 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi all,
Just read a (relatively) worrying review on the Chalet Corniche in Tignes (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g196714-d1769296-r124018797-Chalet_Corniche-Tignes_Savoie_Rhone_Alpes.html), and wondered if there were any other Snowheads out there with recent experience of the chalet.
I know all Tripadvisor reviews need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but this does seem to be written in a fairly sensible manner and the person has also posted a previously positive review of another Esprit property. I'm going out on the 19th February for our 3rd trip with Esprit and certainly doesn't sound like anything we've experienced previously which without question have been excellent trips.
I also wanted to post on here as I seem to remember someone from Esprit Customer Services posting on here previously, so may be able to get the other side of the story from Esprit. Any feedback to settle the nerves one way or another would be appreciated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Anyone??
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Never stayed or have anything to do with Esprit but check out the web site for chalet Corniche info.
I cannot comment about any of the staff or how the chalet is run but the location is pretty good.
The chalet is literally 50 meters max from the nursery slope so you can easily ski in/out. The staff seem to transport children too/from ski school in their mini buses to avoid any walking. The ski schools are about 500 meters away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Hi stewart, as mentioned I have been with esprit previously and also done a few short trips to tignes in the past which is why I plummed for this chalet. location sounded pretty good to me, but I was staying down t the Melezes previously so local knowledge of tignes is a bit sketchy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I don't have personal experience of this chalet, but Moira from Esprit responded to one of my earlier posts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
reded78, I've not stayed there but we had medal ceremonies there last season for our kids. It seemed like a decent chalet and, as stewart woodward says, the location is very good. Based on the misinformation in the review about the location I would be slightly sceptical about the other comments.
We've been on 10+ ski trips with Esprit, most to Tignes, and the staff have ranged from good to excellent on every trip. Hopefully the reviewer just hit them on a bad week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for all the responses. alan empty, that certainly sounds more like my experience of Esprit. It was the "out of nature" tone of the review that got me worried as it's seems so out of character. I'm hoping that this page can stay positive (which it looks like doing), as I don't want to be seen to be bad mouthing Esprit after the good times my family has had just trying to clear up some of the potential mis-information for me and other potential clients.
At least the wife and kids should not need to worry too much about the location.
Thanks again
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Now of course I have no evidence whatsoever to help you. But given what Stewart says about the location, what about some of their other complaints?
1. They presumably went New Year week (or else they took their children out of school, which says a lot about them...). It was very warm that week, we asked our staff NOT to light fires. People like lighting fires anyway!
2. " one afternoon my husband and son snow-cleared for an hour so we could exit the boot room the next day." More evidence of being New Year week: it snowed 2m or more that week. It had probably snowed since it had been cleared that morning, and hadn't yet been cleared again that evening. (Esprit requires (or at least Ski Total does, so I guess Esprit does too) their staff to clear snow twice a day.)
3. " I even replaced loo roll in public loo's when they forgot;" If we ignore the reviewer's atrocious use of the apostrophe, OMG! That must have taken her at least twenty minute's (sic).
4. "although the faulty kettle which spat boiling water all over the children at breakfast was swiftly replaced I noted" - so they could act swiftly.
5. "I heard that the Esprit founders have sold out." Apparently that happened in *2006* although Inghams acquired them in early 2010. http://www.isisep.com/news-hub/news/isis-and-the-management-team-sell-enigma-travel-group-to-hotelplan-to-create-uks-leading-ski-and-specialist-holiday-brand/
As for the rest, it sounds like start-of-the-season teething troubles to me - only their second week of the season. They'll have had 6 weeks extra to practice before you get there. Oh yes, and take some board games with you  rather than expecting everything to be provided!
PS Location here http://www.alpineanswers.co.uk/chalets/show/1485?name=corniche&date=&departure_day=&quality=&size=&exclusive_use=on&sort%5B%5D=&page= I'm not sure how they could get it much closer to the slopes...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
5. "I heard that the Esprit founders have sold out." Apparently that happened in *2006* although Inghams acquired them in early 2010. |
Hotelplan UK acquired them in 2010 - and promptly absorbed the management board, so it is the same board still for Esprit: http://www.natives.co.uk/go/news/Inghams-buys-esprit.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
James the Last, Spot on, I hope that they book through Alpine Answers next time, need to support them great site and usefull, we use it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
radar, not sure if we would be eligable for all the Esprit "extras" i.e. childcare etc if we booked through a 3rd party site.
Location does look pretty good to me.
PS - Any recommendations for family meal night out in that part of town for the staffs night off???
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| reded78 wrote: |
PS - Any recommendations for family meal night out in that part of town for the staffs night off??? |
Wherever you decide to go you will need to book as it it peak holiday time. All the restaurants on the main road opposite the aero ski are good. They range from burgers joints to very french cuisine. Just take a look and decide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
It won't be busy will it????? I was assured that Mid February during one of the Paris holiday weeks would be lovely and quiet!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| James the Last wrote: |
| (or else they took their children out of school, which says a lot about them...) |
I bet they beat their children too... EVIL... EVIL...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
We took our two boys away with Espirit during term time and the fact they're not school age yet is neither here nor there.
Pah Facts, you can use facts to prove anything thats even remotely true. I AM A MONSTER AND MUST BE STOPPED!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| stewart woodward wrote: |
| reded78 wrote: |
PS - Any recommendations for family meal night out in that part of town for the staffs night off??? |
Wherever you decide to go you will need to book as it it peak holiday time. All the restaurants on the main road opposite the aero ski are good. They range from burgers joints to very french cuisine. Just take a look and decide. |
Or with children, what about the place down the hill a bit with live farm animals on the other side of a glass partition - is it still there - I think it was called "La Ferme de Lognan"?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| stewart woodward wrote: |
| reded78 wrote: |
PS - Any recommendations for family meal night out in that part of town for the staffs night off??? |
Wherever you decide to go you will need to book as it it peak holiday time. All the restaurants on the main road opposite the aero ski are good. They range from burgers joints to very french cuisine. Just take a look and decide. |
Or with children, what about the place down the hill a bit with live farm animals on the other side of a glass partition - is it still there - I think it was called "La Ferme de Lognan"?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| reded78 wrote: |
| radar, not sure if we would be eligable for all the Esprit "extras" i.e. childcare etc if we booked through a 3rd party site. |
Be quite surprised if you weren't?
Alpineanswers is an excellent site; I have a habit of booking through them even though I know the TO I'll be booking through as (1) the location map is extremely useful; (2) I find their search function excellent; (3) they advertise here and I remind them of that fact when booking. And (4) they're nice people to deal with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I stayed in a hotel not very far from there New Years week. It was, indeed a week of almost constant snow... in fact, we couldnt ski a couple of days.
Our hotel managed to keep our path clear day and night. The guy who did the clearing, was doing it twice a day. So it seems, if the poster on Trip Advisor had issues, then it was probably down to people just not doing it.
Personally, it does sound like teething issues with new staff early season, but I do hate how some people just like to post disparaging remarks if anyone dares to complain on this website.
God forbid that anyone looks at each remark with a level head, its far easier to go on the attack with someone who may well have shelled out a significant amount of money on their one ski holiday of the year and had a terrible time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Probably no need to rip apart the reviewer! It's a bit annoying to go early season and pay top whack over Xmas or NY and have inexperienced staff serving substandard food and generally being a bit ammaturish.
Saying that, the issues sound just that and I'm sure things will be running just fine by the time the OP goes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks again for all the posts and encouraging remarks, sounds like a molehill might have been mad.............
Certainly didn't want this page to become a slagging match either at esprit or at others, as mentioned Ive had some very good trips with them. Hopefully we can put it down to teething issues, but I'll report back after the 26th to say how it was and how busy the resort was.
Any others out in tignes the week of the 19th? Might be looking for a ski buddy for the odd afternoon dependent on the crowd at the corniche!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
reded78, you would absolutely get the full deal, like James the Last, we book through them and would totally agree with his last post, we also like their late deals search funtion
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Just been having a look around the website and like the look of it. Do you know if they do short breaks? Would be handy when I'm organising our lads trips.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ski Esprit have posted on tripadvisor. I don't think you have to read too far between the lines to suspect that this was a difficult bunch of guests who went out of their way *not* to enjoy their holidays, expecting more than the brochure promised...
| annoyed punter wrote: |
| We breakfasted on cold ham and hard boiled eggs |
| Ski Esprit wrote: |
| The hot option offered at breakfast in our chalets is porridge and boiled eggs;there is a set dish for each course at dinner and there are 4 courses served, not 5 as in our chalet hotels as stated clearly in our brochure and on our website. A chalet does not offer a bar;however our staff can set up an honesty bar as we did for this guest. |
| Ski Esprit's brochure wrote: |
| A good breakfast is essential on a ski holiday, so we provide our chalet guests a choice of cereals or porridge, fruit juices, plentiful tea, coffee and bread (and croissants or ‘pains au chocolat’ in France), cold meats, cheeses and preserves, and boiled eggs. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
James the Last, just read the response which seems to cover a few of the issues, but now there is also a 2nd fairly damning review on there. These people are either very picky in their accommodation choices etc, or there is / was some fairly serious issues with the accommodation. Two 1 star reviews is not a great!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
There is, isn't there. As it complains about the kettle it was presumably the same week, and as Tripadvisor is an anonymous site, what's the betting it's been written by the same person... as revenge for management's response - particularly given how quickly it has appeared after the response.
| Quote: |
| We had to boil the leaky kettle ourselves to make tea. |
Yes, well done. You *do* have to make your own cup of tea when you're staying in a chalet. Frankly I prefer my tea freshly made rather than made over-strong and stewed.
| Quote: |
| They never changed the sheets or the towels all week which we we thought was disgusting. |
I bet this reviewer changes her sheets and towels at home twice a week... and I'd be pretty certain that Ski Esprit don't promise a mid-week change see http://www.espritski.com/booking-conditions/
Of course, it's perfectly possible that you'll have a really rotten time there. I've really no idea. My only connection is as a happy Ski Total customer, which I don't think counts as having an axe to grind. I'll buy you a pint of beer if you don't have a great time.
Let's explore the "Next time we're going Mark Warner" statement. I've had a *very* quick look at the two website and unsurprisingly if you want to take a family of 4 skiing the week of 15 April, Mark Warner will cost between £2,600 and £3,200. Ski Esprit between £1,100 and £2,000. The week previous MW is £3,700 to £4,900 whilst Ski Esprit is 1,400 - £2,200. So MW is twice the price of Esprit. And if you look at MW on Tripadvisor they *really* get pasted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I really struggle with reading poor holiday reviews across the board, whether it's sun or ski holidays....
I say that from the perspective (my own!) that you go away with an open mind and you take things as they come. 9 times out of 10 you do get what you pay for and most are happy with that. Of course there are many occasions where you didn't get the holiday you were expecting to; say you booked a 4* luxury hotel and ended up with a tiny shoebox, got awful service, mould, lights not working etc etc (insert bad holiday experiences here) which can genuinely warrant writing negative reviews. The 'useful' negative reviews are the ones which of course are going to indicate the problems they experienced but often reflect a bit of balance and can still comment on any (if few) good things.
HOWEVER......I feel that people who whinge and moan about the most ridiculous things just need to come back down to earth a bit! I try to go on holiday with no expectations no matter what I've paid and have not once been disappointed. There are always going to be possible problems, It just seems many people like to make a mountain out of a molehill and forget to enjoy themselves by getting so caught up in the nitty gritty that back home wouldn't even cross most people's minds. Whinging about the lack of variety in your evening salad is not constructive and really, do things like that honestly matter?!?
Just my view though!
For what it's worth I'm going to a chalet in tignes next week that only has mixed reviews despite supposedly being 4* but in fact we researched before we booked, we are aware of what the standard is likely to be and are not expecting more than a basic french chalet where we can eat sleep and jump out to the snow from. Maybe I'm just more easy going than some and hate whingers!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Well done Esprit. I'd certainly use them again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Well reded78, glad to hear it. I'm afraid on the strength of that I'm not going to stand you the pint of beer I promised you if you had a bad holiday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Fair enough James the Last, just glad it all went to plan.
If anyone reads this who is thinking of a family trip to Tignes I would whole heartedly recommend the chalet and company. Although I'm sure the excellent conditions and company did not hurt!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Just came across this thread. Great to see satisfactory closure & well done to reded78 for doing the right thing with your own review.
We enjoyed several holidays with Esprit a few years ago & never had a bad experience. The company ethos seemed just right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
We have stayed at quite a few Esprit chalets and Chalet Hotels (Chamonix three times, Pesiey once, Les Arcs once , Le Rossiere once , Sass Fee twice).
Childcare- excellent, general service very very good, food in chalet hotels excellent (especially desserts which were fantastic), chalet food was well chalet food which is of course a series of attempts at dinner party food cooked by a couple of (usually) inexperienced youngsters...so OK.
Chalet food is a bit tricky and often really ropey.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
