Esprit Ski - Any comments, recommendations or run for the hills?

A snowHead

Thinking about La Rossier or Les Gets with Esprit Ski. Some very mixed reviews on the devils play ground (aka the internet). Any one here used them and got any constructive comments?

Accom looks OKish. You get what you pay for. But the set up makes childcare and related stuff a lot easier.

A snowHead

Went last season for the first time with them and are booked again this season in march.

The level of service was better than I've received on any other ski holiday and made for the best ski holiday we've had.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

shoogly, Another Sat evening geek (no offence) on ski websites Smile

Please do tell where did you stay and where are you going?

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Don't mind being a geek, as long as it's a ski geek Very Happy

Stayed in crystal in courchevel and would go back in a flash. It's not high end like most of the rest of 1850 but the location cannot be beaten. Search for a thread called "courchevel rocks".

Going to val d'isere this season as it's more affordable and different for us.

Lots of esprit fans on here.

Also ski famile.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Been twice with Esprit. Their hotel in Courchevel 1850 is brilliant. Good food, spacious rooms and ski-in ski-out. Children well looked after.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Worked for Esprit before (doing menial cr@p in a hotel, standard 50p an hour treated-like-a-dog stuff, nothing exciting) and I would recommend them. Childcare package is better and simpler than most others I've seen.

I was working in their flagship hotel though so maybe got a rose tinted view... But if I had the money (and kids!) I would definitely go on holiday with them.

60-70% of guests were returning guests as well which I think says good things.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Mike-H, I did 3 trips with Ski Esprit to La Rosiere when my daughter was 3 and 4. They were excellent and the chalets absolutely fine, food generally good, but the main thing - child care - absolutely no problem. As the youngest was learning, the organisation, lunches and afternoon activities were spot on.

The Espirit chalets to the West of La Ros have some ski in/out options plus the young one's enclosed ski area is very close.

After all it is free

shoogly, Like the look of Courchevel 1850 but as we are two families travelling with young kids a catered chalet is our preference. Unfortunately we have not found a solution in that resort yet.

Jehu, bobmcstuff, Thanks for comments

Chasseur, Many thanks for advice. Like the look of La Ros. Is it good for Newbies? Couple in group will need a few greens and easy blues.

Which chalet did you stay in or would you recommend?

Mike.

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sarah, Does LT have any good greens and blues for Newbies or do we need to get lifts to these? Been in comms with one provider that may be suitable in LT but was not sure if there is enough stuff do around resort too.

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Mike-H, Mike depends on your party composition. There is not a vast choice of runs in LT itself but then newbies don't need that. There is a snow garden and one green nursery slope served by a drag in the village. Then you go up the Tania bubble and find a long green and long blue all the way back down. From there you can also go up again on the Dou des Lanches chair and come back down to the top of the gondola on blue runs and then onto the village on blue and green as previously described. Or from the top of there you can ski down into Courchevel 1850 on easy blues and greens. Then the Verdons and Jardin Alpin sectors offer more choice of easy runs. We went to LT two years running with a party containing 9 kids and beginner adults too. It worked well. HTH a bit.

snow reports

Mike-H, the crystal 2000 is set on the edge of an excellent green piste serviced by a poma and a blue serviced by a chair. I really don't think you'd get a better location anywhere with the same level of service aimed towards making sure kids have a great time. Our wee one was 2.5 years at the time and it was great. My favourite area to ski in the 3 Vs was la Tania though, so if that's more important than making sure there's on the door step access to a very quiet green run to learn on for the kids?

A free shuttle bus runs throughout the day down into the main resort as well.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

7th time now dat in bar at alba meribel lots happy kids and adults

A snowHead

NickyJ, yeah the baby listening service was a right pain in the back bottom cos I had to do it once when half the childcare staff had gastro... Ended up sitting in a corridor till about half 11 when everyone else was at the pub... Pretty good if you're a parent though!!

A snowHead

Can totally recommend Esprit for a family ski holiday. Our 1st ski trip, as rugrat owners, was with them to Chamonix in 2009. The staff were all brilliant, couldn't fault the childcare - our son was in the all day creche. The babylistening service was great as we were able to relax and enjoy the meal. The older kids were also well catered for right up till bedtime.
We've booked with Esprit again this year..off next weekend to the Crystal 2000 and very much looking forward to it.
(Also heard good reports about Family Friendly Ski in La Tania)
Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Not really got my head around leaving the kids in a hotel room whilst having dinner. Used catered chalet last time and it worked great. Monitor to hand but they were only a couple of meters away. So many great replies. Just wish they had catered chalets in all resorts they cover. Adh sounds great but no chalets.

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Off to Obergurgl with Esprit in a couple fo weeks - this will be our 6th trip with them
The childcare is excellent - very very good staff
Always good people in the chalets/hotels
I can only think of 2 instances of minor complaints/issues in 5 trips - that is far outweighed by teh really really good stuff they have done for us.
Good company, reasonable prices

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Another recommendation for Esprit... been 3 times with them. Childcare fantastic - drop off in the morning, and no need to return until 5.30 unless you have a kid in nursery or if you just want to spend a little more time with the kids. Everything else on a par or better than other comparable packages i've been on.

One stand out thing thou.... we were delayed one coming back for St Anton, and despite flying out of Innsbruck had to be diverted to Munich to get a plane. The Esprit Transfer staff were well prepared and looked after us, and our 1 yr old - providing spare nappies (if needed), formula and baby food should we have needed it. I am not sure you'd get the same level of child or baby friendly care on a standard tour operators transfer. If you can afford their prices, book with Esprit, and I can't imagine you'll regret it.

You'll need to Register first of course.

We used Esprit back in 2003 (we went to Tignes) and had absolutely no complaints. The hotel was too far from the lifts for a family place, but we knew that from the brochure. The childcare worked seamlessly and Esprit delivered on all of their promises. The food was particularly good.

We didn't go with them again, though, because the model wasn't for us. We hated being separated from the kids at mealtimes; we didn't like someone else taking the kids to ski school and collecting then afterwards; and, looking back, we were unhappy that we'd spent very little time with our children over the course of the week. The Esprit trip felt like a great holiday for my wife and me but a really rubbish family holiday: perfect for parents who don't really like their kids very much.

For us, the best holidays with young children were in self-catering apartments, particularly in North America. That option gives plenty of high quality family time at a lower cost.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

We've been ten times with them including to la rosiere. Generally always been happy. A lot depends on the chalet staff as with any company but the childcare has always been good.

After all it is free

I didn't say the kids didn't like it; although they do now say it was their least favourite skiing holiday, there's no such thing as a bad day in the mountains. I actually said that we didn't spend enough time with the kids for our liking. What's harsh about that?

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Another pro-espirit voice here - off to their place in Peisey-Vallundry on Sunday.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Jonny Jones, I suppose that's the thing with holidays... what's for one, isn't necessarily for another.

We did take our wee girl out of nursery for 3 or 4 afternoons to spend time with her on the snow ourselves and there's absolutely no pressure when in the hotel that you shouldn't do this.

I do like the sound of one of there catered chalets though so may look into that for next season.

As for the sharing meal time with the wee ones, we found that as they were so active through the day anyway, that them having their meal at 5.30 and getting to bed at a good early time was totally different from being at home anyway. She slept through every night and didn't know that we were downstairs having our meal.

One major +ve was that with her going into nursery in the morning, she had great times with a lot of other kids of the same age and they all got out and about the village together. Great way for them to develop social and independent skills.

Our wee one is very excited about going away with them this year, keeps asking when we're going to the white mountains and she's enjoying her ski lessons here.

snow reports

Hi guys an appropriate topic for me at the moment. I really want to go with esprit next year, but finding their prices quite high. Going to Flaine this year with Crystal. Been to Puy with Snowbizz. We go Jan/Feb every year outside of half-term hols. What do you reckon it would be like for a 6 year old and 2 year old in Selva, Courchevel or Val D with esprit. really trying to keep costs down. Look at La Rosiere, but the adults are intermediates and think it would not be challenging enough if link to La Thuile is closed. Looked into Peisey, bu all the steps to the cheaper chalets put me off plus the cost of the lift pass. Also looking into La Tania with Le Ski. One of our requirements is that we get a family room as we do no want to be in adjacent rooms to the kids. Interconnecting we think should be ok. We are very keen in Chalet Oskar in Selva which is a family chalet for 4 people, but worried we will be too cut off from everyone else. Please help. Even considering booking Flaine again with Crystal even before we have been this year, but worried incase we won't like it, but the cost is under 3k so alot more happy with cost. Grande Hotel Claviere was on the radar, but that doesn't get very good reviews.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Just back from a week with Ski Total, Ski Esprit's sister company for catered chalets. Flights etc. shared between the two. Lots of happy Esprit customers in evidence. And despite the horrific Austrian snow they managed to get (almost?) everybody out and onto planes with a minimum of delay despite closed roads and closed airports. Friends of mine are regulars with them and love it.

Certainly from the brochure it looks as though you need not see your children all week, if that's your idea of fun...

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I will not jump into the right or wrong on childcare. Way too personal and subjective.

Thanks for so many great replies. I am still considering their offerings. Really like the look of Les Gets but a bit nervous about the potential for lack of snow at New Year. Not sure La Ros is 'interesting' enough on the slopes. Also considering a few chalets in ADH with other providers. I will start a new thread on that one. Smile

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I've never been with Esprit or Crystal, I have however worked for another ski company who have had guests who had previously been with Esprit and Crystal. 1 story one of these guests told me over dinner seems to strike a particular dischord with the general vibe on this thread:

"1 evening one of the guests had a bit too much of the free wine and started to become a little loose tongued. The chef also decided to have a bit too much of the free wine. Eventually the guest annoyed the chef to such an extent that he went round the table and knocked the guest out cold. We were all a little stunned and unsure what to do and the host looked lost!"

Not the best review of a company I ever heard!

I also used to take guests up to the Bobsleigh run in La Plagne, and on each occasion I went up there the Crystal staff used to do doughnuts in the car park whilst waiting for their guests. As one of my guests said to me when he saw this, combined with the Crystal reps pushing past everyone waiting at the desk at the Bobsleigh, "I wouldn't leave any of my valuables in the room with those lot doing the cleaning".

One of my old staff at a previous job (not skiing related) used to work for Esprit in the child care and she described how the staff regularly used to turn up heavily hung over/ still drunk to their childcare shifts, would steal from the company store and generally do as little as possible, but then as she saw her manager about once a month it's hardly surprising!

Now these could be completely unique incidents that I happened to come across, but now I'm a punter, it definitely has put me off going on a holiday with either company.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Who do you work mor mr /ms rdmarchand

A not very helpful or balanced view there methinks. Are you suggesting that sort of behaviour is part of Crystal or Esprit's training, because you are more than im%lying that what you overheard is representative of a holiday with either of those 2 companies.

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rdmarchand, I think is dependent on the individuals involved. Most travel firms employ young hosts and reps so there is a risk they may be less committed to the company. However, childcare is not something I am prepared to compromise on. Last time the crystal childcare was great, but the chalet host less so.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

1) A large proportion of chalet staff working for any operator will regularly turn up very hungover for work. It's what happens when you employ hundreds of 18-mid twenty year olds. It doesn't necessarily impact the standard of holiday they provide. I know plenty of people who've done seasons and turning up for work hungover is pretty normal. Read any of the blogs on the subject too.

2) Definitely sounds like a one off with the chef... Our head chef was absolutely incredible, very competent and a really nice guy, he was head chef at a very successful couple of restaurants in the UK and was just taking some time out from London to ski.

Also you have to remember that a lot of "grunt" workers in all of the major operators only do one season so the actual staff will vary year on year. And more senior staff do tend to work in different resorts year on year so there won't necessarily be continuity there either. So basing opinions of a whole company on the actions of a few staff is rather unfair. If you looked I am sure you could find horror stories concerning staff from every single operator.

After all it is free

I've never really understood the need of the pious and pompous to come on here and moralise to quite the degree that some do without the faintest idea about how insulting and completely out of touch they are with the likely reality. Frank;y I don't give a rats @rse what the pious do with their offspring as long as it isn't illegal and perhaps they shouldn't give a rats @rse what others legally and quite happily do on holiday with their children either. And stop pompously giving everyone the benefit of their clearly superior parenting rolling eyes

FFS

I like Esprit as when daughter was little it was easy to have the childcare people get her booted up, take her to lessons, etc. This was because I was having lessons as well and couldn't manage getting us both ready. Very Happy

She used to have her lesson, have supervised lunch and I'd pick her up early afternoon and we'd go in the hot tub, go sledging, mooch round the town, etc. You don't have to keep the kids in snow club all afternoon.

Now she's older (10) we're still going with Esprit as its cheap. Off to Val disere next weekend for £1300 for 3 of us, flights and food. Plus she likes being in a chalet with good friend making potential I've been able to find anything betetr value. This time like last time we're not using any of the childcare at all. We've booked lessons with Oxygene instead. Then we'll meet after lessons and have lunch togetehr then ski in the afternoon or go to the pool, etc. Yes she's having her evening meal earlier than us but I don't think thats a bad thing at that age after a hard day on the slopes. She'll want to go to bed before the adult meal would have finished.

We don't shut her in the bedroom while we eat, she'll stay up for a bit in the bar next to the dining room playing with other older kids and on the Nintendos, etc. When she's ready for bed she'll take herself upstairs. Other smaller Esprit chalets have more of an open plan living area where there are some sofas the other end of the room from the table, older kids tend to hang out there in my experience.

I've always found the childcare when we did use it to be excellent. Some hosts better than others, ditto the chefs. I've only been to one chalet where the food was a bit grim, and several where its been excellent.

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Now that i'm back at home rather than on a dodgy blackberry signal on the train, i will give a better attempt to rebut mr/ms rdmarchand than my "blackberry on train " can do credit

Because a search engine will feasibly find this thread i feel it is only fair that embarrassingly appalling attempts to dscredit a company like mr/ms "3 posts rdmarchand" gets their just desserts

I vaguely remember one drunken night in a country i cant quite remember, but some bloke i met in a bar told me , via an interpreter, that he once worked with a bloke whose cousin twice removed knew a girl who apparently once went on holiday and stayed in the same place as rdmarchand.

Apparently rdmarchand, was responsible for uncountable numbers of outrageous misdemeanours that would be considered highly irresponsible and quite probably illegal by any sensible person. So much so, that the girl, whose cousin twice removed, who worked with the bloke who was being interepreted, decided to go onto an internet forum that they had never contributed before, and decided to let the whole world know about what a really bad person rdmarchand, was, and to ensure that no-one ever ever ever went near or on holiday with rdmarchand, again.

There, equality returns.

Help!!

Esprit Ski - Any comments, recommendations or run for the hills?

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