 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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Been meaning to do a debrief/comparison in a single post for a while now.... here goes.
Travel
My first trip was by train (from my village in Oxfordshire) all the way to Oulx, then a short transfer from there. I very much enjoyed it.
Pros: Totally stress free and very relaxing. Much less hassle at checking in/security/border control. Can take a lot more stuff with you (at no extra cost). Shorter transfer to resort.
Cons: Takes a good while longer. It was more expensive than flying (governments really need to sort this out). The connections back to the UK were far too infrequent, meaning we had a very long stop in Paris on the way back (but we just found a nice cafe to sit in).
Top tip: Buy your tickets for the RER from the buffet car on the Eurostar.
My second trip was by plane from Gatwick to Turin.
Pros: Quick. Cheaper than the train. Turin airport is like a paradise compared to Geneva. The transfer, whilst longer than on the train, was completely traffic free, even at half term. This may have been a fluke, but even in Gatwick, the walk to the gate was very short compared to the normal walk to the gate for GVA flights.
Cons: Much more stressful (at Gatwick at least). Restrictions on how much you can take. Not very environmentally friendly at all. The transfer is longer and much more expensive.
Top tips: Upfront seats, whilst more expensive, will give you a nicer (smoother) flight as well as extra luggage allowance. Priority security at Gatwick (£5pp) is a bargain if flying at busy times.
Montgenevre
Skiing: There's a good variety of terrain to be had, and if you book in advance, the Monts de la Lune lift pass is pretty good value. This will sounds stupid, but... . the terrain is very spiky which means some of the chairlifts are VERY high up at points. If you're not good with heights, then this might be an issue. That said, a few of the lifts are Chondalas (or Chubbles as we called them) and you can choose to take a bubble lift or chair.
I thought the layout of the runs/lifts themselves were a bit poorly laid out. It was quite a bit longer to ski over from Hameau de l'Obelisque to the main (north facing) part of the resort, compared to walking/getting the bus. Even longer getting back. The skiing on the north facing slopes was decent in January and February, though both times the topmost slopes (which in fairness, are well laid out to access several runs from one converging point) were very icy. And a few times the wind was so strong, you couldn't see the ground because of loose snow blowing over it.
The South facing slopes were great in January, but in February, by 11am they were a slushy, mushy mess. I suspect they will be either non existent or horrible in March (April?).
Food
There really aren't very many places to stop for a bite/drink on the mountain compared to what I am used to, which was a bit of a shame. Les Terraces is AMAZING for a pint, but be prepared to remortgage your house to drink there. The cafe at Les Chalmettes was good value.
Being able to ski into Italy fairly easily is a bonus as the food there is both delicious and cheaper.
The rotisserie chicken that you can get in Hameau de l'Obelisque, bizarrely, only allowed collection at lunchtime, which I thought was weird. Especially given the hassle getting back here from the main North facing slopes. I would have much rather collect it early evening for an evening meal.
The town/nightlife
Montgenevre itself is tiny. You can see the entirety of it when you're 1/4 of the way up the Chalmettes gondola. On the plus side, it meant that the slopes were fairly empty, even at half term. On the downside, it means that the nightlife is pretty much non existent. I'm 45 with kids and I'm not after apres, but a couple of pints before going for a meal/cooking at the apartment was essentially limited to one bar in the middle of town. Fine in January, impossible at half term. The one pub in the centre of town was rammed, and all other 'bars' were not open for just a couple of beers.
The Monty Luge was good for a laugh one evening, but if there wasn't a pool in our apartment block, I think the kids would have been bored 5h!tless.
Overall I thought the town itself was a bit tatty, and not particularly pretty, but the people were friendly and all of the restaurants we went to in the town were very, very good.
Accomodation
We stayed in Hameau des Airelles and Chalet des Dolines. They're both right next to each other. Dolines was FAR nicer than Airelles. I thought Airelles was extremely tatty in the common areas and the apartments themselves. I was amazed to find that Dolines is due for a full refurb next year too, when I really didn't think it required it.
Overall
We had a great time on both trips, however, if I wasn't going skiing during half term, I would rather go to the Northern Alps to a nicer town with a better laid out resort. If I need to go at half term again (and want to stick to France), then Monty will be first on the list.
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FAQ