A Chalet Holiday after 20 years? I could be hooked…

So after owning an apartment in La Tania for nearly 20 years a group of mates decide they want to go on a Chalet Holiday…

There was even the risk it may not have been to La Tania so I had to bite the bullet and get organising (and at least rent my place out while I went on “holiday” to La Tania).

I remember my first Chalet Holiday somewhere near Arabba on the Sella Ronda circuit in Italy, 8 twin rooms, one chalet girl, one bathroom and a 25 litre wine box – the classic “Chalet Wine”!

All were couples and no one knew anyone else, but as this was before mobile phones, tablets and social media, conversations used to happen, and yes we all probably did lie about what we did in the UK…

And my last Chalet Holiday was care of Icicles in La Tania, just opposite Hotel Telemark (half built and named Chalet du Sud back then). Ian and Ronnie weren’t the typical chalet hosts, they were semi-retired, most of their guests were (or became) friends and their son TC was our Ski Guide (it was allowed back then). They became a major part of the La Tania community for many years and are now fully retired to the South of France.

So after all this time in an apartment how would I cope with my preconceptions of what I thought would be fixed meal times, limited choices, bossy & uninterested staff, more rules, restrictions and the inevitable discussion about cost?

I have to admit I was very wrong – the whole holiday was first class, a fantastic chalet, the customer really was put first, the staff couldn’t be more attentive & flexible, and the food was amazing.

When you consider the quality cooked breakfast, Nespresso, beers & specially selected wines on tap, the afternoon tea & home made cakes, the canapés and nibbles, a quality 3 course dinner then cheese & biscuits and a bottle of Port each night, it actually is very good value.

The pre-holiday Concierge service blew me away with the way things can be organised – the group leader no longer needs to chase money, sort out who’s having lessons, what passes are needed etc etc. All was done on-line and in a controlled way, managed centrally with visibility to everyone so we all knew what was going on.

Then on arrival we were told – “this is your place for the next week, we’re just here to help you enjoy your holiday” – and they did. Richard, our extremely talented, very entertaining chef from Oldham and the lovely Anna from Poland looked after us very well, making me realise the importance of good staff – they make or break everyone’s holiday.

So 20 years on we had boot warmers, a heated ski room, in-resort drivers (they even picked us up from a Peupliers Vin Chaud Après session in Le Praz), an outdoor hot tub of course, dressing gowns and slippers, designer toiletries, decent WiFi, UK TV and even a selection of mobile phone chargers in your room in case you’d forgotten yours!

So yes, we didn’t make it down to the Ski Lodge every night after dinner – but we did make up for it at Après Ski, and the staff were very flexible about dinner times and what we wanted – we even had a curry night on my Birthday which was perfect.

Sitting down to dinner with a group of your best friends and then lazing in front of a log fire with a few drinks really is a great way to finish a day’s skiing.

How do I persuade my wife to stay in the apartment for a week now?

We were guests of Alpine Escape in January 2018.
Many thanks to Jo & Neil, Scott, Richard, Anna and all their excellent staff.