Courchevel

[marleebone]

we just got back from Tignes last week with Esprit, thinking of Courchevel 1850 Chalet Crystal 2000 next year - anyone stayed there , if so was the food good, what were the rooms like etc. Thanks fellow skiers !
Sarah

We stayed there a few years ago. The location was great but the hotel was really tired and shabby. Wouldn't really recommend it.

Courchevel is great. Don’t know about the hotel.

We were there a little while ago, so can't comment on the current food. The location was great for ski in - ski out, but was really quite a long way from the main village. Our room was quite large, as far as I remember.

Can I hijack and ask you how you found Tignes, especially the fact that the Esprit chalets look quite spread out around the resort? Was that a pain in terms of childcare arrangements?

We went to Tignes with Esprit and the kids did need to walk across town to get to their childcare location. My DD was 3 and was fine, but one of the parents was moaning about the effort required physical activity clearly being bad for small children

The nannies got them all suited and booted and marched them over, there was a mini bus for lunch time returns. It all worked very well from what I remember.

We had someone come to the chalet to sit on the landing every night too. We could go to dinner without any worries

I can't comment on the hotel but the resort, as I am sure you know, is brilliant. 1650 is equally good.
We self cater (4 kids and 6 adults) and have found an amazing place if you need a reccomendation.

We've stayed there:
The hotel was just awful - so so tired, lots of broken lights, broken toilet seat, shabby furniture, cold cramped ski storage. It was like a bad school ski trip. We only paid £460pp so I tolerated it! BUT the location on the slopes was fantastic. Esprit minibus took the kids into Courchevel for the ski lessons. The children had a ball though - excellent on site childcare and there was even a soft play in the basement! It was a bit like hell with the number of children as the hotel is quite big. Very difficult to get into the resort centre as only one bus per hour.
We loved Courchevel for the skiing but not for the Esprit accommodation and the town and mountain restaurants were super expensive!

We were there a few weeks ago. The food was excellent. The fixtures of the hotel are tired though - half the sockets in our room didn't work for instance. The onsite childcare was great, and our children loved the soft play. The location is brilliant for skiing but a royal PITA on the staff night off as you're about 2.5km out of town by road. There is a free shuttle bus but you have to book your time in advance.

We had a good time, though - enough so that we're considering going back next year!

Can’t comment on the hotel but we often spend time over the summer in Courcheval as we have friends who live there. She is English and her DH was born and brought up there.
We loved it and had a great time but they feel that the ski season has been “ruined” in recent years by a certain nationality. Despite the fact that their livelihood to a certain extent relies on this group they say that in recent years Courcheval has been taken over in winter by this group and on the whole they are quite unpleasant. They tend to stick to 1or 2 very expensive hotels though and ludicrously expensive villas so you should be ok
They weren’t there in ski season so I can’t comment and we had a fabulous time. The new swimming pool was lovely

Just realised that you are talking about the Esprit hotel in Courch - was thinking that you meant Crystal ski...

Yes, location cannot be beaten for skiing. Wierd arrangement with the boot room where you have to climb in through a raised french window.
Hotel seemed no more tired than the others, really - but it was a few years ago now.
Minibus is invaluable.