ESPRIT- CHALET HOTEL v CHALET (Courchevel & St Anton)

[iluvchristmascake]

Apologies if this has been done before. Have done lots of searches, but can't seem to find a lot of info.

Trying to decide between the new Chalet Hotel Crystal in Courchevel or Chalet Adler in St Anton.

Have only stayed in chalets before and am a bit about the bigger chalet hotels. We are going with another set of friends but I always really enjoy the social aspect of the smaller chalets. Am worried no-one will talk to each other and just keep to themselves.

Also, am sure I saw something about different sittings for dinner for the adults. I'm not keen on waiting much past 8 o' clock for dinner.

Obviously, the hotel in Courcheval is new this year so no-one will have any thoughts on it but wondered if anyone had been to Chalet Adler in St Anton and what they thought of it and also the resort?

Have to make a decision this afternoon as they are being held for us.

TIA

[iluvcake]

oooh!! Have just had a peek again at this thread and delighted to see that there is some info on the hotel-thanks slalomsuki!!

I was concerned that there might be two dinner sittings-but am I right in thinking that this isn't the case?

at the price of soup! Shall be filling myself up at breakfast and having a mars bar on the slopes instead of lunch!

Am getting really excited now! Just got to find a pair of ski gloves for DS-certainly won't be buying them in resort.

How about you ann? Do you do the guided ski days BTW?

[AnnMumsnet]

I know it's great isn't it iluvcake!? No we'll skip the guided ski day though I've heard they are good.

[Suzy100]

Hi MyAngels & Slalomsuki

We are thinking of going to Courcheval with Esprit next ski season - December 2011 - so I will be watching this thread closely to find out opinions of the hotel. I am going to call tomorrow for prices - our other option is to go to Belle plagne but I do love the 3 Vallees. Plus, it is a shorter tansfer.

We normally stay in La Tania which is the valley between Courcheval & Meribel. The only reason we haven't rebooked for next year is that the small company we usually stay with normally transfer on a Sunday which next year is Xmas Day plus La T is abit lower at 1400m so Courcheval should have better snow.

Courcheval 1850 is a great area for kids learning to ski as it has a couple of magic carpet lifts that anyone can use rather than just being restricted to ESF.

Last season there was a mini pass available that just covered certain lifts which might be worth checking out if your kids are over 5 but still beginners.

La Tania is a great place for a lunch stop as it is covered on the Courcheval lift pass ( for Meribel you need a 3V pass)and much cheaper than Courcheval. Take the Coqs chair from Courcheval and ski down to La Tania on the Blue Folyres run ( a really lovely run through the trees but harder than the average blue run) or there is a green run. Both runs are well snow cannoned so should be open. Snow Food is at the bottom of the Folyres run. You then need to get the gondola back up, followed by a chairlift and then you have a lovely blue/green run back into 1850.

If you manage to make it to Val Thoren ( a long ski but our 10 year old made it over with us last week !) then you can get a burger for 4 euros at Ski Food - but you have to eat it sitting on the snow !

TBH unless it is really cold we rarely stop for lunch as you always get so well fed on Chalet holidays with big breakfast and high tea. So I normally take a stash of mars bars with me for a suger fix at lunch time ! The kids need lunch so we always book the children in for supervised lunch after ski school.

Hope you have a fantastic holiday - please let me know what you think of the hotel and childcare ( my lot are 3, 6 & 10 years).

[slalomsuki]

Transfers next Christmas are Friday ie they leave on the 23rd and come back on the 30th until new year and then do Sunday to sunday.

Skied to La Tania but the runs were a bit ropey at christmas and one was shut. Agree the food was cheaper there but it was full of Russians on the times we went.

No mini pass available for the over 5's this year. There was a family pass ie 2 adults and 2 kids but we are 5 so it saved us a bit but not much. We sneaked dd though on our pass and she is only just 5 and only wanted to ski one or two runs after her lesson.

Supervised lunch was fine and my two (8 and 9) loved the cocoa club in the evening. DD went to bed and was happy.

[Suzy100]

Hi Slalomski

Thanks the information. We now have two rooms on hold for Courcheval for the week before Christmas. Much cheaper than the actual Christmas week :)

I am abit worried about the snow so early in season ( however we are now stuck with school hols and I can't face the busy half term week) - were the runs by the hotel and in 1850 ok ? DD aged 4 will be skiing for the first time.

We have never seen Russians in La Tania just Courcheval 1850 - maybe because we have never been there at Christmas. La Tania always seems to be full of British as lots of Uk tour operators run catered chalets there.

I have a couple of questions about the hotel that hopefully you might be able to answer

1. Was there a kettle in the room ? Or somewhere to make a tea of tea/coffee when needed ?
   
2. Is there a fridge where we could keep some sandwich fillings - so we can grab something when we pick up the children ?
   
3. Could you please suggest somewhere to eat on the staff night off ( that doesn't require us to remortgage the house !). In La Tania we normally get a takeaway pizzas and eat them in the chalet.
   

Thanks so much for your help. Seems crazy booking for next years ski hol already. However, we are a family of 5 too so we normally have to book up early to get the rooms we need.

[iluvcake]

Hi Ann! Are you all packed? Am so excited!

Sounds like there hasn't been that much snow but conditions are good as they've had the cannons out.

Look forward to seeing you there-I will probably have on a padded brown coat and brown trousers. I have shortish hair and a little boy of 6 called James! Or I'll look out for you in the bar. I'm not some mad stalker-honest!

[AnnMumsnet]

Hi, NO! Am putting it off to the last minute! I'll be there with my DH, DD aged 7 and DS aged nearly 5 (plus some adult friends). Deffo see you in bar

[Suzy100]

Hi Annmumsnet & Iluvcake

Hope you both have a great time. Please let me know what you think of the hotel & childcare. We have already booked for next season 16-23 December which is one of the cheapest weeks of the season but in school hols for us.

If 1850 is busy than nip over to 1650 which is usually less crowded and holds the snow well:)

Packing Tips - I always take 2 pairs of ski gloves for the kids as they always seem to get them really wet. Don't forget multipack of mars bars !:o

[iluvcake]

Thanks Suzy,

Will def let you know what it's like on return!

[AnnMumsnet]

Hi Iluvcake! Lovely to meet you and your family/ friends last week..hope your return journey was good. Really enjoyed the holiday, spotting the russian princesses and all that food! (Oh and the skiing!).

suzy100 - the hotel is great - right on the slopes - you literally ski from the door to the pralong chair or over and down into 1850 or to a drag lift for nursery slopes. Ski area vast (and muchos ££££ for the lift pass) and well maintained (we had no snow for 2 weeks and it was a bit icy in parts in the afternoons but generally good considering). Hotel staff pretty good, food lovely (would have liked more veg!) and kids loved it. Childcare great - lots of songs to get them going in the morning. Suppose the only thing is the staff will change though I spotted a few faces I recognised from other esprit places so they seem to return. Lovely dining room and bar area. Only issue was no supermarket near by - in town which is a bus ride away. And resort expensive but you can eat more cheaply.

[Suzy100]

Thanks AnnMumsnet

Glad you had such a good time.

Were you able to help yourself to a cup of tea or coffee when you wanted to in the hotel ( i.e not pay for it at the bar). Or do I need to pack a travel kettle !

Also, was there a microwave for heating up a bottle of milk ? And some milk.

We have stayed at small chalets where everything is on hand rather than hotels.

We off to Obergurgyl with Espirt at Easter.

[AnnMumsnet]

Hi, no re tea and coffee but they did have it available at afternoon tea, breakfast and after dinner I think
There is a parents kitchen (which I didn't use as mine are older) for milk etc for little ones.
It is a chalet hotel so not so formal as a hotel per se
HTH!

[iluvcake]

Hi Ann! Was lovely to meet you too. Am so glad you came over to say hello or I would have carried on stalking people asking them if "they were Ann"! Our return journey was fine-just the drama on our arrival at the airport when a set of skis went missing-still no sign of them, very weird! Am really missing the sun and the mountains-the only mountain here is my washing!

We had such a brilliant time and can't wait for our next trip (some other friends are trying to persuade us to go in April-not sure if the finances will stretch though!).

Suzy, have added a review but it hasn't appeared yet-think it sometimes takes a few days. I also started a thread "Back from Courchevel 2000" which has my thoughts.

A few things:-

1. There is a fridge in the room.
   
2. Tea and coffee seemed to be available all the time
   
3. On the staff night off, the hotel order take away pizza for you if you like and you can eat in the dining room. It seemed as if most people did that as it's a bus journey (only 5 mins though) into town.

[AnnMumsnet]

iluv - I was glad to have been brave enough to say Hi too!

Ive added a proper review too.

[Suzy100]

Thanks Iluvcake - so glad you had a brilliant time. Am happy we have made the right decision for Dec 2011 !

Good to know about the fridge in the room and the take away pizza on staff night off.
What room type did you have ? - we have booked interconnecting with a balcony so hope that has fridge too. I will check with Esprit before we go.

We are taking our own skis when we go with Esprit to Obergurgyl in April and to Courcheval in December so am worried they will go missing now !

I shall read your new thread.

Have fun with the washing.

[iluvcake]

Hi Suzy,

We had a double room but it had another bed in it for DS. If you have interconnecting rooms, I'm sure you will have a fridge-perhaps in both of the rooms!

Our friends had a triple room which was very spacious, I think there are only three of them though where the hotels sort of bends in the middle, IYKWIM!

We don't know how the skis went missing. Our friends put them on the coach but when we got to the airport they were gone-very strange. At first, we thought someone had walked off with the wrong ones but in that case, there would have been one set left but there wasn't. It's a mystery!

Have a great time on your ski trips!

[AnnMumsnet]

We had interconnecting, no balcony though, was basically 2 rooms with door between them - so 2 bathrooms and 2 fridges. Is a TV but no real channels. Was fine!