Hello - It's me again. At last!
It's been a tough few weeks but I've finally had a week with no guests! There's still work to be done but not the same intensity – it’s more straightening everything out that I've not had a chance to do and helping out in some of the other chalets. In fact I've actually got 2 weeks in a row with no guests so I'll have to practise looking busy so I don’t get roped into too much (although with a laptop, sky TV and a Nintendo Wii in the chalet that shouldn’t be too hard!). Hopefully I'll get a chance to shadow one of the chefs for a while to try and learn more about how they go about things. I was due to do that for a couple of days this week but a combination of some flooding issues in the chalet I was due to go to and the guests requesting curry, spag bol and steak have meant that it's not been ideal this week!
Everything went OK last week. It was tough having a chef in but he ate everything which is about all I can ask for with my lowly cooking abilities! A few nice compliments though so that was a good confidence boost. But lots of dietary requirements as well including no red meat, no fish and a surprise wheat-free guest which was all pretty challenging, Hopefully it doesn’t get any harder than that!! Although it did win me the weekly staff prize which is great. I get to go paragliding, which looks fabulous and is something I've been looking forward to trying. Apparently it's easier to do on skis as instead of the ungainly running to take off you just glide off the edge. Looks very odd to see people paragliding past the window with skis on though!
Very well timed for my extra day off was a nice dump of snow the other day. I've had to try and relearn skiing in powder as they didn’t bother pisting much on the first day. I’m getting there had forgotten how much it makes the legs hurt having to learn again! All this cooking, cleaning, running about and skiing doesn’t seem to have done as much for my fitness as I hoped. It might be the alcohol and diet of pain au chocolat, bread and cheese, but surely not!! There's a whole load more snow forecast for the end of the week too which should be good.
It’s been great to have Caryl (Rob’s cousin) and Bruce out here this week. (They managed to get a really good deal with TotalSki which seems to have been OK for anyone that’s interested). We've managed to drag them round a few pubs and out for a fondue which has been great. Although I've had a relatively easy week and Robs had no lessons so I'm not sure they believe how hard it's been so far as they've just seen us ski-bumming around on the slopes and in the pubs all week!
Rob’s had a quiet week which has been pretty good as he's not been feeling on top form and sounds a bit like Darth Vader at the moment! Hopefully things will pick up soon, but all the ski schools are really quiet at the moment so there isn’t much work to go round. Luckily Caryl and Bruce brought out a great bunch of DVDs which Rob looks in danger of getting through by the end of the week at this rate!
Right. Off to the pub!
Friday, 23 January 2009
The January slump...
I know it's been a while since our last updates, so apologies for those of you who have nothing better to do than to read updates about our lives in the snow! I would say that it is due to us having no time to do anything. But that would be lying. As Vicki said, the last two weeks have been dead in resort. So a serious lack of people wanting lessons has led to me not doing any work for almost two weeks now. But the weather gods have finally decided to play along and provided a good dump this week, with the weekend due for even more. Get in. So the next week being quite quiet as well should mean plenty of skiing in nice champagne powder - bring it on!
And hopefully by then, I will be sounding less like Darth Vader (thanks for that Vicki...!) and a bit more like my usual self. At least I have not had to drag myself to work feeling a bit pants. And somehow, going to the pub and up the mountain when you are not 100% is not such a chore! It is nothing more than a bit of a cold, but a few nights in very smoky bars probably hasn't helped much...
As Vicki mentioned, it has been really nice having people we know here in Verbier. It reminds us that real life is still going on somewhere out there, beyond the cable car... and the goody bag they brought with them from the place they call the "airport" was amazing! Drugs (the legal kind obviously...) DVDs and magazines galore mean an end to evenings filled with solitaire on the laptop, mixed in with a few games of minesweeper (I am getting ridiculously good at that though...). But the recent lack of work for either of us has meant that Vicki and I are spending considerably more time in pubs than we have all season. Which is nice. Although I had forgotten quite how bad hangovers can get, especially here at altitude (come on, I have to have an excuse for being in bed until 3pm!). But now I have reminded myself, I will obviously do the sensible thing and abstain. Well, maybe not altogether...
So as we wait with baited breath (or maybe that's just the beer monkey) for the arrival of the little darlings on their half term holidays, we can enjoy the copious amounts of snow currently falling from the sky, whilst sipping on a nice cool beer from the comfort of the pub. And to everyone reading this from your desks, just go and check out natives.co.uk and see for yourself just how easy it is to jack it all in and head out here for a few months. Go on, you know you want to!!
And hopefully by then, I will be sounding less like Darth Vader (thanks for that Vicki...!) and a bit more like my usual self. At least I have not had to drag myself to work feeling a bit pants. And somehow, going to the pub and up the mountain when you are not 100% is not such a chore! It is nothing more than a bit of a cold, but a few nights in very smoky bars probably hasn't helped much...
As Vicki mentioned, it has been really nice having people we know here in Verbier. It reminds us that real life is still going on somewhere out there, beyond the cable car... and the goody bag they brought with them from the place they call the "airport" was amazing! Drugs (the legal kind obviously...) DVDs and magazines galore mean an end to evenings filled with solitaire on the laptop, mixed in with a few games of minesweeper (I am getting ridiculously good at that though...). But the recent lack of work for either of us has meant that Vicki and I are spending considerably more time in pubs than we have all season. Which is nice. Although I had forgotten quite how bad hangovers can get, especially here at altitude (come on, I have to have an excuse for being in bed until 3pm!). But now I have reminded myself, I will obviously do the sensible thing and abstain. Well, maybe not altogether...
So as we wait with baited breath (or maybe that's just the beer monkey) for the arrival of the little darlings on their half term holidays, we can enjoy the copious amounts of snow currently falling from the sky, whilst sipping on a nice cool beer from the comfort of the pub. And to everyone reading this from your desks, just go and check out natives.co.uk and see for yourself just how easy it is to jack it all in and head out here for a few months. Go on, you know you want to!!
Friday, 9 January 2009
Routine sets in... and finally some hotel details!
It had to happen sooner or later, that Vicki and I feel like we are back in a routine. However, I will admit that mine may be somewhat more palatable than Vic’s. I get up around 8 and head up the mountain to take people skiing for the day. Vicki gets up at sometime before that (I am mostly asleep when all this goes on...) and heads up the steep hill to her chalet to prepare breakfast for when the guests deign to get up. Having cleared away breakfast and cleaned the chalet she then goes shopping (along with every other chalet company in Verbier, of which there are many) before making it back to the flat for some lunch. Once I stroll in about 4.30ish, Vicki is getting ready to go back up to start dinner in the chalet. While she is slaving away over a hot stove, I take a leisurely shower, go and wander round the shops wondering what to have for dinner, before going for a beer and a surf on the net in the bar downstairs. I then have to painstakingly prepare a gourmet dinner for Vicki for when she gets home anytime between 9 and 11, depending on her guests’ eating speed / chatting abilities.
But fear not, for it is not all doom and gloom, we do get to spend the odd day together. And by “odd” I mean just the one, on Wednesday this week. I managed to get a few days off after the hectic holiday season, so we were able to go skiing together (I took Vicki down previously unchartered territory for her – a very steep mogul hill!), have a beer in the afternoon followed by Vicki’s first ever Fondue Bourguignonne, a meat fondue where you cook chunks of chicken and beef in boiling stock at your table. Proper Swiss fare! We actually realised it was the first complete day we had spent together since the start of November!!! What – still no sympathy?? You lot really are heartless...
I think our age is definitely telling when it comes to days off though. We both feel a bit reluctant to go out on the Tuesday night and get so drunk that we sleep til 12 the next day, and would much rather go out for a couple and get up at a decent time to go up the mountain, without feeling like the world is about to swallow us whole. Although we did bump into a couple of Vicki’s colleagues the other day as we were heading up who had simply bypassed this stage by having the T-Bar Full English Breakfast, which comes complete with a Bloody Mary (or a Margherita if you don’t like tomato juice apparently). So they were raring to go, although I am not sure what state they would have been in by 5pm in full après-ski mode! It’s hard being the old buggers in town...
One of the things on my “to-do” list (which is quite long seeing as I seem to be remarkably inefficient out here – must be getting into the laid back ski bum attitude...) was to scope out any good deals for those of you who are interested in coming out to see us. Having finally made it to the tourist office and asked for the more reasonable hotels / B&Bs in town, I was faced with a blank look of incomprehension. “But this is Verbier. Surely anyone coming here has more money than Croesus’ dodgy accountant?!” However, there are a few hotels which may be worth a look if you are looking at booking independently of a holiday company:
1. SV - Vicki can get a really good 'friends and family' price on SV hotels (Rois Mages and Mont Gele) for what they call 'reverse weekends' which is Sun-Thurs. Prices are per room which are mostly doubles but there are also a couple of 4-people rooms which obviously work out a lot cheaper per person! Let us know if you’re interested and I'll let you know the prices (don't really want to post them publicly!). They'll also give a smaller discount for any friends and family taking one of the chalets - depends what end of the holiday budget spectrum you are ;o)
2. Other tour operators - Some of the accommodation might be a little less than luxurious but some of the Inghams, Crystal type companies seem to have some OK deals for their chalets. Let us know if you're looking at any of these and we can let you know if it's somewhere convenient! There are also some smaller, independent ones, so have a look around if you are planning on coming out.
3. The Alba – This is where we have our lovely 70s retro studio. There are quite a few seasonaires here but they do also have other flats available on a weekly basis during the season. Seems to be about 1000CHF for a week for a similar double bed studio, and there are also some 4 and 6 person ones available (set up as 2 - 3 room flats). Prices are all on their website. We have tried asking about discounts, and will keep you posted should anything come of that. http://www.kingsverbier.ch/Alba/en/alba_rates.htm
4. Cheaper hotels
Hotel Garbo – right in town, between the bars and the lifts, so great situation. About 200CHF for a double room in lowish season. Not too shabby. http://www.hotelgarbo.com
Hotel Les Touristes – at the bottom end of town (fairly close to us), so would need to use ski bus or about 10-15 mins walk into town. The most budget hotel in town, at only 88CHF for a double room with toilet. But – and there has to be a BUT – there are only 4 rooms (yes, four...) and some have communal bathroom facilities. So one for the cash-conscious traveller. http://www.hoteltouristes-verbier.ch/index.htm
5. Less cheap hotels
The Phenix Hotel – not too far from the centre of town, it touts itself as a quiet hotel for families and the like. Prices range from 280 to 310CHF depending on season per night for B&B in a double room, with a 7 night min stay. Not too bad. http://www.phenix-verbier.com/verbier/cosybar_english.htm
Hotel La Rotonde – again, right in the thick of things, just along the main street from Garbo. Between 250 and 340CHF per night for double room, it looks to be not bad at all. http://www.hotelrotonde.com/content/view/2/3/lang,en/
Hotel de la Poste – same location as la Rotonde and Garbo, on the main drag. Prices between 238 and 454 CHF depending on season (obviously in Feb half term, the higher end will be the norm but January and March are generally ok). Not the most luxurious hotel but ok. http://www.hotelposteverbier.ch/
6. B&B
There are a few Bed and Breakfasts in town, but not many. You might want to try the following on Google (they are all not too far from the centre of things):
La Golettaz, on rue du centre sportif – between 80 and 100CHF per person per night;
Au Clair de Lune, on Chemin de la Barnette – price on request;
Coup de Foudre, on Chemin du Plan Pra – 70 to 85 CHF;
La Varappe, on rue du Cente Sportif (bottom end of town) – 65 to 85 CHF.
There's a list on the Verbier Tourist office website but these are the ones closest to the action.
7. Hostel
The Bunker – If Les Touristes sounded expensive then this could be an option, but we've not heard many good things about it! This is the youth hostel at the bottom end of town, not very far from where Vic and I are staying. It is an old nuclear shelter (hence the name for the more observant of you) and has no windows. There is an annex building, and you may even get a window there, but not guaranteed. Prices start at between 29 to 39 CHF for a bed, depending on windows, bathroom and number of room-mates. This does include breakfast and use of the adjacent sport centre’s swimming pool and ice rink (but not skate rental. Just how cheap are you?!?). This may not be one for those of you more accustomed to fluffy bath robes and jacuzzis... http://www.thebunker.ch/
8. The posh ones
For those of you more used to the Verbier lifestyle here are some of the slightly more upmarket hotels (for the rest of you these are the ones not to bother with unless you get a great deal!):
Chalet d’Adrien – 5*
Kings Parc Hotel – 4*
Hotel Montpelier – 4*
Hotel Rosalp – 4*
Hotel Nevai – 4*
Hotel Les 4 Vallees –4*
Hotel Vanessa – 4*
Central Hotel – 3*
Hotel Bristol – 3*
Hotel Les Chamois – 3*
Hotel Ermitage – 3*
Hotel Farinet – 3* (take note this is above the most famous après-ski bar in the whole world, so beware if afternoon naps are your preference or you want to hear yourself think between 4-9pm!!)
And if you are feeling really flush, then check out The Lodge Verbier, which is Mr Branson’s very own luxury hotel.
General tip on location
There are lots of hotels and B&Bs lower down in the valley (eg. Le Chable), and websites will tell you it is only a ten-minute gondola ride to get up into Verbier. Which is true - but only during the day. It's not recommended if you want to go out in the evening as there are no buses past 8pm and taxis cost the GDP of a medium sized super-power. So I would recommend shelling out the extra few Chuffs to stay in town, so that walking becomes your means of transport. Trust us on this one. Anywhere in Verbier itself is fine (we're near the sports centre which is about a 5 min walk from Place Centrale and 10 mins from the Medran lift in normal shoes - there aren't any great maps of the town!) There is also Verbier Village which is seperate from Verbier Resort, but still walkable for a few beers - probably about 10-15 mins to place centrale.
There are also dozens of smaller chalets and apartments being rented out, but we have not been able to get any helpful inside info on any of those as yet. Flights go to Geneva and it is then a relatively short hop to get over here. If you don’t have transfers included in your package, a train from Geneva airport to Le Chable (via Martigny) and then a bus to Verbier will get you here in under 2 hours.
If you need any detailed information on hotels, get in touch and we will of course do what we can to give you some in-situ knowledge. Not sure if I have actually written this anywhere, but we are not using our English mobiles out here, as we both have Swiss numbers. If you have been trying to get hold of us, we have not been ignoring you on purpose!! Drop us an email if you need the numbers – not sure I fancy broadcasting our numbers to any Tom, Dick or Hanz over the net.
Hoping to see as many of you out here as possible, cheers!
But fear not, for it is not all doom and gloom, we do get to spend the odd day together. And by “odd” I mean just the one, on Wednesday this week. I managed to get a few days off after the hectic holiday season, so we were able to go skiing together (I took Vicki down previously unchartered territory for her – a very steep mogul hill!), have a beer in the afternoon followed by Vicki’s first ever Fondue Bourguignonne, a meat fondue where you cook chunks of chicken and beef in boiling stock at your table. Proper Swiss fare! We actually realised it was the first complete day we had spent together since the start of November!!! What – still no sympathy?? You lot really are heartless...
I think our age is definitely telling when it comes to days off though. We both feel a bit reluctant to go out on the Tuesday night and get so drunk that we sleep til 12 the next day, and would much rather go out for a couple and get up at a decent time to go up the mountain, without feeling like the world is about to swallow us whole. Although we did bump into a couple of Vicki’s colleagues the other day as we were heading up who had simply bypassed this stage by having the T-Bar Full English Breakfast, which comes complete with a Bloody Mary (or a Margherita if you don’t like tomato juice apparently). So they were raring to go, although I am not sure what state they would have been in by 5pm in full après-ski mode! It’s hard being the old buggers in town...
One of the things on my “to-do” list (which is quite long seeing as I seem to be remarkably inefficient out here – must be getting into the laid back ski bum attitude...) was to scope out any good deals for those of you who are interested in coming out to see us. Having finally made it to the tourist office and asked for the more reasonable hotels / B&Bs in town, I was faced with a blank look of incomprehension. “But this is Verbier. Surely anyone coming here has more money than Croesus’ dodgy accountant?!” However, there are a few hotels which may be worth a look if you are looking at booking independently of a holiday company:
1. SV - Vicki can get a really good 'friends and family' price on SV hotels (Rois Mages and Mont Gele) for what they call 'reverse weekends' which is Sun-Thurs. Prices are per room which are mostly doubles but there are also a couple of 4-people rooms which obviously work out a lot cheaper per person! Let us know if you’re interested and I'll let you know the prices (don't really want to post them publicly!). They'll also give a smaller discount for any friends and family taking one of the chalets - depends what end of the holiday budget spectrum you are ;o)
2. Other tour operators - Some of the accommodation might be a little less than luxurious but some of the Inghams, Crystal type companies seem to have some OK deals for their chalets. Let us know if you're looking at any of these and we can let you know if it's somewhere convenient! There are also some smaller, independent ones, so have a look around if you are planning on coming out.
3. The Alba – This is where we have our lovely 70s retro studio. There are quite a few seasonaires here but they do also have other flats available on a weekly basis during the season. Seems to be about 1000CHF for a week for a similar double bed studio, and there are also some 4 and 6 person ones available (set up as 2 - 3 room flats). Prices are all on their website. We have tried asking about discounts, and will keep you posted should anything come of that. http://www.kingsverbier.ch/Alba/en/alba_rates.htm
4. Cheaper hotels
Hotel Garbo – right in town, between the bars and the lifts, so great situation. About 200CHF for a double room in lowish season. Not too shabby. http://www.hotelgarbo.com
Hotel Les Touristes – at the bottom end of town (fairly close to us), so would need to use ski bus or about 10-15 mins walk into town. The most budget hotel in town, at only 88CHF for a double room with toilet. But – and there has to be a BUT – there are only 4 rooms (yes, four...) and some have communal bathroom facilities. So one for the cash-conscious traveller. http://www.hoteltouristes-verbier.ch/index.htm
5. Less cheap hotels
The Phenix Hotel – not too far from the centre of town, it touts itself as a quiet hotel for families and the like. Prices range from 280 to 310CHF depending on season per night for B&B in a double room, with a 7 night min stay. Not too bad. http://www.phenix-verbier.com/verbier/cosybar_english.htm
Hotel La Rotonde – again, right in the thick of things, just along the main street from Garbo. Between 250 and 340CHF per night for double room, it looks to be not bad at all. http://www.hotelrotonde.com/content/view/2/3/lang,en/
Hotel de la Poste – same location as la Rotonde and Garbo, on the main drag. Prices between 238 and 454 CHF depending on season (obviously in Feb half term, the higher end will be the norm but January and March are generally ok). Not the most luxurious hotel but ok. http://www.hotelposteverbier.ch/
6. B&B
There are a few Bed and Breakfasts in town, but not many. You might want to try the following on Google (they are all not too far from the centre of things):
La Golettaz, on rue du centre sportif – between 80 and 100CHF per person per night;
Au Clair de Lune, on Chemin de la Barnette – price on request;
Coup de Foudre, on Chemin du Plan Pra – 70 to 85 CHF;
La Varappe, on rue du Cente Sportif (bottom end of town) – 65 to 85 CHF.
There's a list on the Verbier Tourist office website but these are the ones closest to the action.
7. Hostel
The Bunker – If Les Touristes sounded expensive then this could be an option, but we've not heard many good things about it! This is the youth hostel at the bottom end of town, not very far from where Vic and I are staying. It is an old nuclear shelter (hence the name for the more observant of you) and has no windows. There is an annex building, and you may even get a window there, but not guaranteed. Prices start at between 29 to 39 CHF for a bed, depending on windows, bathroom and number of room-mates. This does include breakfast and use of the adjacent sport centre’s swimming pool and ice rink (but not skate rental. Just how cheap are you?!?). This may not be one for those of you more accustomed to fluffy bath robes and jacuzzis... http://www.thebunker.ch/
8. The posh ones
For those of you more used to the Verbier lifestyle here are some of the slightly more upmarket hotels (for the rest of you these are the ones not to bother with unless you get a great deal!):
Chalet d’Adrien – 5*
Kings Parc Hotel – 4*
Hotel Montpelier – 4*
Hotel Rosalp – 4*
Hotel Nevai – 4*
Hotel Les 4 Vallees –4*
Hotel Vanessa – 4*
Central Hotel – 3*
Hotel Bristol – 3*
Hotel Les Chamois – 3*
Hotel Ermitage – 3*
Hotel Farinet – 3* (take note this is above the most famous après-ski bar in the whole world, so beware if afternoon naps are your preference or you want to hear yourself think between 4-9pm!!)
And if you are feeling really flush, then check out The Lodge Verbier, which is Mr Branson’s very own luxury hotel.
General tip on location
There are lots of hotels and B&Bs lower down in the valley (eg. Le Chable), and websites will tell you it is only a ten-minute gondola ride to get up into Verbier. Which is true - but only during the day. It's not recommended if you want to go out in the evening as there are no buses past 8pm and taxis cost the GDP of a medium sized super-power. So I would recommend shelling out the extra few Chuffs to stay in town, so that walking becomes your means of transport. Trust us on this one. Anywhere in Verbier itself is fine (we're near the sports centre which is about a 5 min walk from Place Centrale and 10 mins from the Medran lift in normal shoes - there aren't any great maps of the town!) There is also Verbier Village which is seperate from Verbier Resort, but still walkable for a few beers - probably about 10-15 mins to place centrale.
There are also dozens of smaller chalets and apartments being rented out, but we have not been able to get any helpful inside info on any of those as yet. Flights go to Geneva and it is then a relatively short hop to get over here. If you don’t have transfers included in your package, a train from Geneva airport to Le Chable (via Martigny) and then a bus to Verbier will get you here in under 2 hours.
If you need any detailed information on hotels, get in touch and we will of course do what we can to give you some in-situ knowledge. Not sure if I have actually written this anywhere, but we are not using our English mobiles out here, as we both have Swiss numbers. If you have been trying to get hold of us, we have not been ignoring you on purpose!! Drop us an email if you need the numbers – not sure I fancy broadcasting our numbers to any Tom, Dick or Hanz over the net.
Hoping to see as many of you out here as possible, cheers!
Friday, 2 January 2009
Happy New Year!
It was nice to see 2009 in somewhere different. We went along with a few other thousand people to the main square in Verbier (where there is a roundabout, go figure) and stood in the snow watching various fireworks going off in all directions - including on the ground when one fell over and failed to take off... A bit scary as it was quite close, but all part of the fun. And firecrackers seem to be the in-thing around these here parts. As does setting them off around people's feet for a laugh. Ha bloody ha you little shits. Downing a bottle of champagne was fun too, as that is the tradition. Unfortunately there were only the two of us to drink the whole bottle... luckily, toilet needs came in the way of finishing the thing, so we had to head back to the flat after a good two thirds. Shame. The photo below was taken on Vic's phone, hence the slightly grainy nature - nothing to do with the shakiness of the taker!
The party then continued in the bar below the flat as Vicki mentioned, which I left around 3 to go and get some kip before my early start. Apparently turning up reeking of booze and half asleep is not what clients expect. Some people...
I have started work in earnest now, and have not stopped since the 22nd December, which is nice. I have had a good mix of lessons too, with private clients as well as group lessons. I am looking forward to having a full day off - although as Vicki says, all I do is ski around all day! But being polite and not doing stupid things on the piste for days on end is probably the trickiest thing... I almost had New Year's day off along with Vicki, but the family I had on the 31st decided that I was so good they wanted to book me for the next morning as well. Always a nice compliment, but it was probably one I would have gladly done without!
Thanks for all the text messages and voicemails (Daniel, j'ai rien compris mais merci du fond du coeur!) it was nice to know people were thinking about us, all the way over here. Oh and for those who have asked, we both have Swiss mobiles and only rarely check our English SIM cards. So email is definitely the way to get in touch!
Happy New Year and all the best for 2009!
Fun on the slopes
Vicki with a nice cool beer in the hot, hot sun. The warm jacket is just for effect, honest.
Just to prove there are actually two of us out here! The squinting is the result of very bright sunshine on the slopes. ;o)
Vicki really is in Verbier!
Yes I am still here!! Apologies for the lack of posts but it’s been hectic and I’ve hardly had time to think about anything apart from menus! But I’ve been skiing twice this week (which equals my total so far!) as I’ve had really great guests who don’t want cake or cooked breakfasts!
It’s been quite tough getting used to the change of job. The first 2 weeks of training were OK, but long days as I only got to come home for about an hour before we all headed back for dinner together. So not much time to see each other. But they are very understanding and I even got let off one of the evening activities as the top boss said that if I didn’t see Rob soon it might all be divorce!
I’m now onto my third week of real live guests and feeling like I’m starting to finally get the hang of it. The first couple of weeks were quite tough what with trying to get used to cooking full on breakfasts and 5 course dinners every day, cleaning the chalet better than I’ve ever cleaned our own flat and discovering a whole new world of shopping for food in French in a tiny supermarket that shuts for 2 hours at lunchtime. Oh and where the rest of Verbier, including all the chalet companies, seem to shop!
Luckily all the guests so far have been really lovely and not too demanding which is just what I needed to get me into the swing of things. A real mix of people, all with kids but they’ve all been pretty good and eating the same meals as the adults so I haven’t had to do separate dinners. The chalet owners are in next week for 2 weeks which will be odd as they know everything much better than me and I’m the one trying to take care of their chalet. And as they are here for 2 weeks it means I’ve got to expand my menu from the 1 week rotation I’ve just got comfortable with!
Everyone here is really nice. There are about 55 Ski Verbier staff out here and we all see each other and go out quite a bit. Quite a lot of the others live in the same apartments and there is another chalet in the same building as mine which is nice as we can help each other out! There are a few oldies, but most people have just graduated from uni. Being married has never been such a novelty and everyone thinks that I’m about 25 which is nice!! (More based on assumption that everyone else had just graduated rather than my particular youthful looks and personality). I’ve also started managing my rep a bit better and he’s starting to come into line more now! Not sure he knows what hit him, the poor guy!
New year was great. Everyone congregates in Place Central with bottles of champagne and one of the bars does the sound and lights and there are loads of fireworks. It was even dumping it down with snow which made it feel very festive, if a bit chilly. Party continued very conveniently in the pub below our apartments which was handy, if a bit noisy for Rob who had to leave early to get some rest before his 9am lesson. I managed to get a day off!
Verbier has been heaving this week. Loads of people around for Christmas and New year. I’ve never seen so many fur coats, Chelsea tractors (which admittedly do have a purpose out here) and yappy dogs in one small place. Hopefully they will all go next week and things in resort will get a bit less busy (smaller queues in lifts and supermarkets!) With so many regular visitors it does mean that there are a lot of very good skiers out here which makes the ski back to resort pretty hairy at times with people flying past at speed down a narrow track! All good fun though.
We’re still researching cheap places to stay and will hopefully have a bit of an update soon. Nothing is very cheap Robs hopefully off to try and get some more inside info from the Tourist office this week!
Sorry – very functional post but they will hopefully get a bit more regular now I’m starting to get the swing of things and getting a routine going. I hope!
Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year!
It’s been quite tough getting used to the change of job. The first 2 weeks of training were OK, but long days as I only got to come home for about an hour before we all headed back for dinner together. So not much time to see each other. But they are very understanding and I even got let off one of the evening activities as the top boss said that if I didn’t see Rob soon it might all be divorce!
I’m now onto my third week of real live guests and feeling like I’m starting to finally get the hang of it. The first couple of weeks were quite tough what with trying to get used to cooking full on breakfasts and 5 course dinners every day, cleaning the chalet better than I’ve ever cleaned our own flat and discovering a whole new world of shopping for food in French in a tiny supermarket that shuts for 2 hours at lunchtime. Oh and where the rest of Verbier, including all the chalet companies, seem to shop!
Luckily all the guests so far have been really lovely and not too demanding which is just what I needed to get me into the swing of things. A real mix of people, all with kids but they’ve all been pretty good and eating the same meals as the adults so I haven’t had to do separate dinners. The chalet owners are in next week for 2 weeks which will be odd as they know everything much better than me and I’m the one trying to take care of their chalet. And as they are here for 2 weeks it means I’ve got to expand my menu from the 1 week rotation I’ve just got comfortable with!
Everyone here is really nice. There are about 55 Ski Verbier staff out here and we all see each other and go out quite a bit. Quite a lot of the others live in the same apartments and there is another chalet in the same building as mine which is nice as we can help each other out! There are a few oldies, but most people have just graduated from uni. Being married has never been such a novelty and everyone thinks that I’m about 25 which is nice!! (More based on assumption that everyone else had just graduated rather than my particular youthful looks and personality). I’ve also started managing my rep a bit better and he’s starting to come into line more now! Not sure he knows what hit him, the poor guy!
New year was great. Everyone congregates in Place Central with bottles of champagne and one of the bars does the sound and lights and there are loads of fireworks. It was even dumping it down with snow which made it feel very festive, if a bit chilly. Party continued very conveniently in the pub below our apartments which was handy, if a bit noisy for Rob who had to leave early to get some rest before his 9am lesson. I managed to get a day off!
Verbier has been heaving this week. Loads of people around for Christmas and New year. I’ve never seen so many fur coats, Chelsea tractors (which admittedly do have a purpose out here) and yappy dogs in one small place. Hopefully they will all go next week and things in resort will get a bit less busy (smaller queues in lifts and supermarkets!) With so many regular visitors it does mean that there are a lot of very good skiers out here which makes the ski back to resort pretty hairy at times with people flying past at speed down a narrow track! All good fun though.
We’re still researching cheap places to stay and will hopefully have a bit of an update soon. Nothing is very cheap Robs hopefully off to try and get some more inside info from the Tourist office this week!
Sorry – very functional post but they will hopefully get a bit more regular now I’m starting to get the swing of things and getting a routine going. I hope!
Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year!
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