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Argentiere / Chamonix Eats and advice!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,

Me and my partner are off to Argentiere on Thursday for 5 days skiing. We went to Chamonix in 2005 and were dissapointed at the restauraunts and food on piste. We are staying in the les grande Montets Hotel in Argentiere which gets great reviews. As this hotel has no evening meals it would be great if you guys and gals could suggest some good reasonably priced places to eat in the area. We like everything from Pizza to Chinese, we just dont want to pay the earth! Would also be good if you could suggest the best eats on piste as my memories of food in the mountains are not favourable.

Also we are thinking of skiing the grand montets but believe it's at extra cost? How much? Alsois the Valey Blanche worth a shot this year, not done it and quite fancy it.

Thanks for your help,

Lossy.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
The main Grand Montets ski area is included in the basic Chamonix area pass. It is the top telecabin (access to Black runs & off piste only) that requires the full area pass. If it’s good conditions it is necessary to book the top telecabin in advance as space is limited.

Eating out...yes, it is pricey in Chamonix. We were in the Balcons De Savoy Apartments last week. We had a meal on the slopes most lunchtimes. The Plat du Jour is usually the best value meal 11-12euros. Some of the restaurants do a mixed salad which is weighed at the point of sale (bit like the salad bars in supermarkets) which is probably better than gorging a big meal then trying to ski! The salad in the restaurant at La Flegere was particularly good but the experience was totally spoiled by the foul stink from the toilets; UK Environmental Health would have enjoyed themselves.

We only ate out a couple of evenings (otherwise self catering from purchases in the Casino Supermarket near the ice rink. Really good range of quality food at not-too-Chamonix prices and cheaper than SuperU).

Anyway....here’s one to recommend and one to avoid. Both in Cham itself so you would need transport.

L’Etape North (Savoy) end of the Chamonix main street. Small cafe/bistro type place. I had Duck & chips, Other half had Steak and chips. Both cooked to perfection. Coffee was excellent and the service very friendly. Meals were around 13-15 euros.

La Potoniere Chamonix centre. Worst meal we’ve had out in a few years. I had l’escargot; OK-ish. Other half had the fish soup and despite being a hungry gannet could only manage about half of the brown pureed sludge as it was abominably salty. Then we had a fondue. Now.... we are great fondue fans, often make it at home and usually have one on each trip to France. Theirs was ‘orrible. Plenty of cheese but it was swanning around in a greasy tasteless liquid that should actually have been wine. Think they’d run out of garlic too. That lot came to around 50+ euros so we didn't bother with coffee or dessert. Hopeless.
Anyway, if anyone spotted middle-aged bird walking back through Cham up to Savoy by herself late last Friday night it was because OH was so grumpy after the cr*p meal that I let him stride off in his sulk, back to the apartment and I walked back at my own speed.
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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?
mrlossyman,

Grands Montets and La Balme are your local areas. As JanA, says, GMs is included on the "Le Pass". Note that you can upgrade your "Le Pass" to the "Mont Blanc Unlimited" pass covering the top cable of the GMs, the Aiguille du Midi (Vallee Blanche access) and Les Houches (at the bottom of the valley but useful in bad weather) for the marginal price you'd have had to pay - so there's no € loss if you don't buy it to begin with. Vallee Blanche always worth doing in good weather - but you will need to take a guide unless you are experienced in high mountain/glaciated terrain.

Unless you drive, you're going to be limited to Argentiere in the evening - I am afraid I have no experience. Someone else may be along later with some!

On the mountain, although most of the restaurants are still operated on behalf of the Compagnie du Mont Blanc, they are trying much harder to provide a better experience. Still pricey though.

There is a great little restaurant beside the Chalets de Balme drag lift at La Balme. Can't recall it's name but it's obvious. You almost certainly will need to book.

There is apparently a good one at the base of the Vallorcine bubble. We haven't tried it. The one at the base of the Le Tour bubble seems OK.

At Grands Montets, there's the Refuge de Lognan. It doesn't do it for me - too much cheese. Friends like it though.

Flegere has a barbeque place, again, chums like it, I haven't been.

If you are in Chamonix of an evening:

Pizza - Napolis or Caveau (Caveau is actually quite varied for menu)

Do not bother with Chinese - they're both sub standard to my mind

Upmarket - Bistrot du Chamonix (hotel Morgane) or Munchie

Pasta - Lapin Agile

Varied French - Bistro du Sports, Boccalatte

Japanese - Mitsuki

Both Indians (Tiger, Tiger and Annapurna) are good if pricey by UK standards.
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Argentiere:
Mountain: La Cremiere (off run down to Grand Montets lift)
Town: Le Grenier

Chamonix:
Town: Alain Peru (fusion), Bivouac, loads of other nice eateries in town too. enjoy!!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks for the excellent advice! Having stayed away from France for the last three holidays (St Anton x2, Kitzbuhel x1) I forgot just how bad French toilets were! Kindly reminded here!

I'll print these posts and take them along to resort with a fat wallet of euros because it sounds like I'm going to need plenty! Is there a Mc Donalds anywhere or KFC, Burger King Happy Happy
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You'll need to Register first of course.
mrlossyman, I'm guessing you were joking, but sadly there's a Mc D in the middle of Cham, please don't go. . .
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
mrlossyman, infinitely better burgers from Midnight Express or Pocolocos
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
There's a really good place in Cham, right opposite Chambre Neuf, can't remember what it's called but has a take away window adjoining it
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Charlatanefc, it's called Elevation 1904
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
ww166no wrote:
mrlossyman, I'm guessing you were joking, but sadly there's a Mc D in the middle of Cham, please don't go. . .


except to use the wifi or the loo (code needed but someone always let's my missus in if she hangs about rolling eyes ).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Charlatanefc, the fish finger sandwiches are great, as long as you overlook the "value" fish fingers...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
ww166no, cheers

under a new name, lol. I know my mum and dad have been there when in Cham and really enjoyed it, and my ma is one of the fussiest people I've ever met over food Laughing
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
The Bistro (classic), Munchies(fusion), Casa Valerio(Italian), Monkey do the best burger in town, The Chicken or BFB, bacon and Jalepenoes. Forget the MBC soggy, noisy food, awesome beer.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Oh almost forgot. Atmosphere right on the river used to be fantastic. Not so good last time we went, but might have been a one off. Wasn't cheap tho.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Charlatanefc, yeah, Atmosphere doesn't do it for us.

SMALLZOOKEEPER, I must admit that Casa V has lost some of its appeal since the prices increased...€40 a head for an admittedly great pizza and a fair serving of wine seems a little much to me...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Does La R'mize a Ravanel still exist? It was on the right hand side of the road, just before you got to Argentiere (from Chamonix). A very unpromising location and, if you wanted to sit outside, you basically had to sit in the car park, watching cars thundering past on the road. Inside was fine, though, and the food was very good. But this was a while back, maybe it doesn't even exist any more.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
mrlossyman, I am looking to stay at les grand montets hotel, could you let me know what it was like please and what room type you went for, going end of march with our 3 year old son for 4 nights? Also what were the restaurants like in Argentiere?? And the ski school, it will be our sons first time on skis and ultimately i would like to teach him but would be great to know what the ski school is like for 3 year olds.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks so much.
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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?
I have had a long weekend at the Grand Montets and would recommend it. Good for access to the lifts & bus. In terms of restaurants, Le Dahu is OK (typical local french) and there's a posher equivalent up the road a bit on the same side that was nice too. Pizzeria on opp side of road to these is OK.
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