There’s nothing like a white Christmas! Before I start about that, let me tell you that I was all pumped up for snow, Christmas music and of course skiing.
I was coming from my trips to London and Paris where I had already started to get in the Christmas spirit. To get to Courchevel, I boarded a TGV Lyria train from the Gare de Lyon in Paris. I could have taken Easy Jet, gotten there faster and probably paid less, as I don’t get to ride a train often, I opted for a First Class seat at 161 euros ($210). I was expecting more a more luxurious cabin, but was disappointed when I got to my seat only to find I was sitting across from a young family with 2 small and very fidgeting kids. Even tough I tried to let the sounds of the rails lull me into a restful state, it was not to be as the kids did their very best to keep me awake. You know how loud kids tend to talk anyway? Well imagine how loud they are when they’re both wearing headsets, watching something on an iPad and STILL trying to speak to their parents. If it wasn’t the kids yelling, it was the constant and unheeded SHHHHHH from the parents. Well enough about that.
Overall the ride was pretty good. The train services in France are fairly well run, when they’re not on strike. Always check before booking your trip. Being a high-speed train it was a very smooth and mostly pleasurable ride. I love looking at the window as we pass miles of farm land only briefly interrupted by a small village. The French countryside is spectacular! The last 45 minutes was winding past the small town of Port, passing along the shore of Lac du Nantua with one quick stop in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, before finally rolling into the Gare Cornavin, Geneva’s main train station.
From there I boarded a private van for what should have been a 2 hour 13 minute drive to Courchevel 1850. Due to traffic and other unforeseen issues, it took nearly 3 1/2 hours. Oh well I was going to Courchevel for Christmas, so who can complain?
Courchevel is the largest linked ski area in the World. The main commune is Saint-Bon-Tarentaise, then there’s Praz (sometimes referred to as Courchevel 1300), Courchevel 1550, 1650 and 1850. The numbers are actually the height above sea level in meters.
It was dark when we arrived at the Mercure Hotel, a member of the Accor Hotels chain, located at 1850 Quartier Du Jardin Alpin. Normally I don’t stay at a 3 star hotel, especially when someone else is paying, but being ski season the prices were unrealistic.
All in all the hotel was clean with excellent staff and service. Our rooms included breakfast and a choice of lunch or dinner each day. The vin chaud was excellent even if it was 7 euros ($9.15) a cup! The food in the restaurant was at best fair. When will someone teach the French how to cook things completely? The scrambled eggs were soupy, the bacon almost raw and when I ordered some fried eggs “over medium”, they still came out with the white…well not white, but clear. At least they tried. One night we had fondue. Now although I like bread and cheese, I don’t think I could make a whole meal out of it. After that I just wanted to sleep!
One thing I wasn’t particularly happy about is the huge amount of kids. If they weren’t running from one end of the hall to the other, or stomping around in their ski boots, they were yelling in the rooms. With paper thin walls, it was like they were in our room. Oh well who can complain? I was in Courchevel for Christmas!
The view from our room was stunning! We overlooked the lake, albeit frozen and directly at several ski runs. It was a ski-in/ski-out hotel too. Downstairs was an equipment room where you can store your skis, boots and poles. The hotel is conveniently located within 100′ of the Jardin Alpin Gondola, or egg as they call it. The egg is free to take down to the village, but you either need a ski pass to come back up or you can take the hotel’s free shuttle.
Now let’s talk skiing.
In the US, I’ve skied in California, Nevada, Colorado and Tennessee. In Europe I’ve only skied in Chamonix, but I have to say…this was some of the best skiing I’ve ever experienced. Is it worth the price? Probably not, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop for a day or two.
Side Note: A cheeseburger on the slopes costs 38 euros ($50)! Not a place to bring a family on a budget.
The prettiest ski day was December 24 when the sun was shining and it was 8 C (46F), but it the snow was slushy. I preferred colder days even though they were overcast because the snow was fresh powder.
In Courchevel you can ski right past the airport. We stopped and had lunch at the restaurant overlooking the airport. It was a blast to watch planes taking off and landing. If you’ve never done so, I suggest you look on Youtube and watch it. What a crazy sight!
Christmas eve was great! Were down in 1850 looking around and the place was packed. On the base of the slopes people gathered to await Pere Noel (Father Christmas or Santa Claus as we say). As the music rang out, the ski instructors came skiing down with torches lit. Behind them on the Snow-Cat was the old man himself. Just as he arrived there was a spectacular fireworks show. Man what a show it was! Well having skied all day, we were tired so we retired to our room for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s Christmas Day!
Well Christmas came and went with a good afternoon of skiing, followed by an evening of caroling in the hotel lobby, vin chaud by the fire.
Tomorrow it airline home and back to work. Overall I would have to say, although I didn’t have all my family with me, I did have the one I love and it was the best Christmas in a very long time.
Pingback: Anonymous