 Poster: A snowHead
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Stayed in Parc Alpin Chalet in Meribel with Ski Olympic last Easter... good wine, plenty of it, and no rush with dinner.
Have stayed in Crystal Chalets in Vebier and they were fine too... and in Selva and Sauze.
Never had a bad wine experience in a chalet yet... I'm either very lucky, have no taste in wine, or have enough apres gluhweins before arriving for dinner to mean i don't care what it tastes like...
Staying in a Total Ski Chalet Hotel in Lech at Easter.... sure it'll be just fine.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Andyph wrote in reply to Axsman:
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If that was the general experience, I would agree, but you paint a pretty pessimistic picture of chalet hols. Although there have been exceptions, I've mostly been very happy with chalet and chalet-hotel accomodation and service. You pays your money, you takes your choice, but if you don't do your homework then, well, caveat emptor.
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I agree entirely. Have done several chalet hols with big and small operators and have found them all excellent. But you do have to do your homework - find out exactly where your chalet is, because if you want to be quiet you don't want one in the main square, and vice versa if you want to be near the nightlife you don't want to be a couple of miles out of town or up at the top of the hill. And check the facilities (don't mind not having a jacuzzi but an ensuite bathroom is a must for me).
It's a great home from home if you go with friends - in a hotel it's not that easy to get together for a convivial evening as you've either got to congregate in somebody's room or use the public rooms (if there are any suitable).
As for wine, it's never been stingy, and it certainly does cut the cost down, especially if you drink like most people in our family!  It's not the cost of the wine that's served that matters; it's what you would otherwise pay in a bar if you went out.
Must go - got to research a few chalets for 2010. 
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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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| john w wrote: |
| Was in La Plagne at the start of the month and the wine arrived in 20 Litre poly lined boxes. We also spotted the invoice. Red was 16 eruo's for 20 L and white was 19 Euros for 20 L. |
But that can also happen in resturants, as we caught a waiter in Bulgaria filling bottles for the table from a poly-box behind the bar...
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| Axsman wrote: |
This whole debate underlines for me the drawbacks of catered chalets (vs Half Board Hotels). Less facilities (no pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, Bar or night club on the premises),
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Not always true - some chalets have hot tubs/saunas for instance, and not all hotels have all (or even any) of those. But yes, the overall tendency is for there to be fewer such facilities.
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less staff (a couple of chalet persons vs a team of maids, cleaners, waiters and bar staff),
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True but also far fewer guests - the staff to guest ratio probably isn't all that different.
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further from the facilites (i.e. not near to any restaurants or other bars),
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That is down to the location of any given accommodation, nothing to do with whether it is a chalet or not.
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limited menu offerings (i.e. you get what they cook, when they cook it, and all have to eat (and breakfast) at the same time), and limited wine choices (you get what they give you, and only as much as they provide).
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Yes, this can be a drawback, particularly if you are fairly fussy in your eating/drinking habits.
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With all these drawbacks, and a price tag that is often higher than staying in a 3 or 4 star hotel Why do people use Chalets at all?
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Well I haven't done recently, but mainly because of availability of single rooms, rather than any of the above. The main thing from the above that would be likley to bother me would be lack of a sauna, and those seem to be becoming more common in chalets.
But I think the main reason many people prefer catered chalets (apart from the fact they are usually cheaper) is the ambience. It tends to be less impersonal than a hotel, and is much easier to get to know the other guests when you are all seated together for meals.
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We tried it once in Meribel, and while it was comfortable and pleasant, we wouldn't do it again.
I'd MUCH rather pay for my wine, drink what I want, as much as I want, when I want, than have any amount of 'free plonk' that isn't free at all of course, it's just part of the price you pay, without you having any control over what you receive.  |
That is largely a matter of personal preference though. Some people have different preferences, and those are the ones chalet holidays are aimed at.
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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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General rule of thumb independent tour operator means ok to great wine and plentiful. Go with a huge TO like First choice or Crystal and it will be stingy - their brochures aften advertise 1/3 of a litre pp - I would down that in 2 mins flat. Skibeat have upped teh quality of wines all round.
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| Axsman wrote: |
| With all these drawbacks, and a price tag that is often higher than staying in a 3 or 4 star hotel Why do people use Chalets at all? |
Gosh. A week in a chalet (at brochure price) seems to be (generally) £750-£1200, including flights and transfer and (fairly universally it seems) plenty to drink. And if the wine is no good, no corkage charges.
A week in a hotel: flights £120 if lucky; transfers £60-£100. A bottle of wine per night £100 for week. No pre-breakfast tea. Afternoon tea £35 for week. Accommodation £75-£150 per night = £525-£1,050. Food £20-£40 per night - £120-£240.
total 960 - 1,545
I HATE living in a hotel, too.
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Well I agree with Axsman. And I'm really not that keen on staying in a chalet with a bunch of other Brits eating English-type food - I'd rather know I'm in a foreign country, eating local cuisine.
James the Last, gosh - you're a bit out on your hotel prices! Or at least the ones I stay in. Typically in Austria, never paid more than about £800-900 for a 4 star hotel including flights, transfers, half-board (never had poor food yet) and sometimes afternoon tea included. Plus spa facilites/swimming pool, bar/lounge in hotel etc. And mostly much cheaper than that.
I would stay in a chalet if it was just a group of friends all wanting to be together or to get a last-minute bargain. Otherwise hotel, or if in a decent town where there are good cheap restaurants, B&B.
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| James the Last wrote: |
| I HATE living in a hotel, too. |
You might have hit the nail on the head there for me. mrsph loves the idea of flying off somewhere foreign and staying in a hotel for a week. That just sounds like work to me 
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Good chalets rock. They are like small hotels, but with loads of fun thrown in. We stayed in a very nice hotel in the Dolomites recently. By the time I got in from skiing at 5.15, chewed the fat over a couple of beers, had a shower, got changed and a play on my phone, it was time for dinner. Not once did I have time to visit the wellness suite.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| James the Last wrote: |
| cathy, you're comparing what seems to be described in the brochures as a chalet hotel. Axsman wanted to stay in a 3-4 star hotel. |
Am I?? 
I thought I was talking about where I stayed last year, the lovely Hotel Schneider in Obertauern http://www.schneider.at/englisch/index.html , or the Hotel Signina in Laax http://www.whitearena.com/index-en.html# , which provided afternoon tea. Both of which were 4 star, had swimming pool/spa & we stayed half-board.
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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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going away in a group od definately prefer a catered chalet but just me and the oh...not so sure.
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I tend to do either chalet or hotel and both have their good and bad points. For me, the huge advantage of a chalet is that it's friendlier and it gives me the chance to sit with other people for meals and be a bit sociable. In a hotel I tend to eat alone and spend most of my time off the slopes by myself. Which I don't mind of course, but it's nice to chat to like-minded people...
Room sizes often differ too. I've had single hotel rooms which have been well-appointed but hardly any bigger than a broom cupboard. Yet my single room in a Crystal chalet last season could easily have taken another bed. Not that size matters much but it's nice to spread out a bit...
Since I'm a veggie, I rarely have a choice of food and so far I've found chalet food to be a bit nicer than hotel food but it does vary from place to place...
The big advantage of hotels really is on-site facilities. It's great to have a bar or even a pool and that sort of thing would influence my choice of accommodation somewhat...
As for free wine, well, it would be rude not to... 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Axsman wrote: |
| With all these drawbacks, and a price tag that is often higher than staying in a 3 or 4 star hotel Why do people use Chalets at all? |
I think the benefit of chalets comes when you are in a large group which can take a whole chalet. Providing that you are lucky and get chalet hosts who can cook, it can be a great laugh, you drink your own duty frees which keeps the cost down (until they run out on day 2), you can behave within reason as you please. I don't see the point of them otherwise. I prefer a small B&B pension; eat where you choose, when you choose, with whom you choose.
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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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B&B is one thing I would avoid at all costs. Having to find the money and somewhere to eat out every night would drive me nuts. But each to their own...
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Poster: A snowHead
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cathy, OK, thanks for that, the Obertauern seems to be at the bottom end of my proposed price. Never heard of the resort though, which no doubt explains why it's cheap.
ACTIVE week" - 14th - 21st of March 2009
EUR 905,50 per person in the doubleroom
7 days halfboard
6 days liftpassass (or an endless round of unpleasant beauty treatments)
Relaxing in our Wellnessresidenz (750 m²)
Guided "Tauern circle" on Sunday
water gymnastics
Pilates
snow shoe hike to the Achenrain
Voucher of EUR 15,00 for a massage or beauty treatment
… and all the well known Schneider-inclusive services
So excluding ski pass, that's £700 excluding flights.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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James the Last, Obertauern is NOT renowned for cheepness.
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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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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| B&B is one thing I would avoid at all costs. Having to find the money and somewhere to eat out every night would drive me nuts. But each to their own... |
But you're paying for dinner anyway, aren't you (unless you're fasting, not something I do)? With B&B (or s/c), you choose when, where and so on, including what and how much, and there's not usually a shortage of restaurants in ski resorts (although booking a day ahead can be a good wheeze during busy weeks). What can be wrong with that? I suppose in a big group there might be endless faffing about where to go, buit in smallish group, that's not a prob.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 4-03-09 14:38; edited 1 time in total
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richmond, I travel alone. Half board works out a lot cheaper than eating out every night, and is far less hassle. But maybe I'm just lazy...
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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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Nadenoodlee was with Silverski in December, nothing’s changed  . Would dissagree with a chalet costing more that a three or four star hotel, all depends on the chalet
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queen bodecia, as you prefer, of course, and I can see that if you're on your own and want to meet people, eating in the same place each night helps. Price depends, on time (we go at half term) and quality of establishment (most of the benefits of 4/5* hotels are wasted on me, I prefer simpler and so cheaper places). As to the hassle, I'm sure that you're not lazy but stepping out of the door and staggering 5 minutes to a restaurant isn't that taxing. I don't want to eat the same type of grub in the same place every night, and you can have a couple of nights of cheap and cheerful and then push the boat out somewhere memorable.
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queen bodecia, B&B means no cleaning, no tidying, no washing up and going out for a nice meal each night...and if you pick the right one then they will assist you and share their local knowledge. In Courchevel 1850 that could be pricey, but in smaller Austrian towns it is very cheap.
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I understand your points but it's not for me. Nor is self-catering. I just prefer the easy and cheap options. Maybe if I ever become loaded (highly unlikely!) I'll modify my choices but at the moment budget half board is the way to go...
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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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Surely this is a case of different things suit different people. I'm a self catering with family but hotel with just a couple or a small group. Chalets are great for people who they suit but it ain't everyone.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Big chalet, fully occupied with a great bunch of chilled friends and kids, great staff and food - This is the ultimate ski holiday in my experience
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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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Frosty the Snowman,
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was it your drinking arm?
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I'm ambidextrous when comes to drinking 
I needed the free wine to anaesthetise the pain!
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| James the Last wrote: |
cathy, OK, thanks for that, the Obertauern seems to be at the bottom end of my proposed price. Never heard of the resort though, which no doubt explains why it's cheap.
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It isn't.
It is pretty expensive for Austria.
but then Obertauern is generally regarded as a fairly expensive resort (for Austria).
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ACTIVE week" - 14th - 21st of March 2009
EUR 905,50 per person in the doubleroom
7 days halfboard
6 days liftpassass (or an endless round of unpleasant beauty treatments)
Relaxing in our Wellnessresidenz (750 m²)
Guided "Tauern circle" on Sunday
water gymnastics
Pilates
snow shoe hike to the Achenrain
Voucher of EUR 15,00 for a massage or beauty treatment
… and all the well known Schneider-inclusive services
So excluding ski pass, that's £700 excluding flights. |
The one I am staying in the week after that, also 4* in Ellmau/Going (Ski Welt area), also has what they describe as "Skiers snack" late atfernoon, is €58 per night per person in a double room, so €406 for the week, half board. Or the have a special offer of a week in the next grade up of double room for €381 for the week at that time, or €563 including lift pass.
http://www.blattlhof.at/en/preise.htm
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You know it makes sense.
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Big chalet, fully occupied with a great bunch of chilled friends and kids, great staff and food - This is the ultimate ski holiday in my experience |
I agree We (husband, children, my brother and his wife, two or four friends, couple of THEIR friends) have had many excellent chalet holidays, with generally great food, AND wine where we have taken the chalet on sole occupancy. Best of all worlds for us, but nothing suits everyone, which is why there is a choice out there Not sure why it's such a bone of contention ........
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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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I thinnk it has been said already, but you pays your money, you takes your choice. Whether you want to stay in a hotel a chalet, aprtment or a tent, half board, full board, B&B or SC, work out your budget, find something which meets your needs and go on holiday. Personally, I think the word 'holiday' is the key word in all of this - why so much angst about which is better? That is down to personal requirements, surely?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Definitely a case of 'each to their own' once more, and I agree with those who defend Chalets on tha basis that for getting a largish group together they are much more convivial than separate rooms in a hotel and sharing the bar with all the other guests.
However typically I holiday with just a couple of mates in which case a Chalet Hotel, such as the Morris in ValD works very well, as it has single rooms and we are not inflicting ourselves on other families at mealtimes 
or I am away with the family (6 of us) in which case we want hotels near to the night life, with good swimming facilities, maids to make the beds and pick up after the kids, and who offer breakfast any time from 08:00 (for those of us that want first lifts) to 10:00 (for the teenagers  ), and whose restaurant offers a good variety from cheap Pizza to the finest Austrian cuisine (something with cheese) so each can please themselves.
or It's just Mrs Axs and I in which case either a small romantic hotel in a nice setting, or one with a well equipped spa, with a good restaurant a mini bar and room service will be infinitely preferable to sharing a Chalet (and mealtimes) with a bunch of folks we don't know.
So maybe Chalets just don't work for us.
Cost wise my experience is that skiing holidays usually work out around £1k per person per week, all in. This might vary up or down a bit depending on resort and bar bill but it's never much less or much more. The Chalet holiday in Meribel was a bit over that. Last trip in February to St Johanne (staying in a 4 star) was a bit under.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| B&B is one thing I would avoid at all costs. Having to find the money and somewhere to eat out every night would drive me nuts. But each to their own... |
The big disadvantage in B&B is in places where a lot of the restaurants are in hotels. You have to seek out dinner early, or risk getting turned away from places. Much less hassle half board.
Free wine is a tired idea from earlier days when it looked good in the brochure and people were less familiar with the chalet idea. Decent wine is not that expensive at the supermarkets anyway.
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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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| richmond wrote: |
| queen bodecia wrote: |
| B&B is one thing I would avoid at all costs. Having to find the money and somewhere to eat out every night would drive me nuts. But each to their own... |
But you're paying for dinner anyway, aren't you (unless you're fasting, not something I do)? With B&B (or s/c), you choose when, where and so on, including what and how much, and there's not usually a shortage of restaurants in ski resorts (although booking a day ahead can be a good wheeze during busy weeks). What can be wrong with that? I suppose in a big group there might be endless faffing about where to go, buit in smallish group, that's not a prob. |
While you are paying for dinner anyway, it will usually be at a lower rate (albeit also less choice) if you take the half board option.
The difference between B&B and half board in hotels which offer the choice usually seems to be between 8 and 12 Euros per night (which will be for a 3-4 course evening meal, with salad buffet and a choice of main course), at least in Austria or Italy - I don't know what is typical for France/Switzerland.
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My personal experiences have been with regards to chalet/chalet hotel wine, menus for dinner re choice and whether or not there was a bar on the premises:-
Skiworld-think it depends on the chalet chalet hotel you stay in them with them judging from reading some other comments above but both Skiworld chalets/chalet hotels I stayed in with them were 5 snowflake ones so the highest standard they have in their brochure-the wine was really good not that I'm an expert but it was better than elsewhere so far anyway, a choice of what to have (i.e. not just house white or house red) and it was freely flowing as much as you like at dinner time although they do stop it after dinner but I believe that is more than likely standard practice. If there is a bottle already open from dinner then you could carry on drinking it after dinner if you wanted it. Menu-choice of starter, main and dessert for the chalet hotel but not the chalet. Swimming pool and sauna in the chalet hotel and sauna and jacuzzi in the chalet. Bar in the chalet hotel and not in the chalet. Neither were mega expensive by any stretch of the imagination and actually it was cheaper than staying in a half board hotel of similar standard both times for me when I looked into that.
Mark Warner-the wine was freely flowing at the chalet hotels I've stayed at with them-don't remember there being a lot of choice though re wine and some of it wasn't very nice-think Skiworld was a lot better. Bars on premises in 2 out of the 3 chalet hotels. Choice of starter, main and dessert in all 3 chalet hotels. No swimming pool, jacuzzi or sauna in any of them but then again I'm not too worried about having that, other things are more important to me but if it's there anyway, then bonus.
So catered chalets/chalet hotels are a winner with me so I stick with them, although I tend to prefer the larger chalet hotels because a lot of them are in main resort centres as well as being close to the piste if not ski in ski out.
Inghams-again plenty of wine available, no choice that time (may vary from accomodation to accomodation as this one was quite a basic 3 star that time actually) but the wine was free flowing and fine for the requirements at the time. No sauna or pool etc, although choice of starter, main and dessert again this time too. There was a big bar right next door so didn't matter that there wasn't one in the chalet hotel itself.
Axsman, whilst I understand that you've tried a chalet before and it was alright but you wouldn't do it again, you could try a large or largish chalet hotel perhaps? A lot of them do have bars in them, or might be next door to a bar, and you get afternoon tea in a chalet hotel which you don't get in a half board hotel  which believe me, is fantastic after skiing! Also, on chalet staff night off you get the opportunity to try a local restaurant in resort which is something you don't get to do with a half board hotel. You are right, some chalets are a bit further out of the way and may not be central in a resort like hotels generally are, but all of the chalet hotels I've ever stopped in have been close to or in resort centres because I go for that myself, I prefer to be central to everything as well as being close to the piste. I have tried self catering, B&B and half board hotels before and catered chalets/chalet hotels I find to be my faves and also best value for me. Mind you I dunno about cost when you go with a family.
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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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Oops that turned out to be an epic! Also didn't see second page so might have repeated some things that others have already said.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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SkiGranny, oh yes I always choose carefully and always go for an ensuite in a chalet/chalet hotel too!
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alex_heney, indeedy, but the B&B element can be cheaper in a B&B pension than in a half board hotel, although of course for the extra money, you get more facilities (which in general I don't want - a comfy bed, an armchair, a shower, a bit of storage space and easy access to a bar does me). I'd sooner pay, say, €75/night B&B and €30/day dinner under my own steam than €105/day half board, even if the half board hotel has more facilities. Still, as several people have said, you pays your money ... .
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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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James the Last,
I suspect the reason why there are so many chalets in France is becuase there is a niche for them . Hotels in many French resorts(particularly the higher purpose built ones) provide poor value for money. One of the reasons why there are far fewer chalets in Austria and Switzerland may well be because the hotels are of a far higher standard at any given price range.
I have been to Flims Obertauern and Tignes and whereas noone would say they are identical resorts neither would I say one is inferior to the other.
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FAQ
