Esprit 3 hour transfer - tips for two small boys please!!!

[mamafraise]

Travelling with Esprit to Tignes in march - slightly worried about the transfer - has anyone done this or have tips for the journey. One boy nearly 5, the other 18 months.

Portable DVD player has saved our sanity on many a journey!

what time of day - they may sleep if you have an early start. Will you be allocated a seat for your ds 2 - check , don't assume.

7 am flight from Edinburgh. Ds2 on knees as no seats left on flight. Why are we doing this?!?!?!?!

We have flown to Chambery three times with Esprit and it's getting towards lunchtime when you're on the road. Each time our older one (3,4,5 now 6!) fell asleep as the caoch moved off and slept most of the journey. DS (now 4) usually waits until we are nearly there before falling asleep. I take a packed lunch which keeps them occupied for a while. Otherwise it's all a bit of a blur (4am risings do that to me). We have opted for Austria this year as it's a lunchtime flight and short transfer time but I guess we won't have time to get skis sorted until the Monday.

We were in Tignes with Esprit over New year.
Transfer from chambery was fine 2 1/2 hours, good tip to take some food/snacks.They stopped at a petrol station with a shop on the way but the food on offer was poor ,some smart mums who had clearly been before had brought some fruit etc for their kids to eat. Last part of drive up the mountains is very windy so our children who were prone to car sickness were sick they give out sick bags on the bus but nappy sacks are the best. Our holiday ( first with esprit ) was not a success must post about it sometime if anybody is interested where are you staying in Tignes ?

Yes - did this to Tignes with Esprit last year, although our coach trip was much longer due to avalanches and road closures.

Ditto the recommendations about taking food and drinks - there really isn't much on the way. Also make sure you go to the loo before leaving as often the loos on the coaches don't work.

Where are you staying? We stayed at Le Lavachey....

What happened olliepolly? Best to be forewarned. We're staying at the Terril Blanc.

We were group of 2 families and stayed in grande motte chalet just along the road from terril blanc,location of terril blanc is excellent by the way.
Where to start, chalet host was poor food terrible and hygiene sadly lacking at best at worst although we cant prove we think he sent us all home with food poisoning.
He was in his 3rd season with esprit and seemed to specialise in cutting every corner he could. We ran out of loo roll, tea bags he never cooked cakes, new years day dinner never appeared,the list just goes on. It was week 3 of the season and I think things were coming off the rails for them a childcare manager was sacked the week we were there.
Our kids were forgotton ie not picked up on 4 days.
We all got ill with a bad( very bad virus). Good things were 2 fantastic evolution 2 ski insructors who made my 2 dds first expeience of skiing a very positive one and a childcare nanny called lowri who was fab.
We then had a 12 hour delay in getting home and we were all pretty ill at this point had to stay overnight in travelodge missed work on the mon but were all off sick for a week anyway.
OK not all of this is the fault of Esprit but it all adds up.
We had king size duvets squashed into double size duvet covers very uncomfortable to sleep in until we asked them for spare sheets and just removed the duvet covers.
The chalet host left a v big bag of chicken breasts defrosting in the fridge for days until we told him the stench in the fridge was unacceptable and could he get rid of it please I think chicken may have caused the upset stomachs.
Food in the Terril is meant to be very good.
Resort manager is nice v young I think he was perhaps a bit out of his depth when we were there he kept a very low profile.
Skiing potential in Tignes is great and I suppose that the best thing of all is that after 9 years of not skiing while having 3 children I discovered that I can still ski.
I would need to be persuaded to go with esprit again but if you read the posts many mnetters have had v good experiences.

Oh. Did you complain at all, there or when you got home? Were they remotely apologetic? It sounds appalling.
Pre-children, I ran hotels, and if I worked for Esprit, I would be in the process of dealing severely with the Tignes team (sacking your chalet host first).

These holidays cost a lot of money (we've saved for ages) I just hope we don't have a bad experience.

Who are you going with next time?

Mamafraise we got back from La Plagne a few days ago and had a great time. OK they chalet hosts weren't the best, personaly that seemed to be down to management rather than their inability, however the kids had a great time and therefore I would book again.

I agree with the snacks/drinks for the journey, however bear in mind you cannot take drinks in hand luggage on the flight. So I would pack a packed lunch with cartons or whatever and stash it on top of your suitcase, get it out at the Airport.

We didn't, or rather we had some stuff but couldn't get much on the journey

I've posted about Esprit before as we have been the last 3 years - La Rosiere twice and Montchavin the first time. The childcare has always been good- last year was exceptional - the children still remember the songs they were taught after "high tea". Chalet hosts vary so much that it does seem to be the luck of the draw. Meals tend to be over-cooked - to err on saftey's side I suppose. We go end of Jan and they still seem to be having teething problems at that time in the season! Some hosts are very friendly and that can really make your holiday - the one year I complained was because the staff were not only incompetent (food hygiene, general knowledge of what they were supposed to be doing) but had no interest in their guests whatsoever. Last year they were much better.

We are off the Austria this time (on Sunday) - tempted by the short transfer and later flights. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and wanted somewhere to wander around as well as the skiing for everyone else. Hear it's snowing this week - so fingers crossed. Will let you know how we get on..

We were in Tignes the week after olliepolly and unfortunately have a similar story to tell. Our chalet (Les Arolles) was thankfully O.K. We had a trained chef so the standard of our meals was fine. However he went down with a sickness bug on the monday of our week followed by lots of the childcare staff, most of whom were back at work well before 24 hour quarantine period. DH caught this bug and was ill on the Fri/Sat. Amazingly DS (3y) and DD (5y) didn't get it, however realised why when they came down with something much worse. Both really ill whilst we were there on the Fri/Sat/Sun and for a week after with bad diarrhoea - sample from lab. confirmed Campylobacter. This is a food-borne bacterium and can only be contracted from comtaminated food (usually chicken). It is also notifiable and have had public health asking questions here so is a pretty serious lapse in food hygiene. Had a terrible journey home with friends DD v. ill as well. You can imagine the coach journey with no functioning toilet! At least one other family affected and the only place all the children had eaten was at the Terril Blanc.
Also had a 10 hour flight delay out of Gatwick on the way. Not planning to travel with Esprit again, although it wasn't all bad as I thought most of the staff were very nice, especially childcare staff who were very enthusiastic and the children loved them.
Skiing was good as well! - plenty of snow and blue skies.
As for the transfer - not too bad on the way. We arrived so late that the children fell asleep after half an hour so missed the really winding roads which is about the last hour or so. I didn't think it was that bad. Snacks and an i-pod a good idea.

We are back!! Thanks everyone for the ideas for the transfer, the DSs did really well, both had a wee sleep and a mini picnic and then we were there. I was the only greenish one going up/down the mountain roads.

Will post about the rest of the holiday soon, once we've written to Esprit.......

Do spill all about esprit - I'm needing tips about who to go with (and who to avoid...)

We had a good experience recernty with Esprit, but on the windy-road-up the mountains subject - our DC were okay they never get travel sick, but losts of kids were, and after a while a dad came forward to get a sick bag & the courier just looked in his briefcase - and said - "oh - out-of luck, they've all gone" and went back to his i-pod.... Don't know what the outcome of that was, but judging by the smell of the coach when we got there, not good.. ( (had to restrain my curious DC from going to the back to observe...!!!!!) So - would deffo recommend
a) some food drink for the coach journey
b) bring your own sick bags JIC

We have had a response to our complaint and I can not believe how dismissive they are of their customers. I am so angry. The major parts of my letter were practically ignored. DH is taking up the cause and writing to the MD.

Has anyone received a satisfactory answer to their complaint with this company?