the trick would be to book a much smaller property. There have been other horror stories but this one stands out!
Porcini or shitake?
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 3-02-06 10:52; edited 1 time in total
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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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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Quote: |
You have been lucky
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Lucky - no
Holidaying with a companies that have a proven track record on staff recruitment, and who prefer more mature staff - Yes.
In our last chalet holiday in Reberty, 2 weeks ago, we had 3 staff looking after 17 guests. The company also had 1 floating member of staff that helped each chalet out on a rota basis and also provided sick cover. 2 of the chalet hosts were Aussies in their mid 20, both of whom had extensive restaurant experience. The 3rd was a lady in her mid 30s (I suspect) who was taking a sabatical from her job as a lawyer. As part of her sabatical she had taken a gourmet cooking course. The food was superb with the menu discussed with the guests each morning, any who didnt fancy what was on offer were given alternate options. All 3 courses were superb, every day.
Luck has very little to do with it. |
Frosty, what I meant, obviously, is that you're lucky to be so bloody clever, well informed and focused (or to have mates who are).
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| Quote: |
| ... uncivilised banking people. The hubris they displayed was simply breathtaking; property destruction, abuse of the staff, insults to us, vomiting in the living room, throwing dinner at each other, spitting unacceptable wine on the floor and urinating from the balcony. |
Fortunately this sort of thing doesn't go on in my local Barclays, perhaps because it's not chalet-shaped.
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Do Mark Warner do chalets? I thought they only did hotels (or 'chalet hotels' as they market them) - certainly the one I stayed at in St Anton was far more hotel than chalet (and co-incidentally did have a small handful of individuals similar to those Kevin describes - is that a Mark Warner rather than a chalet phenomenon?).
So, what is the difference between a chalet and a hotel? To my mind chalets:
1) Sleep a maximum of say 20 or 25 (but usually 6 to 16)
2) Do not have a reception
3) Do not have a bar
4) Have staff who will sit around and chat with the guests while preparing dinner
5) Allow guests into the kitchen, particularly if volunteering to help with the washing up!
Any other views?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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kevin mcclean, the big problem with chalets is indeed the company (Frosty's right; you can select chalets which should have decent catering, although it still seems a shame to eat in the same 'restaurant' every night, and you can be unlucky even with the best planning). Chalets are too small to have to share with people you don't know, unless you're very lucky (sorry, Frosty, that word again).
The best chalet hols I've had, by far, were the ones on which we took over the whole place and when I started skiing, that was my preferred arrangement. Now I prefer a reasonably decent hotel on B&B so that we can eat out wherever we fancy.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| richmond wrote: |
| kevin mcclean, the big problem with chalets is indeed the company |
Well maybe I have just been lucky, but all the times I've stayed in chalets I've had great company (and I've either been on my own or in a party of no more than 4). Even the occasion when three of us ended up sharing with a party of 22 (the East Edinburgh Ski Club) was great - far from overwhelming us and dominating the chalet, they made us feel really welcome and integrated us into their group.
On other occasions I've shared with singles, couples and small groups, and never had a problem. And I always know that it's been a good chalet when the end of the week arrives and I realise I haven't got a clue what anybody I've been sharing with does for a living, but I do know what makes them laugh and how many times they've headplanted during the holiday.
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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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Just been speaking to the daughter in law of a legendary sporting great. She was telling me about their (whole family) last ski holiday to Courchevel 1850.
Private jet to Chambery, took their own chef, and Scott Dunn upgraded them FOC to their finest chalet as a tempter. 7 course meals, permanent private instructor.
See told you chalet holidays were best 
PS she was lovely and really appreciated how lucky they were. From what she said it sounded like the chalet staff also had a fun week, and were treated with respect and friendship.
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richmond, No I don't think Frosty was anymore lucky than any other guest of Silver Ski or Ski Olympic, both are super companies, very well run who employ more mature staff than some of the larger operations. It's easy to check out previous guests comments, just ask to see the guest book, we publish ours on our website. I think the problem of bad behaviour is more associated with certain resorts which are domianated by British visiters. It's something that the French in particular cannot understand, but maybe it's a northern European thing, the Swedes in Chamonix seem to have the same reputation for boozy boorishness.
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You know it makes sense.
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Dave Burt, Glad to see that another "social" person is coming on the EOSB 
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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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Dave Burt, you seem to have overlooked the fact that I am a miserable, antisocial git.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Basically, standards of behaviour in chalets have declined since kevin mcclean took his custom elsewhere.
Klone kevin, I say.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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richmond, Now that you have accepted your problems the battle is half won
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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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Yes, you can see me hanging out with the old gits at the Hotel Tsanteleina now in VD!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Frosty the Snowman, I hope that you're not suggesting that I might turn into a jolly, charming fellow. There's no place on this forum for that sort of personal abuse.
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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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richmond, There are some here that are prone to grumpiness. I have never thought of you in that bracket
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Frosty the Snowman, and there's an interesting correlation between my sociability and the number of beers consumed 
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Frosty the Snowman is right, choosing small, independant, chalet specialists virtually guarantees top quality food and wine. My last half a dozen or so ski holidays have been in chalets and I have always experienced excellent food, service, and accommodation.
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How do I delete this?
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sun 5-02-06 11:19; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We just had a great time in a Chalet hotel through Skiworld - the food was outstanding and the rooms were basic but comfortable and we didn't have to share a bathroom with anyone. As there were only two of us going the ability to mix with other groups was invaluable and made the holiday much more enjoyable.
But the only problem we found was the number of large bloke only groups that persisted in crashing back to the hotel at 4am and waking the entire place up - the noise can get a bit much and they hadn't discovered sound proofing or double glazing!
I think next time I would look to organise a bigger group and find a good chalet. Recommendations from this site worked this time, so why not again?
I have to admit though, a hotel does sound kind of soul-less - isn't skiing all about the social camaraderie? If not I must have got the wrong end of the stick or been over friendly because I met loads of great people and everyone was so nice - even the French seemed more friendly in the mountains than in the rest of the country!
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kosciosco, we have stayed in hotels, but only small ones, much less soul-less. We have also done chalets, but found them expensive unless we put up with the kids in our room for a week. So we now settle for apartments as we have more space to lounge about, and we eat out most of the time, and enjoy trying all trhe local restaurants. We like apartments so much, we've bought our own in Serre Chevalier.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen Beaumont, I just had a look at your apartment. I don't know anything about Serre Chevalier, what is it like for beginners who like Long greens and interesting Blues?
How much does an apartment cost? do you think it was a good investment, or does it just make holiday's cheaper if you use it enough?
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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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| Dave Burt wrote: |
| Self catering? On holiday? Are you mad!!! The last thing I want to do after a hard day on the slopes is to pepare and cook a meal, and then do the washing up. |
Who said anything about cooking, washing up?
Self-catering to me means that you eat out if and when you feel like it. You eat what you want, with whom you want. You don't have to make conversation because it's the done thing in a chalet holiday. You don't spend your time with mainly British people, often the case in chalet breaks surely. You have the opportunity to meet people around the resorts from all over, or locals. Most of those I've ended up having meals with over the years have not been Brits.
If I'm in another country I like to learn about the food of that country, experiment a little. I don't really want to be experimented on! (Even if there are some cordon bleu chalet girls out there somewhere )...
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PG, all very well if you can afford it! At an average of around 50euros/head in a typical resort restaurant, this adds significantly to the cost of the holiday - and is certainly more than the difference between a s/c and catered holiday.
And just because I've enjoyed the chalet holidays I've been on don't assume that my 'little englander' tendencies mean that I have no desire to experience local culture and cuisine. Having lived in a number of European countries has taught me that most ski resort restaurants are incredibly poor value for money!
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You know it makes sense.
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Helen Beaumont, Mrs Ax and I have been thinking about appartments in the Alpes for some time, and last summer drove through Serre Che on our way 'back' (long route round!) from a few days in L2A. It looked very attractive, and seemed popular with walkers and mountain bikers. We are thinking we might do a week there next (ski) season (already booked three trips this year!). I'll keep an eye on your availability!
Feel free to tell me to mind my own business but I would be very interested in knowing how the economics of buying (vs renting each year) stack up? Also how high is the 'hassle' factor in terms of having to take bookings and deal with guests problems? I do like the sound of being able to have 6 trips a year, and getting time off work would not be a problem, but on the downside I'm not sure that we are ready to always go back to the same resort just yet? I got the impression from your website that your appartment is in a 'development' which includes a pool (or will do shortly!) how well have you got on with the developer? Buying property abroad is supposed to be easier these days, I wondered if you had found that to be the case?
Cheers
SimonT
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Can't comment on chalets as I have never stayed in one. Why? I fear Kevin's experiences and views.
We did stay in a Crystal Club Hotel once, which was like one big chalet.
We usually stay in Hotels with a mix of nations. Just back from Passo Tonale and there were very few Brits in the hotel, loads of Italians and we met a couple who drove from Belgium
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dave Burt wrote: |
| PGAnd just because I've enjoyed the chalet holidays I've been on don't assume that my 'little englander' tendencies mean that I have no desire to experience local culture and cuisine. Having lived in a number of European countries has taught me that most ski resort restaurants are incredibly poor value for money! |
Strange, I don't recall mentioning anyone else in my comments 
Anyway prices vary from resort to resort, and from country to country of course. If the Brits continue to go where the TO's send them, mainly the convenient mega resorts, they'll be paying mega prices for eating out if they're not careful.
€50?! You can eat perfectly well for less than 20€ per head if you know where to look. Five of us have just got back from an excellent three course meal in Bourg St Maurice, with aperitifs and a glass of wine each, for a total of precisely €95.50.
Which is why DIY holidays can work out at excellent value for money. If you're not hungry, you grab a sandwich. Fancy a meal, in a small resort, or slightly off the beaten track, you find out where the locals eat. In a new resort in France, I've watched for where the 'pulls rouges' head - you can't go wrong then on price and quality.
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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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We stayed in Soll last year and got a good evening meal for less than 10 Euro
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I haven't been on a chalet holiday for 7/8 years but when I used to, I loved them. Either took over a small one (like a house party with skiing, fabulous) or went with another couple or two to a bigger one and mixed it up with whoever was there (usually easy going like minded snow people making up a pleasant crowd, members of no social nor occupational strata standing out as more or less acceptable company). I'm looking forward to doing it again but suspect the model doesn't lend itself so well to the bechilded - not so easy to misbehave. For the present it's self-catering or hotel.
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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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| PG wrote: |
| Dave Burt wrote: |
| PGAnd just because I've enjoyed the chalet holidays I've been on don't assume that my 'little englander' tendencies mean that I have no desire to experience local culture and cuisine. Having lived in a number of European countries has taught me that most ski resort restaurants are incredibly poor value for money! |
Strange, I don't recall mentioning anyone else in my comments
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Strange, I'm sure I saw a direct quote from me, to which I reasonably assumed you were responding
| PG wrote: |
€50?! You can eat perfectly well for less than 20€ per head if you know where to look. Five of us have just got back from an excellent three course meal in Bourg St Maurice, with aperitifs and a glass of wine each, for a total of precisely €95.50.
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I'm sure you're right, but when you're only in a resort for a week you don't know where to look, and I would rather not waste valuable holiday time traipsing round town looking for the 'right' restaurant. I just find it very convenient to come in off the slopes (after a couple of early aperitifs maybe), shower, and then wander downstairs to where I know there'll be a good meal waiting for me, and hopefully some equally good company, whether it be in a chalet or a hotel (and I've had great experiences in both). I'm not a great foodie (quantity is as important as quality on a ski holiday), so the gourmet experience is not one of my priorities. Convenience and laughs are what I'm looking for.
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The only pain I found staying in a hotel last week was that dinner wasn't served till 7.30pm. I ski till the last lift at 4.30pm, so it is a very hungry 2 hours to wait. Is this the norn for hotels???
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| Quote: |
| to which I reasonably assumed you were responding |
Dave Burt, sorry, but nothing reasonable about you making assumptions about my alleged "little Englander" assumptions about others! The thought had never crossed my mind about your own preferences. I was voicing my own reasons for a different approach. I quoted you because you had suggested it was "mad" to consider self-catering, and I think it's mad not to  .
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Having just spent the week in Zermatt in a *** hotel, I am now willing to try the Chalet or Chalet/Hotel experience. We met up with some English people who where staying in a Chalet Hotel. They got cooked breakfast, were also served tea and cakes at 5.30 and were given free wine with their meals, all of which we didn't have in our Hotel. More importantly, there was a far more relaxed atmosphere which I think we would have preferred.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I suppose to be fair to the crysteal Club Hotel we stayed in at Alpe D, we did get tea and cakes at 5.00pm
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kosciosco, the area is ideal for skiers of all levels. There are nursery slopes at the bottom of each village, and some have them at the mid-station too, lots of blues and some long green runs too. My apartment is in Monetier-les-Bains and is only a short (200m ) walk to the slopes. Theres a chair-lift to the top, and another one takes you into the main skiing area, the run is a red, but is fairly gentle, or you can return into the monetier area via a blue piste. A ski bus runs along the valley every 15 minutes so if you are too timid for the red run across, just get the bus to the next village. There is a nice gentle area at the top of the Frejus gondola which goes from Villeneve, lots of gentle blues and greens. You can return to Monetier from there too, via a couple of chairs, and blue pistes. The Rochambout and Route des Espagnoles back down to the village are really nice. There are also other more difficult runs to progress to . Dave Burt, €50 per head  , we didn't pay much more than that for a 7 course New Years Eve dinner with wine included!!!! A bill for 7 with wine, drinks and desserts was around €140 in another restaurant.
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FAQ
