Day 1 - Wow! This is what a skiing holiday is all about! I've been to quite a few ski resorts and only 3hrs in and this is my favourite! After having my bags taken to my room, I have had what I can only describe as an 'amazing' buffet lunch I have honestly never seen so much choice! Think 4*plus beach hotel dining only with a better view! Even my fussy 6 yr old couldn't complain with a separate area for children's food. I then headed off to find my room and must have looked bewildered as a member of staff came over and helped me find the lift and took me all the way to the room and even showed me how to use the room key - that's service for you!
The room is perfect! For two or a family as the sofa bed area is sectioned off with a partition you can have open or closed, and it's not often you get a balcony with mountain views you can look out on.
I am off for a resort tour soon with so more to see including the spa and the pool! I am rapidly falling in love with Peisey Valladry! More to come tomorrow when I hit the slopes, so be prepared for photos of the breath-taking views and obligatory ski selfie!
Day 2 This is the day I've been waiting for.... up on the slopes! I went and collected my ski gear from my own locker (which is the same as your room number & has boot warmers, by the way!) grabbed my skis and walked out the door, and the best bit was I was straight on the snow, the main lift was directly in front of me so I was ready to go! The main lift takes everyone up the mountain, and back down if you don't want to ski down. beginners, intermediates and experts all head up for their lessons put on by club Med and the instructors are so friendly, and patient! A couple in our group were complete beginners and by 12.30 were confidently skiing on the nursery slopes. Myself and another fellow agent headed for the red runs and found some excellent ones, some easier reds and some steeper ones which was perfect.
I've had an amazing morning skiing the highlights (besides the scenery) were, Club Med offering me my own personal guide to show me the runs around the mountain and that on my way down from the mountain I was met by the Club Med staff serving wine and canopies at the bottom of the lift!
Not to make you all jealous but I ended the morning with a 3 course lunch and will have a little swim in the indoor (and outdoor!) pool! Tomorrow I am snow shoe trekking to Les Arcs... wish me luck!
Day 3
This morning we left Peisey Vallandry and snow shoe hiked across to Les Arcs, with some spectacular views over the mountains, it took about an hour and then we boarded the telecabin to head up to the top of the mountain. Once at the top we carried on our snow shoe hike which gave us fantastic views of the valley and our guide showed us the other resorts that share the same valley, Meribel, Val Thorens and Tignes. After the snow shoe hike we were rewarded with lunch in the mountains before we headed down to check into the club Med hotel. You can really see a different resort in Les Arcs, it has a much bigger ski area and in turn is busier and has more of a village feel to it. Hot chocolate on tap (and I literally mean on tap as you could just help yourself) was exactly what I needed upon arrival and I am looking forward to afternoon tea and cocktails later. I have never experienced an all inclusive ski holiday and I can honestly say it's brilliant! Club Med way really is the best way! As an adults only hotel here I am looking forward to seeing how different it is to Peisey Vallandry which was very family oriented. I am really getting to know the Club Med way of doing things and have to admit it seems to work very well! Resort tour tomorrow morning, so watch this space!
Day 4
Well Les Arcs definitely has a different feel to it, being adults only it is a little more lively than Peisey with a larger ski area although it actually possible to ski this area from Peisey. Les Arcs Extreme is classed as a 3 trident hotel and Peisey is a 4 trident, the main differences I can see from my experience are that rooms have a more functional feel to them, still nice but a little smaller which is fine because the majority of people here are here to ski and the rooms are a very small part of the holiday. In Peisey there were a lot more families and also non skiers so there was more to do besides skiing, such as the swimming pool, sauna and spa, aside from that the differences are minimal. The food is just as good, with excellent variety and service. I honestly couldn’t eat another thing! The all inclusive here is amazing and as a skier I am definitely a convert! With a coke 3 euros and a beer 5 euros, a bowl of chips is 8 euros lunch alone can cost you around 20 euros a person a day. Club Med gives you breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, ALL drinks (including hot chocolate on tap, and even snacks laid out on your arrival back from the slopes! The savings are immense and after talking to many Club Med clients over here they all say the same, “try it once and you never ski with anyone else”!
