Have booked next year's trip

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Off to Plan Peisey with Esprit in January. Am very excited.

Anyone else booked anywhere yet?

[elastamum]

going to Tignes, easyjet, rental car and then an apartment. Very good value for 1/2 term

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Have you been to Tignes before? I went a few years ago and it was nice. Never been to Plan Peisey before, although have been to Montchavin over the valley and they now have the connecting cable car so you can ski either side.

[KATGOD]

yes have booked obergurgl with esprit - was feeling sick as started at top of message board but worked down and worked out that as usual the people with bad experiences, quite naturally, let everyone know and that if you hunt you find the quiet " we had a good holiday" messages> staying in hotel not chalet. have previously done chalet where we all took turns to look after each others kids, chalet with hired nannies and now progressed to esprit. really hope it works. plan to do spritlets and nursery (4 and 1 year olds) half ish days, and do some other stuff in the mornings. also i need some lessons, technique rubbish now.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Katgod - this will be our 5th trip with Esprit, yes we've had some minor grumbles on most of the trips but not enough to stop us going back. I think you get what you pay for and they are cheaper than Mark Warner so the food probably isn't as good, etc (but still better than my cooking)

[KATGOD]

That's fine by me - we were in a "gourmet" chalet from a small operater last year and while the food was fine, it was certainly not gourmet at all. Looking forward to soem nice heavy austrian hotel grub with plenty of cheese.
Don't think have ever had a holiday without soem minor niggle or another. Just looking forward to snow. last year we were too low (morzine) and it wasn't really right for the kids being stuck indoors in th rain.

[kookaburra]

We have booked courchevel for feb with Crystal on the recomendation of a mumsnetter. Am very excited because use dot go to courchevel pre-kids and was saving it till the boys were big enough to appreciate. if they had no outgrown espirt we would book again with them.

[LizP]

We have booked Big White and Sunshine in Canada for Easter. ds3 will have his first time on skis.

[Anteater]

we booked the next years trip as we left the hotel, same rooms even! (old before my time?)

[kookaburra]

No - AE you are very wise - sorted - done!!!

[Anteater]

with 3 young children the logistics are so much easier when you know where everything is! (doctors etc)

Saying that I am having a bonus ski trip with some old mates in Janurary as well

[LIZS]

We used to do that too Anteater, meant we got the adjoining family rooms. Now it is all organised for us 18 months ahead

[crunchie]

I have just found this thread stripy and we nearly booked there!!!

We went to Montchavin last year and LOVED it. Just booked TODAY for Si esprit in Meribel

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Meribel was my first choice but friends wanted Plan Peisey more and I don't really mind. The new place at Meribel does look nice though. Please, please come on here and tell me what it was like when you get back 'cos I'd be interested for 2009!

[crunchie]

We liked the look of Plan Pleisy, but they were doing a fab deal on Meribel for 20th Jan that we couldn't resist. So we just booked it straight away!!! TBH IIRC last year when we booked quite late in the day we paid about £200 less, but we were at the bottom of a mountain. The Mereibel place is on teh slopes, with the posher menu etc and even steam room/hot tub!!!

[WendyWeber]

DS1 and DD2 are applying for jobs with Esprit next season (as chalet/hotel assistants) - from all your experiences will they enjoy it? (They are not skiers now but presumably will be by the end of the season)(If employed )

[crunchie]

they do have to work really hard, I know a lot of kids quit early in the season. However They can have a lot of fun and get great at ski-ing. It is NOT an easy job IMHO.

[LIZS]

Think another Mnetter's ds had a job with them either last season or one before - and left pretty prompto in disgust. Might have been Alibubbles ? They will get less "time off" to ski etc than they anticipate and be boarded in pretty cr&p accommodation.

[WendyWeber]

Thanks, crunchie

They're prepared for the hard work (well they think they are!) At the open interview day they were told quite a bit about it - early starts and late finishes with some time off in the afternoon. They have proper individual interviews on Thursday in Manchester, I'll encourage them to ask for a warts-and-all description.

DD2 would prefer to go with Total but I think DS1 will go with Esprit - he is good with children.

[LIZS]

see here

[WendyWeber]

Thanks, Liz - luckily DD2 has been in student houses in Manc for the last 12 months so she knows all about crap accommodation!

Somebody DS1 knows has done it with a different company, and he told DS1 that he knew some Esprit people and thought Esprit was a much better company to work for.

[LIZS]

Think they are all put under pressure to keep costs down though, but as long as they go into it eyes wide open ...

[WendyWeber]

Oh, I hadn't seen your link when I posted that. .

However I have gathered that alibubbles has an immaculate house, and her children went to independent schools; we are a bit slobbier here, so home-from-home maybe!

[LIZS]

lol Most Esprit "customers" will be from independent schools/private nurseries !

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

[WendyWeber]

YG, have a look at the link Liz posted for me - lots of comments, about several different ski companies - they mostly think the childcare is excellent whoever you go with (apart from the alleged lost child referred to a couple of times!)

The thing is that the general help need no specific qualifications, apart from ideally some customer service experience and an outgoing personality; the childcare people have to have proper qualifications so should be good.