Chalet No.14 Verbier

Rob and I had the pleasure of staying at Ski Chalet No.14 as it prepared to welcome its first guests of the season just before Christmas. After undergoing a complete refurbishment and now offering 13 luxurious bedrooms, not to mention the outdoor hot tub, indoor swimming pool and spa area, cinema room and 24 hour driver service, this chalet is the perfect choice for a luxury ski holiday. The staff looked after us superbly, each day culminating in delicious five course dinners prepared by the head chef.

The Superb Chalet Solmai

Despite it being absolutely freezing, we managed to get onto the mountain for a couple of hours and ski in some fantastic conditions before we headed to Chalet Septième Ciel, which was to be our base for the next three nights,  We also had chance to have a look around a few other luxury chalets. Chalet La Norjeanne is a wonderful, homely property which has also undergone a recent makeover. Chalet Solmai is simply beautiful and refreshingly nothing like the other luxury properties in Verbier. There are no flashy gimmicks or hot tubs on the terrace, just a well furnished, spacious and welcoming home full of charm and character. All of the antique furniture, the art and the hundreds of books that make the chalet what it is belong to the Canadian owner. This property is my personal favourite in Verbier.

Verbier Luxury Chalets

Septième Ciel is a high quality chalet in its own right, but far more traditional in style than No.14. Situated on the hillside above the Savoleyres lift station, the views are just incredible. Unfortunately we couldn’t see anything at breakfast the next day as we were enveloped by cloud, but that made it a perfect day for viewing chalets, knowing that there would be fresh snow ready and waiting for us the following morning.  The chalets vary considerably in style and size, but all benefit from a fantastic level of service and simply delicious food and wine. Chalet Chineur and Chalet Thomas at the top of Verbier have a classic, cosy feel to them, especially as they are individually furnished by their antique-dealer owner. Chalet Treize Etoiles I and Treize Etoiles II, located just down the road from Place Centrale also have a warm and homely feel to them. Berbou, Cybou and Sorojasa are much more modern and Sorojasa has its own private swimming pool too! Chalet Astorina, Chalet Astoria and Les Skieurs, which are all perfect for small groups, couldn’t be in a better location between the Medran lift and Place Centrale. Hotel Mont Gele is ideal for larger groups, offering bed and breakfast accommodation.

After a packed day viewing chalets, we returned to Septième Ciel for a dip in the outdoor hot tub with a glass of champagne, a quick sauna and another fabulous meal prepared by our chef Alex. He has free rein to create menus specifically for each group of guests and we enjoyed some of the best food we have ever had in the Alps! Of course, we couldn’t leave Verbier without taking full advantage of the driver service and sampling the nightlife, beginning at Pub Mont Fort and ending in Casbah.

Skiing Verbier

Waking up to clear blue skies , stunning views from the chalet and a hearty breakfast on our final day was the best way imaginable to clear the fuzzy heads that were the result of a few too many drinks the night before. With fresh snow beneath our skis, the sun shining brightly and best of all, no one on the pistes, we were in our element! Our hosts had kindly organised a couple of instructors to help us fine-tune our technique and guide us around Verbier’s fantastic ski area, which made the day’s skiing even better. Sadly we didn’t have time to discover the whole of the Four Valleys (all 420km of it!) …that will have to wait until our next trip.

A huge thank you to the teams at No.14 and Septième Ciel for making us so welcome during our visit to Verbier. If you’d like more information on any of the chalets detailed here or on other chalets in Verbier or further afield, please call our knowledagble sales team.

I was recently offered the opportunity to head out to Morzine (due mostly to a last minute ski deal which I was lucky enough to find), to sample the resort and the fantastic chalet Amis. I naturally jumped at the chance. Any altitude snobs amongst you will no doubt scoff at the idea of visiting Morzine on the 12^th of December due to it being only 1100 metres high. Morzine has a real trump card though, and that’s Avoriaz. Even though the Morzine/Les Gets ski area wasn’t open for the duration of my stay, Avoriaz is a simple gondola ride away and provides more than enough skiing for a short break.

We caught the early flight out Sunday morning and we met our private transfer at Geneva airport. On the way up to resort, we were enveloped by thick, freezing fog and naturally, we were a little worried that the day’s skiing would be wiped out. On the final turn before entering Morzine, we rose above the clouds and glorious blue skies and sunshine beckoned. As Morzine is a relatively short 1 hour transfer from the airport, we were ready to strap on the boards at 11am. Our hosts whisked us up to the Prodain gondola and we were snowboarding before you could say “Val Thorens can kiss my a***”.

Skiing Les Portes du Soleil

The open plan living and dining area in Chalet Amis

Morzine is a fantastic resort for any level of skier and part of the vast Portes du Soleil ski area.  Not only can you ski Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz but Champery, Chatel, Morgins and numerous other smaller resorts are all just a few lifts away. Because the ski area is SO vast, there really is something for everyone, from the high alpine style terrain of Avoriaz to the picturesque tree runs down to Chatel and Les Gets. For those of you that enjoy a good terrain park, you are spoilt for choice here. The famous “Stash” terrain park, a all natural terrain park built in conjunction with Jake Burton of Burton Snowboards, and many of the other resorts in the ski area have some incredible parks to offer the most discerning freestyle enthusiast.

Morzine has some great nightlife and après spots to enjoy. Perhaps the most famous of which is Bar Robinson, or “Bar Robbo’s” to the locals. I have to say, in all the bars in all the resorts I have been to, Bar Robbo’s is probably the oddest. The French would call this sort of bar a “Zinc”, a real old school spit and sawdust alpine bar but it’s the atmosphere which puts Robbo’s ahead of the crowd. This is probably down to the copious amount of Mutzig  lager consumed in the establishment. For those of you that haven’t tried this alpine staple, by all means do, but take it one pint at a time. I’m sure the locals have lost count of the amount of holiday makers that Mutzig has left it its wake. Bar Robbo’s is not the only night spot, you can also try Dixie bar, Coyote, Le Crepu and the Tibetan bar to name but a few.  

Ski Chalet Amis in Morzine

Morzine at its best!

 We were lucky enough to stay in the gorgeous chalet Amis, a contemporary chalet of very high quality. It is a 10 minute stroll into town and the Super-Morzine gondola is no more than 7 minutes walk away, so the ski access is very easy. The Chalet does provide a comprehensive driver service in the mornings and afternoons in case the 5 minute walk to the lifts in full ski gear is a little too much for you. The Amis boasts all the mod-cons you would expect from a chalet of this quality, boot-warmers, outdoor hot tub, roaring fire and fully en-suite bedrooms. There’s also a games room, with table-football and a Wii! This extra room could be a God-send for those of you with kids in tow, keeping them occupied whilst you enjoy your after dinner cheese and port!

 The service itself was exemplary, Gus and Kat looked after us in the chalet, their food was of an incredibly high standard and they steer well clear of chalet clichés such as the ubiquitous Boeuf Bourguinon. Their roast duck with chilli and ginger drizzle was a delight! What really sets the service apart from that of other luxury chalets was the delivery. One can often feel molly-coddled in other chalets of this quality, whereas the team here focus on delivering a much more low-key and genuinely friendly service.

Matt stayed in chalet Amis courtesy of TG Ski. for more information on the chalet, Morzine or any of the other destinations mentioned in Matt’s post, please give our London sales office a call or visit www.interactiveresorts.co.uk.

Flora and I had the pleasure of staying in the beautiful chalet Phoebe in Meribel in early December. The chalet was absolutely fantastic and we had to be dragged (literally in some cases!) out of the front door when it was time to leave. After starting off getting on the wrong plane and blagging my way to Val Thorens, I was eventually met by our rep Haigham, who showed us around two brilliant ski in/ ski out chalets – the Catherine and the Olivier. The lovely terraces overlook the piste, and the warm welcome of coffee and cake was much appreciated after the journey. The chalets are a short walk into the town centre of Val Thorens and its nightlife. They offer a short ski down to the Plein Sud lift, giving us a head start on the fresh powder. Comfortable bedrooms and a sauna will give you a good rest after a day on the slopes.

Chalet Phoebe's Stunning Hot Tub

Next stop was Meribel, where we were met by our hosts Jill and Kit, who were absolutely fantastic. We were greeted by a roaring log fire, a glass of Kir and some more coffee and cake. The rooms were spacious and clean, and the lounge area, with its comfy sofas in front of the open fire makes a fantastic location to swap tales of the day’s skiing. Before dinner, a scheduled trip to the outdoor hot tub was organised. We sat back and enjoyed the views over Meribel, before being summoned for a tasty and much needed dinner.

Day two began with a look around the Chalet Hotel Alba in Meribel. This child friendly chalet hotel is almost ski in/ski out, being 20 metres away from the Doron piste and 25 metres from the famous apres ski venue, the Rond Point. From here, you can take the Adret chairlift, or ski down to the resort centre, and take your pick from one of the largest ski areas in the world. The Chalet Hotel Alba boasts lovely, comfortable rooms with a great lounge bar to relax and take in a few drinks before a lovely dinner in the dining room, from which there are great views over the pistes and valleys.

Ski-in Ski-out Chalet Courchevel 1850

The Ski-in Ski-out Crystal 2000 in Courchevel 1850

Ski Chalets in Alpe d’Huez

Day 3 began with a slightly fuzzy head, and we were off to check out some of the brand new chalets in Alpe D’Huez. A few detours in Grenoble, up the famous Tour De France route into Alpe D’Huez and straight to the brand new Chalet La Breche. This chalet is something special. A ski in ski out chalet in Alpe D’Huez, with a hot tub and state of the art infra-red sauna. The rooms look over the slopes, and the spacious lounge with wood burning fire looked a fantastic base. Next were the Chalets Christian and Phillipe. These two properties are a short walk from the lifts, and were very well received by the group. Our final visit was to the the Chalet Hotel Mariandre, a great child friendly chalet with a huge lounge. The family suites are enormous, and the penthouse suite on the top floor is a definite recommendation! This was followed by a sortie on to the slopes of Alpe D’Huez, and with the fast lifts, wide pistes, and great snow we were really spoilt.

Back to Meribel, and the worst part of the trip was packing our suitcases before heading to dinner one last time. After one last visit to the local watering holes and the (in)famous Dicks Tea Bar, we walked in to a breakfast spread before we left for the transfer to the airport.

A massive thank you to Haigham, who, despite nursing man flu, made our trip memorable. Also a massive thank you to Jill and Kit who were absolutely fantastic all week. Having never been to Meribel before, my view on the resort was mixed, but I left with a growing desire to go back sooner rather than later!

A week at Chalet Phoebe starts at £814pp for the remaining  availability this season and is available from £559pp next season. If you’d like more information on any of the chalets or resorts mentioned above then please give us a ring at our London sales office or visit www.interactiveresorts.co.uk.

Club Med in Peisey-Vallandry

• Return flights and transfers
• Accommodation
• All meals (including lunches) with wine, beer and soft drinks
• Unlimited drinks and snacks
• Ski and snowboarding lessons
• Local Ski Pass
• Mini Club and Juniors’ Club
• Baby Welcome
• All leisure activities

As far as business models go for ski companies, you have to go an awfully long way to beat the example set by Club Med, as I found out in Les Arcs last week. I received an invitation to stay for 4 nights in the 4 star Hotel Club Med Peisey Vallandry to see what all the fuss is about, and I have nothing but good things to say!

We flew out from Heathrow Terminal 1 with Swissair and the transfer coach whisked us to resort. Pretty standard procedure really, but it is here that the Club Med experience really kicked in. We were met in the lofty, plush reception area by a team of smiling, friendly staff who gave us a welcome drink and an envelope containing our lift passes and door keys. Within the hour our bags were taken to our rooms by the porters, our ski tuition and guiding requirements were met by the in-house ESF team, our ski hire was sorted by the in-house fitting team and we were enjoying canapés in the comfortable bar before dinner.

Hotel Club Med in Peisey Vallandry

Dinner at Club Med has to be seen to be believed! There are a lot of Club Med properties of varying standards across the Alps but the quality of the food, I am reliably informed, changes little. I felt like a kid in a toy shop! After asking for a bottle of red from the smiling waitress, I strolled into the buffet area to find at least 5 separate areas of starters, salads, mains, Alpine specialities and desserts, each with a helpful chef on hand to advise you. (All-you-can-eat has its drawbacks, I discovered, and it was only on the second day that I learned the importance of pacing myself.)

After dinner it was down to the theatre / bar area for the evening’s entertainment which, although fun to watch, is very “Euro”. There’s no limit on how many cocktails you can order from the bar, and a wide selection of beers and spirits complements the stock nicely. It’s only the champagne that you have to pay extra for. The bar has no less than 4 separate seating areas to choose from and a large outdoor terrace area for enjoying the spring sunshine. The entire area is spacious, open and welcoming.

And so to bed… The rooms in the property are all a very good size and the en suite facilities I saw were all perfect, and spotlessly clean. The beds are comfortable, the rooms well designed and the facilities  such as TVs, balconies and lounge areas make the rooms very comfortable indeed.

Fresh Powder Skiing in Les Arcs

Our first day on the mountain went like this: Wake up, go to breakfast, go to the ski lockers, ski out from the back door with our ESF instructor, return for lunch, ski out from the back door again, return for dinner, go to the bar, go to bed. It was like that for the next two days except that in the afternoon of the second day it began snowing heavily, and didn’t stop! The pistes around Peisey are all tree-lined and are just glorious. As you head round the mountain towards Arc 2000 you climb above the tree line to more open ground but the entire area is a pleasure to explore. We woke up on day three to a mountain of fresh powder  and decided that instead of heading back over to Arc 2000, we’d session the tree runs around Peisey. 6 hours spent tracing fresh tracks through the forest is 6 hours well spent in my book, but it was getting dark and I was hungry so I went back for dinner and a well earned beer…!

Club Med has something for everybody. Groups of young adults would really benefit from the all-inclusive nature of the food and drink offered. Families with kids in tow can easily use the in-house childcare facilities, and people of advanced years would thoroughly enjoy the general level of comfort afforded them in Hotel Club Med Peisey Vallandry. Any non-skiers won’t be bored either – the hotel is equipped with a heated indoor/outdoor pool, sauna, hammam, studio, gym and wellness centre with fully qualified masseuses on hand, which is also beneficial if you’ve spent the day throwing yourself down the mountain and need a soothe before dinner…

Chris stayed in Peisey courtesy of Club Med where all-inclusive prices start from £1,249pp. For more information on this or any other Club Med property in the Alps, please give us a call at our London sales office or visit http://www.interactiveresorts.co.uk/ski_chalets and search for “Club Med”.

It wasn’t your typical ski break, as we only actually spent two nights in our sumptuous surroundings. Sadly, trips out to view chalets are fun but all too often short-lived. We won’t dwell on that though, instead I’d like to focus on the superb surroundings and brilliant organisation which meant that we came back feeling as though we’d been away for a whole week

The superb Bellevarde Lodges in Val d'Isere

Let’s start with our base, Chalet Chablis. It’s difficult to conceive of a better location in Val d’Isere; the Bellevarde Lodges are just above the main lift station with a piste running right behind all 5 chalets. It’s simply a case of about 5 steps up from the heated boot room to the Santons piste and a 2 minute glide down to whichever one of the main lifts you wish to get on. The Solaise, Bellevarde and Olympique lifts are all handy, giving quick access to the entire ski area. It takes perhaps 10 minutes to stroll into the town centre but this is an easy walk and no bad thing, as chalets in central Val d’Isere do occasionally suffer from noisy revellers spilling out of town centre bars late at night. Chablis is furnished to a very high standard, with en-suite facilities in every bedroom and a lovely double height lounge with open fire and fantastically comfortable sofas. The hot-tub on the balcony from the lounge adds that little bit of extra luxury to a superbly finished property.

Day one began for me with a quick blast up the mountain on my own having arrived on Sunday morning on the sleeper train from Paris. The rest of the party arrived at around 2 pm and we all got together for a quick resort orientation before a couple of beers in the Petit Danois followed by Champagne, canapés and supper back at the chalet.

The Gourgeous Petit Choucas’ Living Room

Day two was an early start and straight up the Solaise for a full morning on the slopes. Temperatures in the shade were dipping below minus 10 with wind-chill making it feel more like minus 20. The pistes were in superb condition though and being so early in the season they were almost deserted. We found our way to Le Fornet, before tackling the notorious Face de Bellevarde right before lunch. I was actually rather glad to have an excuse to stay off the mountain during the afternoon. Any break from the cold was fine by me, so chalet viewings were a welcome respite. We went up to Le Cret, just outside the town to look at a cluster of fourlovely chalets; Chalet Davos, Chalet Klosters, Chalet Arosa and Chalet Madrisah. All four are recently built to a really high standard. There’s so little to choose between them but if I had to, it would be the master suite in the Davos with its four-poster bed, fireplace and free-standing bath tub! All four benefit from a driver service as they are a little way out of the main town centre.

The third and final day went down a lot like the first, an early start and some brutally cold skiing around Tignes followed by the excruciatingly touristy event that was our lunch. Nine adults seated around a restaurant table, nine Tartiflettes ordered and all nine subsequently demolished in record time. We popped in to a few more chalets after that, this time the highlights were the Farmhouse which is a striking converted 200 year-old farm building in the heart of the old part of the village and the Chalets Grand and Petit Choucas. The contrast between the two couldn’t be more marked. The Chalet Farmhouse manages to combine modern comfort with true charm and character, something that so many chalets try their hardest to achieve whilst falling well short of this benchmark. The Choucas’ apartments were the antithesis of the Farmhouse but they were just as well received by the whole group. They are spacious, sleek, modern and despite being just metres from the main road they are peacefully set back from the hustle and bustle. My favourite chalets of the entire weekend were these two little beauties.

Our final visit was to the Aspen Lodges. This complex is right on the main street and benefits from the sort of service you’d find in a 5 star hotel (concierge desk, communal lounge area with pool table and a small coffee bar) whilst being split into individual chalet apartments sleeping between 6 (the Oak Suite for example) and 10 (the Penthouse Suite). All are modern, really well fitted out and have south-facing balconies off the comfortable lounges.

Almost as soon as it began, we had to pack up and leave. Just time to thank our guide, James who looked after us every step of the way, taking care of everything that we could throw his way and quite a bit more besides. Don’t forget our chalet hosts Jack and Tim, who were equally attentive and made us feel right at home even though a bunch of rowdy travel agents was the last thing they probably needed as they prepared themselves for their first lot of paying guests. Val d’Isere will always be one of the best early and late season destinations and any one of the chalets we visited would provide an ideal home for the week.

Thanks very much to James at VIP for the organisation and hospitality. If you’re interested in any of the chalets featured above or if you’d like some more information on Val d’Isere then please give our sales team a call or visit our Val d’Isere Chalets website. All of the chalets above are also featured on our Luxury Ski Chalets website. For more photos of your trip please take a look at Nick’s photo album on facebook.

St Anton – not the highest resort in the Alps and thus not the natural choice for a pre-season ski weekend away, right? Wrong. I had the pleasure of visiting St Anton on 26^th November this winter for a 3 day weekend and was greeted with fresh powder and an opening weekend of skiing to rival the highest French resorts like Tignes and Val Thorens! Although the legendary Krazy Kangaruh and Mooserwirt bars weren’t in full flow yet, there were plenty of opening weekend parties going on in town to keep us well stocked up on Gluhwein for the weekend!

It was an early start, flying first thing from London Gatwick to Zurich. However, with such a short transfer time (2½ hours from Zurich, 1½ from Innsbruck), we were at our base for the weekend in time for lunch. In hindsight, it may have been an idea to take the Arlberg Tunnel rather than the Arlberg Pass (that passes through Stüben, and skirts around Lech and Zurs) – the snow was coming down thick and fast, visibility was minimal, we were driving on the right (wrong) side of the road and the 2 door Renault Clio we had hired was slightly out of its comfort zone!

St Anton Luxury Chalets

The spectacular lounge area in Chalet Maria Schnee

Laura and I made it and had the pleasure of staying 2 nights in the stunning Chalet Maria Schnee. This chalet, sleeping 8-15, is a free-standing luxury chalet in the Nasserein area of St Anton.  Under 5 minutes from the Nasserein gondola, the location is just one of the selling points of this chalet. Combine this with the professional chef and host, personal driver service, outdoor hot tub, indoor sauna, cinema room, spacious bedrooms, sleek bathrooms and sumptuous sofas, the chalet really is unbeatable! It is set up perfectly for families, with a lovely girls’ room sleeping 3, as well as a boys’ room which sleeps 4, along with the 4 other double/twin rooms.

A couple of minutes down the road is Chalet Austria, split into three smaller chalet apartments: Chalet Alexandra (6), Chalet Soline (11 + 2) and the penthouse Chalet Antoinette (10). These are perfectly located for ski access; straight out of the heated ski and boot room, to the end of the path in front of the chalet which joins the Nasserein nursery slopes! All three chalets benefit from 6* service with chef, host, driver service and a lovely wellness area and gym downstairs. The complex is brand new this season, though it still has a rustic Tyrolean charm. Chalet Antoinette in particular has impressive, high ceilings and a spacious living area for 10 adults. The three apartments can be combined to make one big chalet for a group of up to 27.

Next on our tour was Chalet Illimani, a stunning 12 person chalet set outside St Anton, in the charming satellite village of Pettneu. There is a dedicated driver service with this chalet, so getting into town is perfectly do-able. This enormous chalet is charming, with a really homely feel to the living and dining area whilst retaining its luxurious grandeur. The bedrooms are spacious, most have balcony access and there is a lovely children’s room too with games and toys galore! The sauna, wellness area, study and ping pong table really finished off this exceptional chalet; the perfect spot for a luxury family trip away.

Skiing in St Anton

In between touring these 6* luxury chalets, we were also able to slot in a couple of days’ November skiing! Riding up the high-speed Galzigbahn on Saturday morning, we were greeted with blue skies and powder at the top. Being the first day of the season, not everything was open of course. There were still plenty of well-groomed pistes to choose from though, some fresh tracks were formed and a number of high speed chairs were running. The skiing in St Anton is reputably not for the faint-hearted, however all the group were able to find the perfect piste to suit their ability, proving that the resort really does cater for all. We found some empty pistes over towards the quaint neighbouring resort of Stüben, and some more testing mogul runs back near the Nasserein region – by day 2 the ski legs had been rediscovered as we reluctantly left the mountain!

The superb Chalet Getrud Gabl in St Anton

We spent our final evening (when we could drag ourselves away from the après ski bars and Pizza Pomodoro which we discovered whilst down in the town centre…) in Chalet Getrud Gabl, a modern 5* chalet at the other end of town, in Oberdorf.  We were greeted by the wonderful chalet staff who, like at Maria Schnee, will go out of their way to make you feel at home, even when they were still preparing the chalet for the coming season! The living area was vast, with enough DVDs to keep even the keenest film buff entertained for weeks, and the outdoor hot tub overlooking the valley was virtually impossible to leave.

Managing to cram in 2 days’ skiing before Advent has even kicked in is no mean feat, but with the early snow conditions as good as they are this season, and a vast array of welcoming chalets, a memorable weekend was had by all.

If Isabel and Laura’s early season St Anton trip has got you excited, then give our London sales team a call or visit www.stantonchalets.co.uk or check out our new hotels website www.stantonhotels.co.uk for more information about the resort and accommodation.

• Wednesday 14th April: Volcano erupts in Iceland.
• Flight departure time to Val Thorens: 05:50 Saturday 17th April.
• Actual Coach departure: 12:45 Saturday 17th April.
• Arrival time in Resort 10:00 Sunday 18th April.

Carrying on from Mr. David Froom’s superb depiction of the week that was….. 

Approximately 1179 miles of land and sea separate London from Iceland, so who would have ever thought that one volcano could cause so much disruption? Whilst Interactive Resorts were sitting pretty in London town there wasn’t a worry in anyone’s mind about the possibility of not going on our end of season trip. Then Friday rolls around and all flights to and from the UK are still grounded with the papers reporting that the country may be at a standstill for a further week. I started to have a small cardiac arrest realising that cancellation was a very strong possibility.

But lo and behold, the brilliant Skiworld pulled through for us and organised a coach to deliver us to Val Thorens safely.

The Journey Begins

To coach or not to coach….

A 12:45 departure from Gatwick Coach station saw us on our way to Dover to catch our ferry. A small delay in Calais from a backlog of “coached” clients trying to get from A to B was not an issue as far as I was concerned….I was just so stoked to be able to go on the trip. I had a small pang of guilt for those thousands of travellers world wide that were unable to go where they intended, especially as that included some of our own crew from the north who we had to leave behind. You were sadly missed.

The Interactive Resorts team outside chalet Bonhomme de Neige

A very eventful and sleepless 20 hours later, we arrived in VT. Job done. Out of all of the ways to get to the Alps I can’t say going by coach would be my first choice. As I say, I personally can’t really complain but for those of you considering to either coach, drive, fly or train I would suggest choosing one of the other options before resorting to the coach. To go on holiday for only 7 days and to spend 20 hours x 2 on a coach really does reduce your slope time. And come on now…..that is what we are all there for, right?

Bonhomme De Neige

Our home for the next week was the huge 28 person Chalet Bonhomme de Neige. Located on the outskirts of the Place du Peclet, it holds a brilliant location overlooking the whole of the resort and the Val Thorens Valley, with the most outstanding views. It’s a chalet that does its job well. For a large group such as ourselves, spending a lot of our time in the communal dining and living areas, I think it’s perfect. The rooms are cosy and comfortable, all offering your own en-suite bathrooms and balconies. 

Val Thorens and Les 3 Vallées

As a ski resort, Val Thorens just about ticks every box. On paper its statistics are second to none. Towering over the rest of Europe, VT nestles itself at a literally breathtaking 2300m. Combined with its sister resorts of Courchevel and Meribel you have a combined mileage of over 600km of piste to play on and ridiculous amounts of off piste to discover and explore. The valley itself spans from St Martin de Belleville (1400m) all the way up to the highest point of the highest lift, the Bouchet charlift (3266m).

Opening its first lifts in December 1971, Val Thorens is there for one main reason, to ski. It is very much a purpose built resort with the majority of accommodation being in 4,5,6+ storey apartment complexes. Although it may not be the most attractive of ski destinations, you can’t argue with the fact that no matter where you stay within the resort your chalet will either be ski in/out or no further than a couple of hundred metres away from the side of a piste, giving you easy access down to one of the main chair lifts or bubbles.

Live for the night

A view from the top

Let me paint a picture….. It’s a scorcher of a day. Not a cloud in the sky. You have been skiing since 10am and it is now 3:30pm and you have just about exhausted all your

energy. You can’t even face one more chairlift let alone another run and then….. there’s this sound… a constant beat. You come over the rise of your last run of the day to be confronted with none other than the living and breathing Folie Douce, Val Thorens style!! There is no other place like this on earth (apart from its original big sister, La Folie Douce in Val d’Isere). It is a haven of madness, table top dancing, drinking, singing and insanely good music that makes you dance even if your muscles refuse you the right to do it with any kind of style. Everyone must, oh you MUST see and experience the Folie! Then when you are made (definitely not by choice) to leave as the music ends, the beers stop flowing and the sun is going down, you have the joy of boarding or skiing home after a few pints which is an experience in itself.

After a quick refresh, then a lovely three course evening meal with wine flowing back at the chalet, we embarked on a little adventure to see what Val Thorens has to offer in terms of nightlife. As we were travelling at the tail end of the season our choice of bars was a little limited. In saying this though, we found one we liked and didn’t particularly branch out much further…..I blame our lack of imagination but also when you travel in a group as large as ours you tend to make your own fun no matter where you are.  Our local hot spot would have to be, without a doubt, the world famous Frog and Roast Beef, which is known for being the highest pub in Europe. This place kept us well and truly entertained with good sounds, cold beer and entertainment such as drum and bass nights and ‘Toss the Boss’ – a dice game where if you roll higher than the barman you get your round for free. Sweet!! Unfortunately my luck was lagging this night but we saw plenty of our crew leave having spent next to nothing.

The now legendary Folie Douce

We had many a good night out at Frog and Roastbeef, Saloon and the nightclub Malaysia. An empty wallet, a sore head and dark rings under my eyes from lack of sleep suggests that VT lived up to and exceeded all expectations in the nightlife department.

A question on everyone’s lips

So for the past few years Interactive Resorts has always had Val d’Isere as its one and only destination of choice for the end of season shenanigans. Adding VT into the mix threw a spanner in the works and was met with a few mixed emotions and opinions. Was it going to live up to the standards to which we were now well and truly accustomed? I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that we were nicely surprised and impressed. For a purpose built, aesthetically unattractive resort it has a certain charm that welcomes you. Its ski area is superb for all abilities and offers endless options that will be sure to keep you amused for the week if not longer… I would be more than happy to return to Val Thorens and I am now super excited about sending people on their holidays there as I know their time will be unforgettable!

We stayed at the Bonhomme de Neige in Val Thorens. A week at the Bonhomme starts from £470 during the coming season. If you’d like to chat about Val Thorens or any of the other destinations mentioned here, then please give us a call or drop a line to our sales office!

So as suggested above, it wasn’t all plain sailing and the drama started a few days before our scheduled departure on April 17th. The volcanic ash cloud that shrouded northern Europe, shutting down all air traffic for nearly a week, threatened to force the cancellation of the entire trip. You wouldn’t have wanted to speak to any of us during that week had we been forced to swap the Three Valleys for South West London. We all love working here, but who wouldn’t opt for the skiing given the choice? The majority (everyone but me) were booked to travel out by plane but our travel organisers were forced at the last minute to switch air for road and 40 or so of the gang climbed aboard their “luxury” coaches at Gatwick, facing a heavy journey ahead. 22 hours later some weary souls disembarked the coach at Chalet Bonhomme de Neige looking about 10 years older than when I’d last seen them. I dread to think of the horrors on board that vehicle, I think that’s probably best left for a blog by someone who experienced it first-hand.

A sunny afternoon in Courchevel

Finally all safe and sound in Val Thorens, the holiday could begin in earnest. We had some great luck with the weather that week, all but a couple of days brought sunshine and although we were very close to the end of the season, the snow held up relatively well. Obviously there were slushy patches as you went lower in altitude, towards La Tania, Courchevel 1300 or Meribel for example. Overall, about 70% of the ski area was open and the majority of the lifts ran all week. We also got a late season lift pass discount.

Our chalet was the Bonhomme de Neige, a free-standing 28 person chalet that for competent skiers is just about ski in/out. The bedrooms are all fully en suite and the large lounge and dining room has a superb view over the whole of the resort and the Val Thorens ski area. We saw a few other chalets in resort but most of us thought that the Bonhomme was best of them. It wasn’t unanimous, though. Isabel and Holly, after a great deal of consideration, declared their preferences for the chalets Boule de Neige and Flocon de Neige.

Some of the gang making the most of the sunshine at the Folie Douce

Despite the  journey out, most of the team managed to hit the hill soon after arriving, showing excellent stamina and determination. After a gentle first day on the slopes, we headed over to the now legendary après ski venue La Folie Douce. Well known from previous trips to Val d’Isère, the Folie now has a little sister at the top of the Plein Sud chairlift in VT. If you’ve never been before then try and picture the scene; a huge sun-soaked decking area, a large bar at either end and a top DJ and MC making maximum use of an immense sound system. Throw in 500 or so merry holidaymakers, some dancing on the tables, and after a couple of hours the place is a rival to the best nightclubs in any resort.

This became a theme for the entire week and every day saw most, if not all of us heading to the Folie at some point from mid-afternoon onwards. By the time it shuts at 5.30pm the ski back to the chalet can be quite a challenge, especially if you’ve managed to put away 5 or 6 beers whilst bouncing along to the superb entertainment. Tuesday saw our big challenge. After everyone had found their ski legs Andy, Nick and Ross set up the Foxhunt. Dressed as farmers, we skied in teams to the farthest flung corners of the Vallée de Belleville on various tasks, all the time in pursuit of the three of them dressed in brown skin suits and fox masks! We ended up at the Folie before piling back down to town for a huge night out.

Tally Ho!

With a group this big, it’s never a realistic ambition for everyone to ski together so most mornings saw small alliances form over the breakfast tables, with different groups planning different routes through the Three Valleys. Personal highlights for me were managing to get down to Le Praz (Courchevel 1300) for a morning coffee on just about the last day of the season when the Brigues piste down from 1850 was still ski-able (although officially shut!), and one early morning expedition up La Masse. It’s a peak above Les Menuires which few visitors to the Three Valleys seem to know exists and even fewer manage to get up and actually ski. Those who do make the effort are always rewarded with some wide open pistes, acres of easily accessed off piste and a huge vertical drop. If you only ski one run next season, make it La Masse!

 Clichés come easily on ski holidays and Wednesday night, staff night off, was no different. The logistics of getting 40 people ready together and into a restaurant at the same time is too much to bear, so we split into three groups and made our way into town for a meal. What else would you do when in a Savoyard ski resort and hungry? You eat meat and cheese. That’s what you do and that’s what we did. Fondues bubbled, hot stones sizzled and Tartiflettes, well, they were just simply superb.

It was all a bit much for some by the end of the week

The final couple of days whizzed past in a flash, plenty of mileage was covered, the Folie Douce saw quite a bit more of us and by Friday night everyone was pretty well spent. News filtered through that the ash had dispersed and the flight would be leaving more or less on time. By 10pm just about everyone had retired to sleep or pack before the 5am departure. Inevitably it didn’t quite run to time but we had all departed resort by around 7am and were back in London in time for our tea that evening.

A top week in all respects. For late season skiing, it’s hard to contemplate a better destination than Val Thorens. There’s nowhere higher in Europe, so if VT has no snow, nowhere does. The resort stays open until May most seasons and mid/late April is still busy. Unlike other resorts, you don’t get the feeling of being in an end-of-season ghost town. Everything in Val Thorens carries on as normal. The accommodation is good, although I wouldn’t come here looking for luxury it’s a brilliant destination if budget is a factor. I’d never stayed here before, but after such a good week, I’ll be back!

The Interactive Resorts team stayed at chalet Bonhomme de Neige in Val Thorens. A week at the Bonhomme starts from £479pp, including flights from London Gatwick and transfers to resort. For more information on this or any of the other chalets or resorts mentioned above, please give us a call or drop us an email!

Continuing on from Rupert’s family ski holiday in Alpe d’Huez, we’ve put together a series of useful tips to help you make the most of yours.

1. Ski lessons in Alpe d’Huez

In advance, we booked ski lessons for the kids for the start of the week; we chose small group private lessons for the kids through British Masterclass, who turned out to be one of the best ski schools we’ve come across. From the first day they had the kids skiing ‘sausage and chips’ (parallel, carving), banned from the menu were ‘pizza slices’ (snow ploughs) and what a difference it made to their skiing ability!

After seeing how well the kids had come on the adults subsequently booked themselves in for private lessons, even those that thought they were advanced skiers soon learnt what real skiing felt like! The lessons consisted of one group having an afternoon of guiding with ski tips on all different types of terrain and another group having a ‘carving lesson’ which we all thought we were doing, but soon realised we weren’t! These lessons propelled our skiing to another level giving us the control we felt on greens to the same feeling on steep and in places icy blacks. Sitting on a ‘bar stool’ now has new meaning in my book I can’t wait to try out my new found skills on our end of season ski trip in a couple of weeks time! I honestly thought I was a good skier, but I learnt how to do a ‘real carved turn’ and I would strongly recommend however good you think you are at skiing, get yourself to Alpe d’Huez, book a lesson with Mel, from British Masterclass and it will increase your enjoyment of all types of ski runs ten fold.

British Masterclass were so good that if for no other reason but the amazing quality of the ski lessons we’ll be booking to go back to Alpe d’Huez – the only issue will be keeping up with the kids!

2. Ski Hire in Alpe d’Huez

Ski hire was also pre-booked through our tour operator at the Sport 2000 shop in Les Bergers Centre. One suggestion is to ask for this to be invoiced on separate family vouchers – if you are all in one big group it can be manic in the ski hire shop especially when it’s busy and you are hanging around waiting for other members of your group to get sorted. It’s also far easier when it comes to dropping off your skis as they need to check skis and boots off against one another and if you drop them all off en mass this becomes a bit of a logistical nightmare!

3. High Tea

We arranged ‘high tea’ (dinner time for the kids) with the chalet girls to be at 5.30 pm which gave us plenty of time to feed and bath the kids and get them to bed for our aperitifs and dinner at 7.30 pm.

4. The logistics of our family ski holiday

Now to the reality of our family ski holiday! ALWAYS pack or buy a good selection of sandwiches, snacks and drinks for the journey (once you’re through customs of course) as food on the plane can be expensive and you may not get a chance to grab food / drinks when you land before your resort transfer. There’s something about travelling which makes kids bored far quicker than they normally would, so food and drink not only keeps them occupied it also helps avoid both you and the kids from melting down and having a holiday strop at the most inappropriate time! In the kid’s hand luggage pack books, favourite toys etc but try and discourage noisy toys and games + toys with small bits that get dropped and lost under seats!

We landed at Grenoble which (if you haven’t before) can appear to be small, cramped, under-manned and slightly chaotic. It is in fact, small, cramped, under-manned and chaotic! But like all holidays, hold your nerve, take a deep breath and if possible send one or two adults off to find the bus and get the kids out of the equation. On the way get the kids to visit the loo as well as many coaches have toilets, but they rarely seem to be in working order!

Once on the transfer bus, if you haven’t already booked your lift pass, book it now to avoid wasting time in resort. Do though, ask about family passes, typically consist of 2 adults and 2 kids, as this can save you a fortune.

We were lucky as our flight and transfer was pretty uneventful and we arrived at the chalet in good spirits and were welcomed by our chalet hosts, who happened to be the same girls from the year before when we went to the Chalet Tetra in Les Arcs with a similar group. Without doubt, all of us had an amazing family ski holiday and we’re already planning next year’s chalet holiday in Alpe d’Huez!

5. Check flight times

Double check your flight itinerary which the experienced ski travellers will know can have flight amendments up until a week before departure. Our flight times suited us well, having 9.30 am flight meant a relatively civilised 5.00 am start but often flights will depart at 7.30 am, so if like us you live over 100 miles from the airport you should consider getting a hotel and parking deal so you can get a reasonable night’s sleep near the departure airport.

6. Tips for the Slopes

Heated hand warmers – from £2 for a pair, stuff them in the children’s gloves and they give you half an hour to get them back to the chalet if it’s freezing! They can reheat up to 1,000 times so worth every penny but make sure you get small ones so they can easily fit in a pocket or into the palm of a glove.

Snacks and treats on the slope – always carry incentives to get tired children home on that last run back. Remember to carry plenty of drinks too.

7. Pre-book Airport Parking

Consider pre-booking airport parking at the actual terminal rather than the cheaper off-airport/coach transfer option. Although more expensive consider the time and hassle-saving factor of simply walking into the airport departure lounge following an early morning start. Bliss! On return the same applies – you can save almost an hour both ways. Just be aware that many covered car parks have height restrictions – so if you are in a high vehicle with a roof box you will need to check that you will get in OK! (typically anything under 7ft is OK but do check!).

8. Duty Free

If you buy duty free on your way home, select to pay in the country’s currency as then you pay the actual exchange rate and not the duty free operator’s rate which will be poorer.

If you’d like any more information on any of the chalets or topics discussed in Rupert’s blog post then please drop us a line or give us a call for a more in depth chat.

This year, our family ski holiday consisted of a group of 9 adults and 7 children aged from 2 to 7 years old. The party contained three non-skiing adults (Grandma and Aunties!) who, between them, acted as ‘nannies’ - looking after the kids when they weren’t skiing and giving the chance for the skiing adults to occasionally enjoy some ‘kid-free’ runs. Our skiing abilities were mixed; the adults’ ability ranged from beginners through to advanced, the younger members had either never skied or had up to 4 weeks’ skiing under their belts.

With this in mind we were looking for somewhere offering good facilities and activities, both in the chalet and in the resort, that the non-skiers could enjoy too. 

As our holiday was in mid March we were looking for somewhere with a good snow record but with (fingers crossed!) a bit of sunshine – always beneficial in helping the younger children keep warm when on the lifts. We therefore knew that the choice of resort and chalet would make or break the holiday; a resort which would suit all levels of skiing abilities, with an emphasis on improving the childrens’ skiing ability, plenty to do for the non-skiers and a large spacious chalet with ideally good access to the slopes and resort amenities.

Why choose Alpe d’Huez ski resort for your family ski holiday?

We selected Alpe d’Huez ski resort for a number of reasons. Firstly Alpe d’Huez is a brilliant resort for mixed abilities and in particular beginners and children. The resort simply makes sense; the lower slopes are made up of long wide greens; blues and reds make up the majority of the slopes in the middle of the resort, with blacks generally at the top. Europe’s longest black,  The 14km Sarenne runs from top of the Pic Blanc down through the delightful Gorges de Sarenne valley to the Alpauris chair. It’s best on skis rather than a board as the bottom half of the run is pretty flat. The resort runs are also really well connected, helping you to ski to all areas without getting lost and wasting time having to get multiple lifts just to get high enough to get home at the end of the day.

The resort is high, the plateau of Alpe d’Huez sits at 1,860m with the highest point of resort at 3,330m (Pic Blanc). The resort is know as l’Ile au Soleil (Island in the Sun) and boasts an average of 300 sunny days a year, so without guaranteeing good weather, your chances of taking in some rays are fairly high. The mountain ranges are spectacular with amazing views whether you’re in resort or up one of the mountains.

Alpe d’Huez has a good selection of activities for the non-skiers, including sledging areas, swimming, dog sleds, horse riding, ice rink, and an ice cave with sculptures. For those non-skiers who want to get up the mountain there are some excellent mountain restaurants, many accessible by walk-on gondolas or express chairlifts (suitable for pedestrians), with views to match if you all want to meet up for a lunch time family gathering.

The skiing was ideal for us. We skied for around an hour and a half with the kids on the lower slopes then dropped them off at the chalet so we could have the rest of the morning to bomb around the resort and then meet up for lunch. After lunch on the first couple of days the kids had their ski lessons which gave us another couple of hours to ski and then go and meet them for an hour’s skiing together, before going back to the chalet for afternoon tea.

Choosing your family ski chalet in Alpe d’Huez

An important consideration is your chalet; being quite a large group we were looking for sole occupancy and easy access to the skiing, but were not too bothered about being in the centre of town as our full-on party days were long gone some years ago. The Altiport area of Alpe d’Huez was ideal offering mostly ski-in ski-out access. We stayed in the Chalet Louisa which sleeps 16-18 people, offers ski-in ski-out access,  a hot tub, sauna and has all fully en-suite rooms. The Louisa is one of the most popular chalets in the Altiport due to its value for money, size and facilities. If you have a different group size or are on a smaller budget then there are also plenty of other alternatives in the Altiport like Chalet Ariane 2 (sleeps 12) which also has a hot tub and is ski-in ski-out.

Had we been a smaller family group without our own child care arrangements we would have opted for the Chalet Hotel Le Mariandre (sleeps up to 67 people), where you can ski back to the front door. The Telecentre ski-lift and piste are only 30m away. The rooms are all en-suite and you can opt for family rooms or suites with south facing sun terraces. The chalet has its own nursery and kids club facilities plus an evening baby listening/child patrol service so you can relax and enjoy your evening meal in peace!

There are plenty of other chalet options in Alpe d’Huez, for example if you have a mixed group with older children then Chalet L’Escapade (sleeps up to 68 people) is ideal for families, there are several rooms offering half price places for children all season. The Chalet L’Escapade benefits from great facilities and a superb location, you can ski-in ski-out onto an easy green piste. Whilst all the rooms are compact they enjoy en-suite facilities and many are south facing with balconies overlooking the piste and the chairlift. Guests enjoy the luxury of an outdoor hot tub, sauna, steam room and exercise area which are free for guests to help ease muscles at the end of a great day’s skiing. Round off the perfect day with an aperitif in the bar before your meal.

The recently built chalets La Chapelle ( sleeps 14) , La Ferme (sleeps 10), La Maison (sleeps 8), Le Chateau (sleeps 14-15), Le Manoir (sleeps 12) are all luxury chalets with the piste running past the front of them, linking the Rond Point des Pistes with lower Les Bergers area. For an all-inclusive family holiday there is the Hotel Club Med Alpe d Huez La Sarenne situated just below the Les Bergers centre.

Our chosen family ski chalet – Chalet Louisa

We stayed in Chalet Louisa, a great chalet. Apart from the obvious benefit of being ski-in ski-out, it has a very spacious living and dining area with south-facing balcony which is great for enjoying a beer at the end of the day swapping ski stories. A word of advice though; if there are wooden balconies, either pack slippers for the kids or a pair of old socks as wooden balconies can lead to a lot of splinter picking if you have bare feet!

The excellent ski room on the ground floor has a very good ski rack and heated boot warmer plus plenty of benches for all to sit at while donning ski boots. If I was being picky, a few more hooks would have been useful for hanging ski jackets etc. The large hot tub and sauna are also on the ground floor a long with two bedrooms. Be aware that if you are a light sleeper you should not put yourself in the room near the hot tub as the heat regulator can make varied loud noises during the night! The alternative, or course, is to ask the chalet girls to turn the hot tub off as you go to bed, but you’d better remember to have it turned back on first thing in the morning or your other chalet mates may string you up after they’ve leapt into a bubbling cold tub!

Read More: See Part 2 of our family ski holiday blog which features useful tips for your family skiing holiday.

Rupert’s group stayed in the Chalet Louisa in Alpe d’Huez, which is available during the 2010-11 season from £499 per person including Gatwick flights. If you’d like more information on this or any of the other family chalets featured above then please drop us a line or call us for an in depth chat.