Anyone else been skiing over Xmas?

[Pupsiecola]

Our 5th time. Usually enough snow is a worry. This year we've had 2 days of skiing. We've skied on the other days in a snow storm, sleet and rain but not for long. Hotel is a bitter disappointment. Can't believe Esprit use such a place.

Back to our usual haunt next year (was fully booked by Spring).

Oh no. Where are you?

Alpe D'Huez. Be so glad to leave tmrw. The hotel is shocking. Toilets (adjoining rooms) either don't flush or gush with water until you thump the wall several times, lights flicker constantly, water runs scalding hot/cold, bedsheets grubby/stained, DSs beds lumpy, carpet filthy, food is grim, hot food is lukewarm at best (buffet). I could go on and on. DH has just described it as a youth hostel for adults. Except it cost considerably more.

Oh God, this was not a post I wanted to read - we’re going there in February! Hopefully they’ll have improved the food (and cleaning) by then

That sounds grim. We do our skiing on a tight budget (budget airline flights / cheapest apartments we can find) and as a result have stayed in some very basic places. The actual skiing usually makes up for the accommodation though. So sorry you've had a shit week. Was it a package? Can you complain and try to claim some compensation?

How gutting, we are currently on our way out for new year. Last two New Years haven't been great weather wise but hopefully this week will be an improvement on previous years. Have you complained about the hotel? We have been booking independently for the last 5 years and honestly it's the best thing as you know what you're getting and don't feel so ripped off.

Yes it's a package. We have had 4 fantastic years with Esprit at a catered chalet in La Rosiere. This has been awful by comparison. We had an hour's meeting with the Esprit resort manager yesterday. Mainly because he had agreed to reimbursing us 44 euros for the pizza on the first night and then said he couldn't. (Noone told the hotel our flight was delayed by 2 hours plus the dropping us at the wrong hotel lost us about 40 minutes).

He was very good though and is feeding everything back to HQ and the hotel. He said other guests have said they're happy with the food. I said we queued up one day to go in at opening time and it was hot, and I suspected that's when most others go as they have young kids so want them fed and in bed. Any time later and the food is lukewarm. I said I'm surprised noone has had food poisoning.

The weather for the next 10 days is set to be perfect.

Sorry toomany. The rep said it's the first week at this hotel.

We used to stay at www.seitenalm.at and ski just up the road at Flachau.
It was lovely and very far removed from the commercialised Christmas elsewhere.

Yes, in three valleys with ski total and it's been fab.

We went with Espirit to France last spring. Never again, they were awful in so many ways - childcare, hygiene and ski lessons all shit.

@eveharknessrose would you please share with me where you stayed? We will be on the hunt for something for next xmas. Thank you!

yes 7 days doing and lots of snow. Snow sure area but glacier doing not necessary as abundance of fresh snow , near to Obergurgl.

You need to go high.

Skiing not going!

@Pupsiecola fingers crossed they sort themselves out fairly hastily!

We’ve had fantastic skiing at Val d’Isere at New Year in the past

We were Passo del Tonale in Italy. Loads of snow, but apparently it was unusual.

Unfortunately we weren't overly impressed with the ski lessons for the children... But DH is rather particular. His issue was based on the children being sorted on a 30second assessment, with children who had barely skiied being put in advanced groups and our 8yo, being skiing for years and about to move up to the race training group back at her UK lessons being put in the beginners group. He ended up teaching them in the afternoons and using the lessons as a crèche so he could play in the mornings.
On the plus side my lessons were fab and I may not be unteachable after all!

We skiied in France at New Year 2 years ago. Had rain and hail most days and lifts closed due to thunder two afternoons. Will go much higher if we go again. I was never so wet and cold.
We were with Esprit too and they were not impressive.

Ok but remember this was our first and we rarely stay in hotels so I have no point of comparison! We stayed at Chalet Cascades in Courchevel 1650. It's opposite an escalator to the Ariondez Bubble, v easy. Also by the bus stop outside with free buses to other local resorts, which you can also ski to, above an Intersport rental shop and a bar. Our rooms were spacious, but I understand others were smaller and valley facing rooms like ours possibly bigger and quieter. Fully catered. Near Aquamotion pool complex (I think included in Courchevel lift passes possibly). Lots of notices about hygiene, plentiful reminders to use antibac, which was everywhere, and kept clean. Food (breakfast, tea, aperatif and three course dinner x 6 days including wine was enjoyed. Friendly interesting staff. WiFi not good but 4g reception fine. Comfortable lounge. Boot room. Nice and warm. Lots of hot water. Coincidentally I hadn't heard of Espirit when I read your first post but in the event our transfer to the airport was shared with an Espirit guide/group (I guess the companies often share arrangements?)

We have arrived today for four days ski - come to St Francois Long Champs - snow v good - blue skies and sun. We are on a tight budget too

We skied in the area around Flaine 2 years ago, arriving on Boxing Day.
No problems at all, loads of snow.

I have friends who've been in Meribel this year, looks good

We're half way through a week in Isola 2000 for the second year running. Fab snow and blue skies. I'd never heard of St Francois Longchamp before handmedownqueen. Where did you fly into?

We went with Alpine Elements to Hotel Gelinotte in Val d'Isere. What a total disaster! On the transfer from Grenoble they lost our double ski bag that the rep put on another coach. Never showed up at resort. 100% their fault but they now deny liability. Lost 1 day skiing because of it and had to by new knee support and gloves. Total cost to replace eveything is £2500. Hotel was like Faulty Towers run by a bunch of miserable inexperienced teenagers who just wanted to go skiing during the day and party at night. The place was a run-down shambles. Food was awful, staff useless, located up a steep icy road - very dangerous for our two 75 year olds. My 18-year old son got locked in his room for hours one day because of a broken door handle, which they did not fix. Do not use Alpine Elements otherwise you will be very disappointed.

We went this Xmas just gone. Stayed in a chalet we’d been to before in Morzine. It rained a lot, though there was huge snow on a couple of days too. As it was the opening week you could feel that the season hasn’t really kicked off, the resort and slopes seemed not as buzzy as in Feb when we’d been before... the new chalet staff were a bit green (thank goodness for the staff who’d been there in previous years!)... it was a nice break but not my fave ever ski trip.

So I’m torn really about going again at Xmas. We’d probably go higher if we did.

But generally that early in the season I think it’s likely to be hit and miss overall in terms of weather and slickness of the resorts/accommodation etc.

Just in case anyone ever comes across this thread again, we just got back from our week in Alpe D’Huez with Esprit and they’d definitely upped their game since the OP went. Food was lovely (and hot), plenty of snow and we had a great time. So it sounds like they listened to your feedback OP!

Hi toomany. Oh I'm so glad. You must have been (understandably) worried since my OP.

An update from me: Esprit gave us a £200 voucher, plus agreed to pay for the pizza we had to order that first night. We also qualify for a 10% discount now as we've just booked our 5th holiday with them. We're going back to a catered chalet in lovely La Rosiere, where we have been 4 times already, at Christmas.