 Poster: A snowHead
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Tignes, "première neige" trips with Club Med bookable from November 25th... article in the Scotsman describing the joys of Club Med breaks - other resorts include Val, Les Arcs and Val Thorens. The journalist sings the praises of the token-based payment system and overall quality of service... anyone else have any experience of the Alpine centres? Closest I've been is Marrakesh.... though must say the standards were impressive. Still, there are drawbacks, unless you like that sort of thing... walking through a human tunnel of clapping employees as you leave, etc etc... do they still do 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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PG Were they that glad to see you go! 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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They own the largest hotel in Wengen, the Palace !, until recently they were not to popular, mornings often found them pushing onto trains with a somewhat superior attitude, they also used to have their own ski instructors and accidents occured (probably due to inexperienced instructors combined with large class sizes) now they are using the Swiss Ski School, their behaviour on and off the slopes and lifts appears to have improved.
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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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We've been to Club Med Tignes Val Claret for the last two years at Feb 1/2 term.
Very impressed - we'd have gone again this year but they didn't send us a brochure and by the time we realised all the flights had gone!
They didn't do all the clapping thing there - they were too busy unloading the coach for us! A few of them line the path into the theatre, where they give you a welcome drink/chat (about 5 mnutes) and you pick up your keys, but that's about it. Then you can pick up you lift pass in the lounge and by the time you get to your room your luggage is waiting outside.
The token based bar system is great, especially if you have kids - you can give them a small book and they can get whatever they want till they use them all up! Give them the chance to learn that they can't afford everything.
Food quality and service is excellent - huge range of choice. They have themed evenings with food from different countries, but the basics are always available as well - pizzas, pasta, salads, burgers, chicken, steak, veg, etc. Chef de Village greets everyone coming into dinner most evenings - very accessible of you have any problems.
Unlimited wine and beer with meals. Only gripe is you have to go to the bar and buy your coffee after dinner.
On site ski hire and service and ski school. Excellent pool, sauna, steam room. Entertainment (in French and English) in the theatre each evening if you want. Kids Club for the younger children.
The majority of guests are French, though there were people from all over the world - 15 countries, when we were there. First language is French, of course, but most staff speak 2 or 3. You can tell which by the little badges they wear, with the flags of the countries.
Prices are all in - transport, full board, lift pass, 6 full days of lessons (but you don't have to take them - we tended to do the mornings only then all meet up and ski together each afternoon). The only extras are ski hire if you need it, and whatever you want to spend in the bar.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Visited friends last year who were staying in Club Med at Serre Che, a very impressive set up and all the family enjoyed it. The instruction was apparently v good as well. It is not cheap but I think you get what you pay for.
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I stayed at the Val D' Club Med last year and you can't fault it for value - if you use everything, including ski school, it does work out much cheaper, and the food is fantastic. The downside was the feeling of being so packaged and processed - I think there were 250 - 300 people there, and you have to have a very strong stomach to face the relentless cheerfulness and determination of the staff that you will be entertained, like it or not. Likewise a feeling of estrangement from the rest of the town.
While the facilities are good and the rooms a fair size, there are miles of windowless echoing corridors, giving the feeling of being in an underground carpark, and I was still getting lost at the end of the week. Architecture from the battery-hen school.
For those reasons alone I probably wouldn't use them again but, for a family with kids, using all the facilities, it probably can't be beat. I'm thinking of starting a survivor's group, to address the shame and stigma, and to enforce relapse prevention techniques.
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