 Poster: A snowHead
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We interested in Chalet Marta in Selva next Februrary and the children in the group will be aged 2-4.
I have received information from Esprit about the evening meal in the chalet and the listening and patrol service available as the children won't be old enough to dine with us. One of the parents is very wary about leaving the child in the room (asleep) while we eat downstairs and would probably eat earlier with her instead and then stay up with her for the rest of the evening.
Does anyone have first hand experience of the listening and patrol service and the security of the chalet that might help to reassure her?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hayls, an understandable concern perhaps, but if the parent is going to spend all evening in their room and eat early, (they may not even have adult meals ready for her to eat) , why spend all that money on Esprit? The whole point of this is for parents to be able to enjoy dinner and relax in the evenings with their children well-cared for by staff.
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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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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| Hayls, an understandable concern perhaps, but if the parent is going to spend all evening in their room and eat early, (they may not even have adult meals ready for her to eat) , why spend all that money on Esprit? The whole point of this is for parents to be able to enjoy dinner and relax in the evenings with their children well-cared for by staff. |
Agreed, prehaps you should be looking at one of the family type chalet holidays, skifamille, family friendly ski etc, at least the chalet is shared with people with children, and tend to be smaller anyway. I have done this a number of times with children of the ages you stipulate.
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lightningdan, the OP is asking about Esprit, who are a family run company.
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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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Hells Bells, She is happy with everything else and is happy to use the nursery facilities for part of the day, but is concerned about the evening meal and would probably end up staying for 10 mins to wolf down her food, or put the child to sleep in the pram and bring her down (not sure how well this would sit with others in the chalet though.)
We have quite a good deal cost wise and I haven't found an alternative with the same facilties in Selva.
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Hayls, I wouldn't have thought it would go down too well, particularly with parents of other children who may not be allowed to have their children with them. If she is happy with the childcare during the day I don't really see what the problem is. For more peace of mind perhaps she could take her own baby listening monitor with her?
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Hells Bells, I thought as much and I also suggested the monitor. When I explained how the evening meal worked she just said 'no way, not after what happened to the McCann's, I wouldn't leave her alone.' i was just hoping to give her as much info as possible then perhaps she would consider using the service available from Esprit. I think if it involved someone sitting outside the rooms on that floor then she would be more comfortable with it.
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We were with Esprit in March and the baby listening service was great.... absolutely fantastic and we would have no worries using it again! My wife had the same concerns but they were unfounded. The baby sitters/nannies were always on duty (2 on each floor) so if one is in one room there's always another available. This meant that we were able to really relax and enjoy our evening meals which were very nice.
When the kids eat, there is no adult food available apart from soup and snacks from afternoon tea. However, the system works so well, i think after one night the concerned party will have come round.
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shoogly, That's great info, thank you. I will pass all that on to her and hopefully she will be happy with the set up.
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I have never understood why so many child friendly operators offer chalet holidays. We have found that it is far easier to self cater with young children and you do not have the problem of leaving them in a room some distance away while you have your evening meal. With chalets there is the issue of whether the listening service is adequate and also what if your child doesn't sleep soundly throughout your evening meal. You will end up taking it turns to settle unhappy child and not enjoy the meal. I would only consider the chalet option if all the children are old enough to go to an evening children's club.
I would highly recommend looking at Snow Bizz. They offer self catering apartments with the option of booking their nannies as babysitters for the odd night to enable you to go out for a nice restaurant meal. They also have a half board option.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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snowymum, perhaps some Mums like a change from cooking every evening? They also get to socialise with other adults while their children are tucked up in bed close by, which you don't get in an individual apartment . Most chalets do not have rooms some distance away, the ones we have stayed in had rooms leading off the dining area. We were closer to our children than if we had been at home.
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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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what Hells Bells, said 
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Since having children, we've only stayed in a hotel on a ski holiday once. Despite being sold as 'family-friendly' by the TO and hosting the TO creche, the bedrooms were all miles from the dining room, up several flights of stairs, and as our son was only 18 months old at the time, we had little choice but to take it in turns to "wolf down" our dinner and then spend the evening in the room with him. Since then we have always stayed in chalets, with our group of 8/10 taking full occupancy. The chalets are just large houses, so we are close enough to hear the children and to check in on them - much more relaxing than our hotel experience
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You know it makes sense.
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Hells-Bells - Who says the Mums do all the cooking? My husband loves doing a fondue on skiing hols. If you like company you can rent a very large apartment and share with friends, take it in turns to cook, eat out some of the time.
If you have enough friends to take over a whole chalet then the experience would be similar but not everyone is in a position to do this.
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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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snowymum, and mine does a great tartiflette, so of course I should have mentioned Dads. We always self-cater now through choice, but it isn't for everyone.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We have stayed twice with Esprit with young kids in Verwall at Obergurgl. Most families had baby monitors and popped upstairs to check on the kids from time to time. To me it did not seem much different from putting them to bed upstairs in a large holiday cottage. The security seemed OK -the only people coming in and out of the chalet were the other families and the Esprit staff. Esprit were very strict about the no kids rule, to the extent that when one family asked if one of their older kids could join the adult meal one evening (and all the other guests were fine with this), it was still not allowed.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We stayed with Esprit in Courchevel with my girls who were 1 and 4 in December. The baby listening service was on all
floors you signed your children in with them leaving your personal instructions and reguarly checked on them be it listening at the door ( our choice) or going in and checking. We took our own baby monitor as well though the Crystal 2000 is quite big we could keep reception in the lounge but we had to be careful where we sat in the dining room. The staff were brilliant with the kids and although I worried a bit about the same thing myself I was quickly reassured and if we can afford it we will go with them again next year.
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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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| snowymum wrote: |
Hells-Bells - Who says the Mums do all the cooking? My husband loves doing a fondue on skiing hols. If you like company you can rent a very large apartment and share with friends, take it in turns to cook, eat out some of the time.
If you have enough friends to take over a whole chalet then the experience would be similar but not everyone is in a position to do this. |
hey can I borrow him? I do 99.9% of the cooking.
Our Esprit holiday was the first holiday we have had since having kids that felt like a real holiday for us. It is especially appreciated by us as we don't have any family living nearby to even have the occassional evening out even let alone an odd day off unless you count when we are at work?
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| Hayls wrote: |
| Hells Bells, I thought as much and I also suggested the monitor. When I explained how the evening meal worked she just said 'no way, not after what happened to the McCann's, I wouldn't leave her alone.' i was just hoping to give her as much info as possible then perhaps she would consider using the service available from Esprit. I think if it involved someone sitting outside the rooms on that floor then she would be more comfortable with it. |
that is exactly what it is like. I should point out we went to the same place ( earlier in
the season) as [b]shoogly[\b] did
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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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Surely it makes no sense leaving them with the nannies during the day when out skiing (miles away), but then not wanting to leave them a few metres away for dinner???
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| lightningdan, the OP is asking about Esprit, who are a family run company. |
So? I was not specifying a family owned or run company, just looking at the problem, the OP has a traveling partner who is concerned about the listening service and wants to spend her holiday in the bedroom from six in the evening. I thought she might want a holiday herself.
I did not know that the had " a good deal" but know when I went with Esprit my wife had the same concerns.
When I have gone on a family friendly holiday the kids are part of the holiday, not an issue for TO or other people without children.
Bardic has a valid point as well to balance the argument.
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boardiac, I think that's the point - during the day = attended by nannies, evenings - unattended
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holidayloverxx, they aren't unattended in the evenings though. Esprit offer a service which involves staff watching and monitoring the children while parents eat dinner too.
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Hells Bells, But the OPs friend fears that the children will be "unattended" as thewatchers won't actually be in the room.
It might be helpful for the friend to see the chalet layout and perhaps even choose a room nearest the dinign room.
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| Hayls wrote: |
| Hells Bells, I thought as much and I also suggested the monitor. When I explained how the evening meal worked she just said 'no way, not after what happened to the McCann's, I wouldn't leave her alone.' i was just hoping to give her as much info as possible then perhaps she would consider using the service available from Esprit. I think if it involved someone sitting outside the rooms on that floor then she would be more comfortable with it. |
It seems to me that the concern isn't leaving a child/baby unattended for its own safety etc, she seems to be more concerned about kidnapping.
Frankly, I'd tell her to stop being so silly, and one case in the entire history of time that I can remember of a child being taken from a room, while the parents were in an entirely separate building, bares almost no resemblance whatsoever to a child sleeping upstairs while parents have dinner downstairs with a baby monitor on them.
Just go up and have a quick check between courses, nobody will mind, if you asked the chalet staff they'd probably do it for you so you don't need to leave the table.
You should probably also tell your friends about the vast number of people out there that believe the McCanns were somehow involved, but then it doesn't sound like rational decision-making is really happening here.
I honestly don't think I could spend a holiday with a parent that made decisions for those reasons in that way. Congratulations for being very tolerant of a ridiculously irrational fear.
When I was a child I was quite often left to "play" for several hours, which meant being put in front of the washing machine because watching it spin around kept me quiet and entertained. My mother would then be in another room on the other side of the house working, only if I cried loud enough that she could hear me from there would she come and see me. Ask a midwife, they'll give you similar advice. It didn't do me any harm, and it won't do any other baby any harm. They're not made of porcelain.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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holidayloverxx, then my own kids were unattended every night while we watched TV downstairs.
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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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Hells Bells, I agree with your point of view, but the OP's friend clearly has a problem with the concept - I won't wonder what she does at home.
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holidayloverxx, perhaps she isn't familiar with the chalet holiday thing?
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You know it makes sense.
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Chalet Marta is not huge (sleeps 26-30 I think although i haven't visited) so it is extreemly unlikely that any stranger would be able to enter the building without you noticing.
If that is her concern, rather than the idea of leaving her with the Esprit staff, then I'd suggest getting in touch with the company. After the McCann's case, most tour operators are pretty clued up about this sort of concern (indeed, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the Esprit listening service dates from around that time) and they should be able to make some suggestions.
The vast majority of chalets, and many chalet hotels, are set out in a similar fashion to family homes, so if you choose rooms carefully, there is very little difference. At this stage in the booking process, they're unlikely to be fully booked and Esprit should be able to be flexible. What about picking the room closest to the dining room for your friend so that she can hear if the child cries out? Teem that with a baby monitor and the listening service and it should be fine.
Good luck!!
Heather
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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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Hayls, I stopped with my daughter in Marta in January, and as Snow and Sunshine, says it's a reasonable sized chalet on three floors, this was our 6th trip with Esprit and I would have no problem recommending them with the occasional exception that their adult meals aren't always the best (food in Marta was very good though, possibly because they had a proper kitchen). As to the child care arrangements in Marta, Esprit consider Marta a chalet rather than a chalet hotel and their is NO child listening service through dinner, only on the staff night off. Having said that I've never considered this a problem in an Esprit chalet and in Marta the main entrance is in view of the dining room and any stray kids would be spotted by the diners.
As to the chalet itself, clearly it had been a typical Italian pension hotel, a little dated but cosy and friendly none the less. Very close to the nursery slopes, less than a minutes walk, but then a bit of a trek to the main lift up one side of the Sella Ronda, but arguably a lot better than most places in Selva.
I would more than likely go again if it were an option I was looking at.
Hope this helps
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Poster: A snowHead
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I can understand people worrying about leaving their youngsters in a large building where they may be some way away - not because of kidnap worries but because of the fire risk. I'm surprised more people aren't. I can remember staying in a hotel in the Peak District for OH's company do when our eldest was about 8 months - our room was at the end of a long corridor in an annexe at the back of the building.
Ate up quickly that night.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| holidayloverxx, perhaps she isn't familiar with the chalet holiday thing? |
that was my thought, hence maybe getting an idea of the layout
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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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Tend to agree with all those who think these concerns are a bit extreme - However - if it is going to ruin yours and your friends holidays it's worth having the discussion before you go!
We have been with Esprit before - but not to this chalet
My thoughts
1) Not likely to go down well if one family brings child down to dinner - what about everyone else's - before you know it the dining room will be full of kids in prams
2) Probably won't be any adult food available for her to eat with her child
3) They are going to have a pretty c**p holiday babysitting in the bedroom all evening
I too was thinking about asking for a layout of the chalet - but stevew has been there and outlined how it works - some of the Esprit chalets are larger ones divided into smaller units.
If your friend really is worried then I would look at one of Esprit's smaller chalets - the one we stayed in slept 14 and the bedrooms were only just off the dining area so you could hear the kids if they woke etc whilst you were at dinner - like you would at home - this might suit your anxious friend much better than a large chalet.
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I would also have been wary about leaving a small child in a room some distance away, not because of fears of abduction, but in case the child woke and was very upset alone (or, depending on age, climbed out of bed and wrought havoc). But in a smaller chalet, there shouldn't be a problem - would be just like home, with kids asleep upstairs. And there would presumably be no problem having your own baby monitor. I'd be a bit careful about choosing a room very near the dining room unless child is a very sound sleeper - chalet parties can get quite noisy when the free plonk is flowing.
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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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To add to the discussion , and hopefully to provide some comfort
Have been with Esprit 4 years now. I have not had even a single second of doubt about security. Our daughter was just 4 when we went (which is a bit older than teh OP's case)
For example this year we went to one of teh larger chalet hotels - they literally had a member of staff sitting on the stairs ON EVERY FLOOR every night from 8m ish onwards - there was no way that anyone or anything was going anywhere near the bedrooms without them knowing. And we popped up most of the time to check our daughter was sleeping (she always was, she was always knackered). and they were always there and not playing on any phones or computers etc.
Seriously good and responsible
That's whay we go back year on year.
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Thanks everyone. I thought that given the size of the chalet we won't be far away. They are definitely joining us for the trip and I will pass on all the info and hopefully when we are there she will feel comfortable leaving her in the room. She is a cautious person hence her fears but she usually has to compensate for a very uncautious husband! I myself have 2 children who will be aged 4 and almost 2 and presume/hope that both will be too exhausted to create mayhem. We have used monitors and regular checks in the past and my eldest was sound asleep every time!
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Hayls, sure you'll all have a fab time. Chalets are - IME - a better bet for families than hotels. Enjoy
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I always found that the problem was when the little ones keep going in each others' rooms to play on the DS while we were eating dinner. All our chalet holidays - Esprit, Ski Famille and Family Friendly Ski ing the kids all got to quickly know each other, the younger ones fell asleep quickly and the slightly older ones age 7,8,9 played, plotted while all the adults eat and drank downstairs with one of the parents doing a "quick check of all the rooms" between courses, and we did not know people when we first got there.
I can understand the concerns, but the MacCans left the building and crossed over to a restaurent on the other side of the street. If they had not been posh and rich the other kids would be in care now.
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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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The main thing I have worried about in French apartments/chalets is the hard tile floors. I put cushions on the floor next to my children's beds in case they fall out.
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Really surprised by the comment about Esprit staff having a hard and fast rule about no kids. We have stayed with esprit a number of times and we have often been asked if we would prefer to all eat as a group. Crystal likewise. (But not a child as young as OP's).
Worrying about child upstairs is probably pointless, she/he will probably escape and be playing in some other child's room as soon as parents' backs are turned. We gave up and just left them too it, they eventuially pass out, you retrieve them after dinner and put them back to bed 
Seriously, in a chalet that size, you just treat it as if you were at home, ie put kids to bed, shout at them, put them back to bed, ad infinitum.
I suspect I am more relaxed than some parents, when ours were 5 + 7 we left them in their rooms at the Viking in Morzine while we dined, they had a habit of appearing at the table in pj's complainging that the ir dvd player wouldn't work.
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