Testimonials

Just got back from Chalet Muscat where I spent half term with my 8 year old son. Two other amazing families shared the chalet with us and the break ended up being so much more than expected mainly due to the two chalet hosts Mo & Hugo. I do agree with another reviewer – the chalet needs updating but I’m still going to rate it with 5 stars because the hosts made up for it in spades. Don’t think I’ve ever experienced two lads with as much patience, amiability, professionalism, intelligence and articulation. They handled the demands of 5 young boys under the age of 8 with complete ease. My son got upset when we had to leave them! Nothing was ever too much trouble and most importantly they were magnificent fun. Haven’t laughed like that in quite a while so it’s a great big “thanks” from us. VIP SKI are very lucky to have them. xx

This was our second year at Hotel Montjola. The formula of a chalet hotel works well. Hotel Montjola is sufficiently close to the centre of town to be convenient yet far enough away to be quiet in the evenings. The bus service from airport to hotel and the shuttle service are excellent as are the little extras like being able to leave skis and boots at Intersport and it is these things which make the whole package attractive. Rooms are good to adequate and well looked after. Food was good - better than last year and afternoon tea was a highlight each day. Delicious cakes and plentiful. Staff were a little mixed and some of the dining room staff in particular did not really seem to be enjoying themselves. A few things suggested that they were not really focused on an outstanding experience. For example our table was in two parts but the parts were of different heights which made for an odd dining experience. The table cloth at one end was rumpled, grubby and torn but was not changed for 2 or 3 days. It was surprising that no one manned the bar in the evenings though someone would come when we rang the bell. I appreciate that these are minor points but they create an impression of 3* not 5* service. Finally re the dining room, on a number of occasions we took our seats at dinner at the allotted time - as instructed - but had to wait 30 minutes for our starters to arrive. A suggestion for the future. House wine is served during dinner but the same wines are always on offer, regardless of the food. This isn't always suitable and the wine gets very repetitive in the course of a week's stay. Perhaps as an alternative more could be done to encourage wine to be bought at the bar and taken through to dinner - perhaps guests could even be given a small discount / allowance against the cost of these wines in exchange for not drinking the 'free' house wines. This may be impractical - either commercially or logistically - but may be worth a thought. All in all we enjoyed our stay and wish you all well for the rest of the season. If this review is published, please provide my initials only, not full name.

I have been on many chalet holidays with VIP Ski (and before that Snowline) and the Dakota Lodge is by far the worst accommodation that I have experienced. My 15 year old son and I stayed in Room 1 a twin room with just enough room to get two single beds in. I think the room must have previously experienced a flood because the carpet was spoiled and the room smelt very stale and dank. Half the light bulbs in the room did not work making the room very gloomy. in fact the whole chalet was very poorly lit and gloomy. VIP describe the chalet as cosy which must mean claustrophobic and dingy. Kate Ashton says the Dakota Chalet has everything she wants from a chalet...which can't be very much and surely she has never been charged over £4k for one weeks stay in a dingy smelly room. Despite the poor quality of the accommodation the saving grace for the chalet was the excellent hosts Catherine and Adam. The hospitality was first class, nothing was too much trouble for them and the catering was excellent. If I was rating the staff I would give five stars but the accommodation would only get one star, hence an overall rating of three stars. I have recommended VIP to friends many times and would do again (but not the Dakota Lodge). I probably would use VIP again as long as you don't let Kate Ashton do the write up of the premises.

Thank you for your honesty and for your custom over the last 7 years. We are extremely sorry that you found our service lacking in many respects on this occasion and apologise unreservedly. We have spoken and written personally outside of this posting and hope to welcome you back next year so that we can prove to you that this was an isolated experience and that you can, once again, value us as a ‘great company’ and also continue to trust us to take care of your winter ski holidays. Pip Brockman. Operations Director

We had a wonderful week. Every aspect was near perfection. Sun and great snow all week. Staff were so friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Our room was very nice and kept super clean despite our son's best efforts. We did the guiding all 3 days and Jonny and Cosmo customised the time too suit us all. We got to know many of the other guests, which is unusual in a hotel arrangement.

Faultless week in Aspen Lodge made all the better by Molly our chalet host who made us feel so comfortable we didn’t want to leave! Chalet ideal for 8 people. After some great days on the slopes it was perfect to come back to our lovely chalet where Molly had prepared a delicious cake (different every day) and laid out afternoon tea before preparing our delicious dinner. VIP is a great concept that lets the whole family relax and enjoy the week without a care.