Shoestring skiing

Victoria, our admin manager, heads to the hills on a budget.

As usual for me I needed to organise last winter’s ski holiday on a budget.  I do this because I try to get as many holidays out of my spare cash as possible rather than one big one! 

Left me more to spend on looking the part!

I chose Les Deux Alpes as I’d heard rave reviews about the skiing and night life and I also knew I could organise really cheap flights with Ryanair from Stansted to Grenoble, which would give an easy transfer at either end.  I also chose to go in March to avoid the school holiday prices and busy slopes.

So we got the local bus to the airport early Saturday morning and when we arrived in Grenoble we transferred to the resort with Ben’s Bus, which is a low cost ski transfer company.  The buses ran according to the flight arrivals and departures so it was easy to hop on the bus at either end without worrying about timing.  It cost approximately £43.50 per person return, which is a bargain compared to car hire or private taxi transfers.

 I booked a cheap self catering studio apartment close to the Diable cable car with an accommodation supplier we work with at Erna Low.  My view was that as long as it was clean and tidy it wouldn’t matter if it was small and when we got there we were pleasantly surprised.  We had a lovely kitchen area, balcony and the sofa bed didn’t take up all the living space.

Our Skiset ski hire shop was located just around the corner and we picked up our lift passes when we picked up our accommodation keys.  It was all very easy.

We went shopping at the local supermarket to buy our food for the week which was where we were in for a shock.  Due to the change in the exchange rate everything was so expensive and we knew then we wouldn’t be able to afford much, but we managed somehow!  So each morning we had porridge to last us as long as possible and we took energy bars up the mountain to try to avoid snacking on food up there where the prices were even more extravagant.  We even came back down to the apartment at lunchtime as we were completely gobsmacked by the prices up the mountain!  This worked easily for us as we were only about 50-100m walk from the cable car.  Then we headed back up the mountain afterwards.

In the evenings we scouted the happy hours and found two great bars which had bargain pints on offer, the Polar Bar and The Secret, so we even managed to enjoy après ski on a budget!

For dinner we tended to cook up something in the apartment to save on the cash, but we also ventured out to sample a couple of the local restaurants.

All in all it was a fun, energetic and bargainous holiday!  As it was a while ago I can’t remember the exact total cost but I vaguely remember it costing no more than £500 per person, including spending money for the week.  That’s not bad for a ski holiday!

Victoria Lincoln, Administration Manager, Erna Low

There’s something about Serre Che…

THE ERNA LOW TEAM HIT SERRE CHEVALIER – January 2009

Bags were packed, excitement was high and an escape from the office was imminent. The Erna Low team were heading off to explore Serre Chevalier for the weekend in order to find out the answer to the question ‘Why send our clients to Serre Chevalier?’ 

Ten volunteers had signed up to test out the brand new 4* Best Western Premier Chantemerle before its official opening (1st February 2009) and to explore the Serre Che ski area all in the name of research and high level commitment to customer service. And to have fun of course!

Flying from Gatwick to Lyon, the team transferred to resort (3 hours) by mini bus shuttle organised by Peace of Mind Holidays, an agency who offer help with travel and activities during your stay in Serre Che.  Having arrived at the Best Western Premier Chantemerle, we found our accommodation to be excellent – the residence offers 51 apartments in total, ranging from 1-3 bedrooms, decorated in a contemporary style and fully equipped for those wanting to self-cater with kitchenettes and offering spacious and comfortable living areas. All apartments offer balconies with views across to the ski area. We were soon ensconced in extremely comfortable beds and looking forward to the weekend ahead.

Before heading to breakfast, we were accompanied by Claire Lacassagne, Sales and Marketing Director for SPACE Group(the company that developed the Best Western Premier Chantemerle) for a tour of the additional facilities offered at the residence – a gourmet restaurant and bar and a ‘spa’ centre including indoor/outdoor heated pool. Guests are able to book on a B&B basis or eat in the innovative restaurant and/or indeed take away dishes should they not wish to self-cater. Being so centrally located, it was then only a 5 minute walk from the residence to the foot of the slopes and chair lifts.

The team enjoying lunch on the mountain

After kitting ourselves out at the local Skiset shop, we joined our guides from Peace of Mind Holidays (aka POM) and on slightly wobbly legs headed off in the sunshine up the first chair lift. The ski area looked vast and we were informed that there were 4 different areas, all of which we would be covering. Having split into two groups – one for the more adventurous who were off to find fast runs and off piste and one group for those who preferred to cruise the blue and red runs – the answer to our principal question was soon becoming apparent. The ski area in Serre Chevalier is vast and varied. With over 250km of piste and skiing up to 2800m, there is something for everyone and more than enough to keep you going for a week’s holiday. With tree-lined pistes, great panoramas, board parks and boarder cross, the ski area also provides plenty of entertainment – try the Smurf Village (a short off-piste run of huge ‘blobs’ of snow) for a giggle! Mountains restaurants were also excellent providing a good choice of food for a pretty reasonable price.

In the evening we headed to the UNESCO heritage town of Briancon and visited the medieval cité where Spirit bar provided welcome refreshment. Being made up of a series of historical French towns, Serre Chevalier also caters well for those with non-skiers in their group. An excellent dinner was had back in Chantemerle and then, although nightlife is limited, we found a small cosy bar offering great mojitos and wiled a few hours away!

After another excellent fun-packed day on the slopes, this time will fresh snow falling, we headed back to the UK from Grenoble airport, just 2 hrs from Serre Che.  Overall, the weekend was a resounding success and certainly proved to our team that Serre Che is a great destination for UK clients offering excellent skiing for all levels, a wide range of accommodation including the latest in Alpine luxury such as the Best Western Premier Chantemerle.

Visit www.ernalow.co.uk for a full range of fantastic ski holidays available to Serre Chevalier!