HELP cant decide between Alpe Duez, Meribel or Obergurgl

[kateycluck]

Looking at Esprit again for next yr and cant decide between le mariandre, Alba ar Alpenblume
Anyone out there been this year with Esprit?

Just come back from Val D in Chalet Andre - not good unless you like student accomodation and sleeping in a kitchen!

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Purely based on which resort I would prefer to ski in, I would pick Meribel.

[ComeWhineWithMe]

OMG I thought you meant bbaynames till I noticed the topic [sorry].

[popmum]

i've been to alpe dhuez this year with esprit and the rooms are very basic - but the staff and the lcoation were fab! hard to say what'll change for next year i guess...rooms may well change as could staff!?

[Wigglesworth]

Went to Meribel nearly 8 years ago, it's lovely. You can get a lift pass to the other 2 valleys too so you can try them all out.

[verylapsedrunner]

Based on country I'd opt for Austria everytime

[TheRealMrsJohnSimm]

haven't stayed at the Alpenblume but have been to Obergurgl. It's quite a nice family resort but the skiing is better at Hochgurl imo (which is about 10 minutes by bus). We stayed at Verwall and that was very basic too. Wouldn't go back tbh.

[Crunchie]

popmum, when sis you go? I still wonder if you were there the same week we were!!

However to answer the question I would go to Meribel, it is the resort I fancy.

Alpes d'huez was great, nice basic hotel, good staff, OK rooms etc. Great lounge/bar, great views, could ski back to the door

Val D'isere, went last year to Ducs de Savioe. Nice rooms I thought, big anyway. Not such good location for skiing and no prettu view/nice lounge

Obergurgl, I haven't been but resort is far too small for me.

Meribel, Looks fab I have only heard good reports and is where I am thinking of going

[popmum]

crunchie - we went 18th - week after you i think. my ds was one of 3 in the creche so had one to one and my dd loved skiing (her 3rd trip at age 5!!!) and was one of those kids you see flying down the slopes! We really enjoyed it and had good snow. was v impressed with the staff who were all so keen and excited.
also went to ducs du savioe in val but not last year year before and didn't like it as much as alpedheuz

[annasmami]

We've been to Obergurgl twice (self arranged, so not with Esprit) and have always loved it! It's also very high so snow coverage tends to be good. Great ski schools too. The Hotel Edelweiss & Gurgl in particular is great, right next to the ski school and lifts.

[fourkids]

we went to obergurgl this year, staying with esprit in verwall.

decor in chalet was a little tired - though i inderstand from fellow skiers who stayed there last year that it's had a lick of paint. bathroom tiles were prob put there in 1962! however the rooms were absolutely huge - plenty of room in our suite for all of us which is quite rare!

snow was the best ever which may have skewed my perceptions - but def one of the advantages of such a small resort is that the powder stays un-skiied on and lovely for much longer.

for the first part of the week we were a bit unimpressed and longed for our normal destination (la rosiere). but as the days went by we were converted.

previous poster is right, you do have to go to hochgurgl - by quick bus or by gondola - for a better variety of skiing, but for the kids it was fabulous - they really loved it.
the pistes are all (imho) marked much harder than they are - the blacks here were easier than the reds and as easy as some of the blues in la ros! but there are lots of fun runs and the lifts are quick and modern - but one observation...they shut the lifts everytime as much as a flake of snow drifted out of the sky! it was quite frustrating - no wind or anything...maybe avalanche fears but there was no mention of this. (and they blasted the avalanches out of helicopters which was quite cool to watch!)

everyone in austria was much more helpful and friendly out on the pistes than in france.

we'd def go again and be excited to do so...but think twice would probably be enough.

dcs might disagree though because they quickly discovered that from the children's play area you looked straight into the naked sauna in a fancy hotel (just a few yards away)...and every now and then someone would even come out in the nude to rub themselves down with snow!! mostly old blokes...

[BennyAndSwoon]

Can I copy your thread title and put it in baby names, just to see what they say?

[Blu]

Snort - I thought it was a Baby name thread, too!

[fourkids]

meribel is a lovely name

but obergurgl is simply asking for trouble!

[Scorta]

have you tried here