Latest posts for the topic "Back from Les Carroz - report"

Back from Les Carroz - report

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:49:48 GMT

Hi everyone. Got back from Les Carroz last night. Quick summary of our experience.
Ski school: used Nouvelle Dimension. Had private lessons, 2 hours per day, family of 3 (youngster is 9). Instructor, Isabelle, was excellent. Spoke great English and was very friendly and relaxed.
Pistes: Although we parents never got off the green run :roll: I understand from other skiers that you can ski to Flaine and Samoens. There is a nursery slope in the village, but a better learners area at the top of the gondola.
Lifts: One gondola, numerous chairs, but still quite a few drags, especially for learners, and some drags had steep sections. One drag, behind our hotel, took off with a vicious lurch - I fell here twice. Queues mainly for learners who competed with ski schools for use of drags, but nothing too long as ski schools tended to come and go at different times.
Weather: we were lucky and had mostly blue skies and sunshine. Snow in village was melting fast, but still plenty at the top.
Scenery: stunning. Tree-lined pistes with mountains all around, including Mont Blanc in the distance. Village is very pretty and traditional savoyarde style.
Family-friendly: very. Mostly French families, a few Brits but virtually no other nationalities that I could detect.
Accommodation: Lots of self-catering apartments, few hotels. We stayed in one of the few hotels, half-board. Cost about 1,400 euros for the 3 of us. Friends stayed in an apartment, much cheaper, but a bit pokey.
Prices: It's a while since I went to France, so I was shocked at the prices - hot chocolate 3 or 4 Euros for a small cup. Could spend 35 Euros easily on snack lunch for the 3 of us.

That's it in a nutshell. Gotta go make dinner. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Allie

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:43:55 GMT

Thanks Allie,
I'm glad you're back, safe and sound :D

I'd like to know how much your ski lessons cost, please. And how much the apartments were, if you know.

It sounds a great place, apart from all the drag lifts.

Ally

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:17:58 GMT

Hi Allie
Glad you enjoyed your stay in Les Carroz, it is a gem, as a learner you may find a few drag lifts but in the main there are very few in comparison to other resorts. As you move off the learner slopes you will find the majority of lifts are chairs. Though there are a couple of long drags in Flaine.

As you say some of the apartments are pokey, you tend to get what you pay for and there are some beautiful apartments available for rent.

From Les Carroz you can ski to Samoens, Morillon, Flaine and Sixt none of the journeys are difficult so next time I'm sure you'll be able to progress from the greens.

Catherine

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:20:33 GMT

Ally, the apartment was just over GBP400 for the week I think (if I remember correctly what our friends said). It supposedly sleeps 5 but in fact there was 1 small double bedroom, a double sofabed in the kitchen/diner/living room and a mezzanine with a single bed but the ceiling was so low that it would only suit a child. I believe that's standard for France. Someone told me it is better to calculate the number of bedrooms you need, rather than going by the number of people that the apartment supposedly sleeps. So for our family of 3, I'd want 2 bedrooms, even though an apartment that size would supposedly sleep 6! Of course, the price goes up correspondingly...

The ski lessons cost 72 Euros for 2 hours, which I believe is for up to a maximum of 4 people. You could also just have 1 hour for 36 Euros.

I forgot to say that we saved a fortune on the lift pass. There's a beginners pass which is valid for 2 return trips on the gondola per day and unlimited use of a couple of drags at the top. That cost 43Euros per day (15 E each per adult and 13 E for the child).

The drag lifts (2) on the nursery slope in the village are free, but are really only good for complete beginners.

I loved Les Carroz and would definitely go back some day.

Allie

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:25:49 GMT

Thanks very much Allie, that was exactly what I wanted to know :thumbup:

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:29:18 GMT

I have some fantastic memories of the area glad you enjoyed it 8)

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:43:27 GMT

As I haven't been this season - yet - I haven't got anything to report - but as I've mentioned once or twice ) we're off to Samoens on 4th April. Les Carroz is one of my favorite ski areas because of the runs in the trees. We avoid eating at the restaurant at the top of the Les Carroz gondola though, as we got stung for a fortune for some baguettes and chips a few years ago.

Glad you had a good time.

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:23:11 GMT

glad you had a great time Allie, great report

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:31:18 GMT

Forgot to add that we were also stung by the prices in the restaurant by the gondola! Having said that, we found a great big room set aside just for picnics. It's sort of in the gondola station, but separate, and has loads of tables and chairs. I think it's mostly for school groups, but everyone was using it. I don't know if that's a common feature in French resorts, but I thought it was a great idea.

Allie

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:00:24 GMT

Allie, many resorts have Hors-Sac rooms, where you can picnic. Some have hot/cold drinks machines too.

If you go back, there is a really long green run from the plateau, down to Morillon. From memory, I think it's called Marvel, and runs to Morrillon 1100. You get the lift back up to the plateau.

Re:Back from Les Carroz - report

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:15:45 GMT

Thanks bandit. I brought a piste map back, so I'll have a look at that. :)