Catered chalets - feedback please!

Iceman wrote:Oh no School dinner style :shock:

You are not selling it very well to me.

I suppose sitting here now in UK in boxers thinking about it will be a but different compared to the glow I have after a days skiing. Stop being Grumpy Icy!

At ours we were shown to our table on our first night and told this is our spot for the week.

Icy, maybe you're just a little shy about sharing meal times with strangers?

So, from experience:

Catered chalets - all British guests as it will be operated by one company only. One dining area for all guests, possibly split into 2 tables for larger chalets. You'll be given somewhere to sit first meal and thats you for the week. No harm in moving seats round the table but someone is likely to be miffed about this I'd imagine.

Standard hotels - could be a mix of nationalities as the tour op usually only rents a certain number of rooms per property. Dining will be undertaken at a table to suit the party size, so if its 2 of you you'll be on your own all week.

Catered chalet hotels - similar to the catered chalet, but the restaurant will be made up of a number of larger tables on which you'll be given spaces. In St Anton we had a table for 12 which was our group only. In ADH when 4 of us travelled we were put onto a larger table for 14 and you get the chance to meet new people and talk about skiing. Yes you could strike it lucky and meet similar minded people, but life is a rich tapestry old pal and its all about learning to mix with all sorts. You could get really unlucky and end up with a group of lads from Leeds who turn up leathered each meal time, or alternatively you might end up with Tarquin and Geomima who think you're a peasant yourself and won't want to speak to you. I think this is the importance of choosing the right accommodation in the right resort with the right company.

Personal experience has taught me not to book where Esprit Ski operate again as they seem to be a more snobbish type of clientelle and there is a high chance there will be young children breaking the peace at meal times. Not for me, thanks, although their properties and staff are excellent, as was the food.

I'd also think twice about using a Rocket Ski chalet hotel as you get what you pay for. Cheap and cheerful, low quality food, and more often than not one or more large school trips in the accommodation. But for £350 for a week catered and travel, could you put up with that?????


Me - I usually look for catered chalets first, chalet hotels next and then look at the half board options. Find a good deal, and if the foods not great you can still eat out a few nights. Self catering on a ski holiday for us is a total no-no. You go away to sample the local cuisine and get out and about, and you can end up meeting some really nice people when "forced" to mix. I'd hate having to cook my own food or be shacked up in a block of apartments or in a shoebox of a room. I'm sure there are other alternatives for the s/c options, but thats my experience of doing it previously and its the impression you get looking at the brochures as well.

Its totally an individual thing though, but don't knock it til you've tried it. You will find some of the best priced all round packages are catered. Expect to pay £500+ for a week out of peak time for flights, transfers and the weeks catered accommodation. Its up to you to find the one that does it for you.

Every-body has their own preference on styles of holidays. For me whilst I see now that a catered chalet is by far the best deal it is a holiday I could never go for. It would be my worst nightmare. By giving my reasons for this it may sound as if we are really antisocial which we are not but just really value our own space.
None of our family or friends ski or would ever consider a winter holiday so sharing a chalet with them is out of the question. I work long hours and am in constant demand, my brain has to be tip top all the time. I could easily harm some-one if not, I am quizzed all day, in person, on the phone, management and a whole host of staff all day every day. I need my holidays for a bit of piece and quiet. My Hubby and I always regard our holidays either Summer or Winter as quality time to-gether to do or say exactly what we want, without other people around. I have loved full board winter holidays, the food has been great, the dining table is just for us. But its nice to go to the hotel bar and have a chat with other guests about the days activities, but thats as far as it goes. I have also had SC winter holidays in a log cabin completely on our own but go out to eat at night. Again love to chat to the locals over a drink.
So thats my take on catered chalets, but never having done it I may be wrong but feel its just not right for us.

Thanks for all the feedback. As you will see from another thread, we've opted for the catered chalet route. I look forward to dining like a king...

bedrock barney wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. As you will see from another thread, we've opted for the catered chalet route. I look forward to dining like a king...

I've had a whole range of food in catered chalets and chalet hotels ranging pretty terible to downright extraordinary but ........

Never felt the need to employ a food taster.

:roll:

bedrock barney wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. As you will see from another thread, we've opted for the catered chalet route. I look forward to dining like a king...

:shock: What if all those smelly people nobody wants to ride in a telecabine with are in your chalet?

Fair point, Tony_H does chalets....

We are all doooooommeeed!!! :twisted: ;)

Iceman wrote:Fair point, Tony_H does chalets....

We are all doooooommeeed!!! :twisted: ;)

You'd never have a dull week with me Icy