hotel alpubel SAAS FEE- anyone been

[noonar]

hi, have read so many good reviews about this hotel- i'm on the verge of booking.

if you've been, could you please help me with a few questions? (i have dds aged 3 and 5, btw.)

should i book with crystal or book independenlty?

are places at the kids' club guaranteed?(do you book places ahead of time?)

were there many eng speaking children/ staff?

is standards of childcare, esp security wise, suitably high?

should i try to fly from sion? the tranfer from geneva is LONG!

um, thats all for now, i think

tia xx

[noonar]

hmm, very odd. the crystal brochure says that pulvo operates from 10am-1pm.

however, i think 1.5 hrs may be enough to start with. will have to wait and see.

[LIZS]

Coincidentally I picked up their brochure the other day (while looking for some others for a school project for ds) so have looked and yes that description is odd quoting the hours of the full 3 hour ski school not what we know as Pulvo. Not sure you can prebook Pulvo as such. I'm sure it will be fine either way

[noonar]

ok, have had another look at your link it seems that there is a 'kids fun park' option which operates from 10-1. not sure how this differs from pulvo, though, apart from the duration. is it in the same place, i wonder.

[noonar]

xpost

[LIZS]

yes it would be . In afternoons it is partly open to anyone (dh took dd down there at 3 1/2) while the Pulvo class is going on on one slope with the toys, revolving rope tow etc, mornings it is pretty much exclusively skischool but same fenced off area and conveyor .

[noonar]

thats v interesting. did she ski, or just play about? (dd2 will be 3.7, btw)

[LIZS]

She "skied" in as much as going up on the magic carpet with dh and sliding down a few times then off to the snow bar for a hot chocolate and Chupa Chups ! Didn't do it every day as weather was not great all week and dd is very much a fair weather skier(like me!). Ironically we booked a lesson for her a year later in another resort and she hated it but less than 2 months later was skiing properly in Saas Grund complete law unto herself.

We were with friends and their dds (then 4 and 5) were doing the am skischool in the snowgarden so sometimes they just practised too for a bit. Otherwise their elder dd and our ds (then 7) went back to the hotel for the afternoon or we'd go on Feeblitz etc. Also we took sledding trays and there are small inclines and heaps of snow around that area for them to play on.

[noonar]

hey liz, are you about...?

am having a bit of a panic about a couple of issues. sorry. am actually annoying myself, here, but have some niggling worries about childcare and sleeping arrangements. you are the only one i can ask, so would you humour me a little more?

can you reassure me that (in your opinion) our youngest children (aged 2 and 3)will be safe, secure and supervised closely in the children's club. i'm a bit anxious as we had a full on child care package last year, and knew what to expect.

secondly, i found some pics of the hotel room on website, and am concerned about the fold down bunks. won't the child on top be in danger of falling out of bed, as their seems to be no bed rail/ guard!

tia xx

[noonar]

'there'

[LIZS]

Well we were happy enough with the childcare but it may not be as structured as you are used to. We found it more than adequate compared to our Esprit experience for example but that could well be a variable benchamrk. Older kids , maybe 8+, can have a bit more independence within the hotel building (they do all sorts of indoor activities if weather is poor or can use the games room) and grounds but younger ones are supervised in the playroom or at the activity if specifically left with the team ime. There really is nowhere for them to run off to anyway nor are there likely to be any casual passers-by as the hotel is off the beaten track. We didn't have to sign them in or out, for example, but that may have changed since. Remember that the staff also work in the hotel during meal times and check-in so quickly recognise the guests/children. Why not give Heather a call or email if you want to allay your worries and know more specifically about it.

There are rails available for the upper bunk but you may need to ask if they aren't already fitted. Ladder would be at one end iirc. Mind you we only had one stay all in one room and dd was in cot so only used lower one, after that we had the family room but bunk beds seem the same.

hth

[noonar]

ah, liz, thanks. i think i will email them.

i admit that i'd be a bit worried about not signing them in/ out. its not a lack of structure that worries me, but a lack of security would.

good to know about the bed!