Chalet etiquette

[WoodenCat]

Any pointers please? We are staying in a naice chalet in a few weeks and it’s years since I’ve been, and then only in a group of our own friends. This will be with other, unknown, families. So - dressing for breakfast - thermals + salopettes? Afternoon tea - make selves at home in lounge or eat cake and disappear to own room? Dinner - sit quietly with own family or mix in with jolly chat? (This last is giving the 13 yo acute advance embarrassment!)

Please let me know answers to above and any more!

Hello

Dressing for breakfast - it is fine to wear thermals and salopettes.

Feel free to make yourselves at home. Just don't eat all the cake.

It is quite reasonable to make conversation over dinner with the other people. Chances are, they will be quite ordinary and the chat will be uncontroversial. Having said that, I once had a terrific conversation with a guy who turned out to be a vicar in my area and who had done a lot of fairly challenging rock climbing.

One thing to do is make sure that you leave the chalet hosts a nice tip. They work like billy-oh and it's probably harder if it is a lot of different groups.

Thank you! I will be done not eating all the cake. Again it will be the 13yo we have to watch out for!

I wore joggers over my thermals the first couple of mornings as I felt a bit exposed otherwise.
We had a really good mix of people who all got on really well on my last trip so we chatted, played games etc but it's very much up to you.
In the evenings, one lady wore full make up, smart clothes, hair done etc, another only ever wore her pyjamas so it's very much up to you

I’ve worn pyjama bottoms and a fleece for breakfast. Take some decent slippers/indoor shoes. Not all have underfloor heating. Bathers for hot tub which you shouldn’t hog. Looking at you Konrad and Maria.

Ha! Another tip for the 13yo there I think - so: don’t huff and cringe when we chat normally to other people; don’t eat all the cake; get out of the hot tub! (13yo is not called Konrad or Maria, I promise)

We've taken a few last-minute ski holidays where we stayed with a mix of unknowns. It's always been really fun.

For breakfast, I wear trackie bottoms, as salopettes can be quite hot indoors. For afternoon tea, people tend to drift in and out, going to shops, getting showers etc so no reason to disappear to your rooms. And the cake has always lasted! (My DC may be less greedy than me ).

For dinner, it's nice to mix in the jolly chat, which initially will be about the skiing until you get to know each other better. And everyone is free to join in, or not. You may well find there are other families with kids, so your DC may well make friends, and really shouldn't worry. It will be fun.

I've done a couple of chalet holidays with randoms. Some were fine, but one in particular was bad as the rest were one big party and were rude and obnoxious. i don't think i got to sit on the couches in the living room once as they spread themselves out over them and hogged them.

You'll boil in saloppettes

Joggers and thermal layer for breakfast, or the thermal leggings that you'll wear under your salopettes.

Mix in after skiing, if it's a good group anyway. We take uno and cards to play in the evenings.