 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Why are you going to the 3 valleys when you are are in the Haute Tarentaise, where you'll find 3 of the biggest and best resorts in the Alps, there are 1,600 kms of piste not including La Plagne. You can choose from Val d'Isere, Tignes, Les Arcs, Ste Foy de Tarentaise and La Rosiere which links to la Thuile in Italy and from Les arcs you can access La Plagne. Why go anywhere else?
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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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Thanks for the reply David. We actually have to drop my son off in Albertville on Saturday March 19th, so
we thought as opposed to going back to Les Arcs we would go to Meribel or Courchevel. My wife will
be looking for something more charming. Is it worth going back to Val d'Isere area? How late can I
wait to book a chalet. I want to ensure the best snow. Is is busy for that week.
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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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March 19th is the week before easter so it shouldn't be too busy. The Tarentaise valley has the most extensive piste area in the world, you should find the best conditions there. Albertville is not too far away, only about 50kms from BSM. You really need to book a chalet now, a couple of good sites are www.chaletsdirect.com and www.chaletfinders.com
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 28-01-05 10:47; 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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sawni, if your wife is wanting to go shopping then Courchevel 1850 is a great place...but only if she has her own bank account 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The shopping will probably be better if she has someone elses bank account 
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sawni, Welcome to snowheads.
Catered chalets are wonderful. Basically an English invention used predominantly in France.
Includes a "chalet girl" who cooks and cleans for you. Usually the chalet comes with just one, who may or may not live on-site. Some classier or bigger chalets employ a whole team of "chalet girls".
Normally she (for want of a gender) starts your day by laying out a continental breakfast on the communal dinner table and also cooking you a hot dish (porrige or eggs&bacon or pancakes or....). After breakfast you waddle back to your room & strap on your boots & bvgger off up the mountain towards a cafe/restuarant for vin or chocolat chaud in the sun about 11am, before heading off to another mountain restuarant around lunchtime for a menu du jour+carafe of vin rouge, and after an hour or so of that you idle your way back down the mountain until last lift around 4.30pm. You then retire to your chalet and partake of the cake your chalet girl has baked during your absence (after she tidied your room, cleaned your toilet, & made your bed), and you make yourself a cup of tea. You then shower & hive off to a local bar until 8pmish and when you return your chalet girl will serve you and your chalet-mates the full 3 course meal she's just made. You don't do dishes.
You then spend the evening lazing around the communal lounge area chatting with the other 6 or so people staying in the chalet.
Bascially it's like a hotel but on a house scale, with more home-type layout and comforts. And you're all served food at the same time, around a communal table. You will also sometimes find that you're sharing bathrooms.
Traditionally chalets by their nature tended to offer less living space than a hotel, but 3 Valleys is the spiritual home of the catered chalet and there's a large range of up-market ones with an accompanying increase in size and service.
Chalets come in all sizes, usually no less than 6 beds altho sometimes as many as .... sky's the limit. As with hotels, the more you pay the better the food and service gets. There's two ways of booking: either you book a room in a chalet and accept that you will be eating and living with strangers, or you book out the whole chalet for your exclusive use.
And yes, as David@traxvax, says, you've got to book NOW.
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Holy cow, with all that eating and drinking at the chalet and elsewhere, you need to put some
serious mileage on the pistes or we will be floating back to Canada. Thanks, the catered chalet
concept sounds great, especially since it will give us a chance to meet and perhaps ski with
some other people, even if they are all primarily Brits  Are some of the chalets better
for families? We will have our 9 year old daughter with us, and it would be nice if she had some
company. I don't know if there are any school holidays the week before Easter. Any recommedations
for family chalets in the 3 Valley area
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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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sawni see our ad in snowShops, or go to our website www.tracksvacations.com that'll give you a better idea of what a catered chalet offers, unfortunately we're full on the dates you want
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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WE had a thread running recently about chalet etiquette that was entertaining and informative. If I was clever I'd search it out and link it but......... 
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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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Looks like most of the catered chalets in the 3V's are either in Meribel or La Tania-not nearly as
much in Courchevel-but I hear the skiing and snow is usually better in Courchevel. Is Meribel the
best base or La Tania for that matter. How easy is it to get over to Courchevel? How about at
night if the wife wants to go exploring. We will have a car.
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By far the biggest no. of chalets are in Meribel, but are still plenty in Courchevel.
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How easy is it to get over to Courchevel?
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By ski, when the lifts are open, VERY easy to get there from both Meribel & La Tania. By road's a bit longer, but they're certainly within easy reach of eachother by car.
There's a lot of chat on this site about the relative merits of Courchevel and Meribel, so you will want to do a search for it (see drop-down box above).
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You know it makes sense.
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Hello Canada! I've stayed in both Courchevel and Meribel. Both have good nightlife but I would say Courchevel certainly has better shopping etc. while Meribel has a swimming pool and ice rink for non-ski activities.
Bear in mind that Courchevel is made up of several seperate villages, 1850 being the biggest, liveliest and costliest. The others (1650, 1550 & 1300) are smaller, cheaper and less animated. Like La Tania.
Meribel full of Brits: I spent one morning asking directions in french - total waste of time! So don't worry if you don't speak french. Courchevel more cosmopolitan. If you go to Meribel Valley you want Meribel Centre:- Meribel-Mottaret quieter. Enjoy.
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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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Don't overlook the third valley. Les Menuires & Val Thorens may be lacking in character but St Martin de Belleville is still a beautiful alpine village and just two lifts put the whole of the three valleys at your feet. Admittedly shopping is limited to essentials but with a car Moutiers is less than half an hour down the road.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Roger, there's shopping in Moutiers? Mind you we only go there to use the cash and carry or the catering wholesalers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Actually I don't know anything about Moutiers except getting through it but it's quite big so I assumed it must have some shops. As my wife will warrant I don't actually do shopping anyway, anywhere. anytime
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FAQ
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