 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone been to pila? And or stayed at the hotel lion noir??
Thi King of taking all the family there..kids are 5 years old !!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If it's good enough for Maha Vajiralongkorn, it'll be good enough for anyone. Although I thought he normally goes to Germany?
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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 had a few days at the Lion Noir for a change in 2018 I think it was. We moved on day 4 to the Etoile de Neige. Found the food awful, the room walls paper thin & the final nail in the coffin was a large group visiting for St Patrick’s week who ran riot, generally took the p*as with everything & the hotel did nothing about it.
Have stayed at the Etoile almost every year since Xmas 2010 & always had a great time.
Horses for courses - it’s all pretty much 3* accom in Pila, so very low key & casual.
Funnily enough, we’re prob booking tomorrow to go back in March with Crystal.
Feel free to ask anything - happy to help if I can.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Is there any other bars in the village ????
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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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There are a couple of cafe bars in the row of shops where the supermarket is & a couple up at Pila 2000 near the ice rink & a couple more up by the ski school. You can go into any of the hotels for drinks. We often go to the Chacaril for a late afternoon drink before they set up for dinner - you get amazing views from their windows out across the alps as the sun sets. I’m not sure if Gallagher pub by the shops has ever reopened since covid.
Traditional French/Austrian banging apres is non existent in Pila but that’s not necessarily a bad thing - it just wouldn’t suit the place.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Gallagher’s has gone.
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Thanks
It's a family affair with kids, but still need a quiet bar to retreat to that's not in the hotel
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@yorkshirelad, Enjoy. Have you decided which hotel you’ll pick?
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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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Can anyone comment on driving up from Aosta to Pila? On the map, it looks quite tortuous. Alternative obviously to stay down in Aosta - will be self-catering so, if up in Pila, will want to take car full of provisions.
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@pam w, The road is fine, takes about the same time as the gondola.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Chuckles3, FYI there a consumer ski test running in Pila in March time, you can book thro Carole at Pilaski. All organised testing and snow celebrities etc.
Just thought it might be an option...
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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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@rjs, thanks, good to know that.
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@andy n netty, Yes I saw that but the cost was quite high & they don’t do the hotel we wanted. We’ve ended up bagging a bargain the week after with Crystal. I’m still 50/50 whether I’ll ski yet anyway after my accident last March as still having issues so didn’t want to fork out too much.
Was out there in 2019 I think it was when Graham Bell & his group were there. There were a lot of loud & rather strong personalities involved  (they were staying in our hotel). Not really our scene. EDIT - I see he’s out there the week we are after all.
@pam w, The views on the drive up back down across Aosta are quite something. The road up has always previously well cleared if there’s been a dump. The supermarket at the bottom by the gondola is huge & sells just about everything - & I mean, everything!
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You know it makes sense.
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Trying to contact the Lion Noir Hotel, they have a picture of a family room, with bunk beds but we can't seem to book it via a TO, and the hotel won't reply..
If we can't get it then may have to go to Madonna instead... same really as I reckon our grand kids would have like Pila
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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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@yorkshirelad, As far as I’m aware, the only UK TO’s that do the Lion Noir are Crystal & Pilaski (& maybe Interski?). When we went they had a manager in as the owner had died, not sure of the situation since. There was one lady, Barbara who spoke excellent English managing the place, the rest of the staff had very little English. If you’re set on going there, I’d try giving them a call (for all I know you speak perfect Italian?).
If you don’t get any joy I can highly recommend the Etoile de Neige. Angela, the owner speaks/writes excellent English & will reply to emails very quickly. I believe they have family room(s).
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking at that hotel, through Interski and Pilaski. The recent reviews are not bad at all and the location sounds good for skiers (though rubbish for non skiers). I speak some Italian but not enough for complicated phone conversations! A hotel where few of the staff speak English sounds great to me - I will need to speak Italian. Italy, generally, is not nearly as "internet and email" connected as some other countries. The Aosta valley is supposedly bilingual and all the hotels seem to have French names but when a garage in Aosta totally screwed up replacing the clutch on my Fiat, years ago, they mysteriously lost all ability to communicate in French, which I speak perfectly adequately for stuff like that.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pam w, Are you interested in an appartment recommendation for Aosta? I like being able to shop more than once for the week, so have not stayed up in Pila.
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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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@pam w, Pila generally is very Italian/French language focused - most hotels & restaurants have very few fluent English speakers so, yes, it’s a very good place to be forced to practice - we usually manage very well thankfully. That said, I was very, very grateful for their English language skills last March after my accident.
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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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@rjs, yes, please. I have looked at some AirBnBs, which seem quite expensive. I can see there are pros and cons for staying in Aosta.
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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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| andy n netty wrote: |
@Chuckles3, FYI there a consumer ski test running in Pila in March time, you can book thro Carole at Pilaski. All organised testing and snow celebrities etc.
Just thought it might be an option... |
Is she still going? Called her a few times a while ago to ask about Pila etc., left a few messages but she never returned any of them.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 8-01-23 13:48; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes she is. She responded quickly to my email, but was away from Pila for a few days - took some clients to a less crowded resort. She dealt with my query quickly when she got back, but we've decided to stay down in Aosta in the apartment recommended by @rjs, which was a lot cheaper than any of the AirBnBs.
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| ster wrote: |
| andy n netty wrote: |
@Chuckles3, FYI there a consumer ski test running in Pila in March time, you can book thro Carole at Pilaski. All organised testing and snow celebrities etc.
Just thought it might be an option... |
Is she still going? Called her a few times a while ago to ask about Pila etc., left a few messages but she never returned any of them. |
As Pam says she’s def still going. I messaged her for prices & she was quick to reply with info although it did go into my spam box. Try dropping her a line. Sadly, she couldn’t compete with Crystal on pricing on this trip.
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| Chuckles3 wrote: |
| ster wrote: |
| andy n netty wrote: |
@Chuckles3, FYI there a consumer ski test running in Pila in March time, you can book thro Carole at Pilaski. All organised testing and snow celebrities etc.
Just thought it might be an option... |
Is she still going? Called her a few times a while ago to ask about Pila etc., left a few messages but she never returned any of them. |
As Pam says she’s def still going. I messaged her for prices & she was quick to reply with info although it did go into my spam box. Try dropping her a line. Sadly, she couldn’t compete with Crystal on pricing on this trip. |
No thanks. Expect better service from small operators to the extent of returning a phone message(or several in fact). If you can’t manage that then doesn't bode well and I steer clear.
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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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@ster, Fair enough. We’ve never found her competitive but were interested so MrChuckles3 would have company on the slopes if I didn’t ski. Thankfully, Pila is very doable as a solo skier - no valleys or wrong turns to take. Suits us perfectly these days as long as you can avoid the racers
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FAQ
