Testimonials

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Great holiday with Royal Thames group. VIP ski leaders were excellent. very caring, attentive staff.

Excellent in every way. Well organised from start to finish (booking, transfer, the giving of information). Great chalet -extremely comfortable. Brilliant hosts ( Matt and Amber) and great food. Super holiday -Thank You.

We stayed in the Maple chalet of Aspen Lodge in the last week of February 2015. I have to admit we set a few challenges for the VIP team from Day One in Maple Lodge. And I was heartily impressed by the results. 1. Two birthdays in our group over the week. We were treated to champagne, balloons, cake and candles by our spectacularly good chalet host, Molly. On top of that, Molly happily pandered to our favourite foods (like a French Toast breakfast for me). It made us feel really special. 2. One of our group broke their wrist (one hour into their first ever snowboarding lesson - legend). Kat, one of the senior managers, made a point of following up to ensure that we had the right flight and insurance documentation from the hospital- which we didn’t- and she was brilliant at collecting this all for us. 3. Some of our group’s bags went missing at Geneva airport on arrival (we travelled with Swiss Air). This meant one of our group had no ski boots or warm ski clothes whatsoever. VIP really came to the rescue here. They chased the airport repeatedly on our behalf. And whilst we were waiting, managed to source a full set of ski clothes and ski boot rental so our friend wouldn’t miss out at all whilst the bags were found. Kat even redirected calls overnight in case the airport courier arrived at stupid-o’clock, to make sure we got the bags as soon as possible. 4. We even got a call from Fiona in Concierge once we’d returned to England to say that a credit card that we thought had been lost had been found and would we like it shipped back to the UK. THE PEOPLE I’m sometimes a little skeptical about reviews that name drop the whole way through, but we encountered such a wide range of quality, helpful, friendly staff that I’m going to do it anyway. We had a lot of interaction with the VIP team – in part because of the events above, but also because there was always someone around the lodge happy to ask about your day, discuss weather conditions and good routes and tips for the best Apres. Special shout-outs to the following: Kat, who was so willing to try and solve any big problems we had; Murray (Hot Tub Uni-Cycling impressario), who was consistently positive and always there when you needed him; Harry, Paddy and Fiona at Concierge, all ready with a smile and a cold drink after a long day. But top of the list was Molly, our chalet host. She was AMAZING. Molly was hugely warm, welcoming and endearing. She was always happy to change the menu to address our more fussy requests, joined in with our chats and lifted the spirits of the chalet when we were exhausted. The particular tastes and demands of our seasoned skiers did not phase her. Little touches like remembering who likes what, asking what we had been up to with a genuine interest and joining in our fun were really special. I especially recommend her Banana cake – muy bien Molly. She truly felt like the 9th chalet guest and she totally made our week. Especially when Otis the Ostrich joined us for morning drinks. VIP are VERY lucky to have her. THE CHALET Maple chalet was very clean and well maintained. I made a point of snooping around looking for faults but I honestly couldn’t find any (even the microwave looked as if it had been vacuumed). I’ve seen some comments about noise in Aspen Lodge. In Maple, it was completely silent. I couldn’t even hear the guests in other rooms, let alone outside noise. The chalet was very warm sometimes, but fortunately it was a simple matter of opening the balcony door to introduce some natural air-conditioning. There was a huge TV and good music system. Make sure you bring some tunes on your iPhone to play at dinner. Abba was very popular in our chalet. LOCATION The location is great for the town of Val d’Isere. Its slap-bang in the middle of the main street, and less than one minute from the Ski bus. Sadly, its not Ski-In, Ski-Out and is about 5-10 minutes stroll up a slight uphill to the piste, which takes a bit of getting used to at this altitude. On the plus side, it gets your heart pumping in the morning before Ski School. The ski hire shops are all relatively close by to Aspen. We got a great deal with Intersport Pitte on skis, boots and helmet hire for the week (three minutes walk from the lodge). About half the price of that recommended by VIP. I suggest you shop around using the power of Google. Just check it’s not too far to walk to collect on day one, as you stagger back with boots, ski’s, helmet, etc… Speaking of Ski School, we did three days with TDC. They were reasonably priced, and our instructor Giles was a real gent. We took the coach with VIP. It took c. 3 hours each way. A combination of snow, landslides and car crashes means you can’t guarantee a journey any quicker unless you have the spare cash for a helicopter! Here are a few other recommendations from me: 1. There are free drinks in the communal lounge from 8am to 8pm at Aspen Lodge – beer, wine, tea, coffee- plus Sky TV, pool table and comfy seats. There was always room to sit when we visited and it’s sometimes nice to meet some fellow lodgers. 2. There are three communal hot-tubs and at least one was always available. Pump up the heat, turn on the bubbles, get some (free) drinks in plastic from Concierge and relax. If you are looking for more fun, consider having a “snow-bath” on the terrace and then diving into a hot-tub. The hot/cold/hot feeling is a real treat. 3. If you can, try to book a complete chalet filled with your friends. You’ll see a few comments on Trip Advisor where people didn’t appreciate the behavior of fellow guests in a “split” chalet. The truth is that these chalets are quite intimate unless you want to stay in your bedroom. The living space is all open-plan and geared up to sociability. So either fill a chalet or accept that you may not all have the same attitude to an enjoyable week! 4. Book a restaurant on the Chalet Host day off (Wednesday I think) – otherwise they will all be full at 8pm. Your host will do this for you if you ask. We were recommended Restaurant du Grand Cocor, which was just a 5 minute walk from the chalet. A night to remember crammed with Snails, Frog’s Legs, Fondue, Raclette cheese and a Hot Stone for cooking meats. You should also check out the Creperie Au Grand Marnier – an encyclopedic selection of sweet crepes, and you get to pour on as much free Grand Marnier liqueur as your heart desires. 5. There’s an honesty bar/fridge in the chalets filled with coke, Evian, chocolate, beers, etc. all for 1 euro each, which seemed pretty reasonable. My tip is if you have a particular preference, let your chalet host know and they can top up the fridge. We added Red Bulls, Prosecco and Perrier to our fridge – it wasn’t a problem. Of course, all red and white wine served with dinner is free and free-flowing. 6. If you are keen on Apres, try CoCoRico on the piste between 5pm and 8pm. It was absolutely wild. We much preferred it to the slightly pretentious and aggressive feel of La Folie Douce. Overall, a wonderful trip, and a wonderful lodge.

Great service. Great food. Great skiing. A very professional setup.

We've had a great week. Our thanks go to Liam, whose time hosting us was curtailed through injury, and Ollie for stepping out of his skis to step in. The VIP website perhaps overplays the limitations of the Darbay, we found it perfect for 4 friends, but probably going to be tight for 6. Only real quibble is that the rooms are not en-suite, but not a drama. The bonus is a great location close to the Medran lift and even closer to the Mont Fort pub. Thanks to all for a great stay.

Another outstanding weeks skiing in Val d'isere made extra special by the most charismatic and attentive chalet host Jamie. What a star! Jamie - Great cooking, great company, fabulous evening meals and the best scrambled eggs! We'd take him home if we could! Highly recommended, comfortable chalet. An all round great experience in Petit Choucas. Big thanks to our chalet host Jamie....well done!