Special Offers at Center Parcs

memiah — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:40:28 +0000

I was looking for things to do over the Easter holidays and came across some special offers on the Center Parcs Website. The deals tend to be the weeks before and after Easter but they are offering up to 25% off some accommodation if you have flexible holidays.

I used to go to Center Parcs all the time when I was younger but the only one I really remember is Longleat Forest in Wiltshire. This one has a great swimming pool inside a glass dome and loads of activities to get involved in. They also have the most fantastic pancake house where you have the choice of many different inventions! I remember the last time I went (2 years ago) I felt the chalets needed a bit of a refurbish but they also have some newer larger chalets that have an outside hot tub and some relaxing extras.

If you do go to Center Parcs try and take bikes with you; you will need them and Center Parcs charge a lot for you to hire them. Remember to take your bike locks as well, we forgot these and had to pay about £10 for a new one.

It is best to go with a group if possible, sometimes a 1 bedroom apartment works out only about £50 cheaper than a two bedroom so you’ll definitely save if you go for more bedrooms. The chalets range from ‘comfort’ to ‘VIP’ so make sure you look at the options and see if you can get a good deal.

You can visit Center Parks for a whole week, the weekend or from Monday to Friday. Check out their website to see if you can take advantage of their special offers.

Ferme du Lavay Les Gets, France

memiah — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:48:39 +0000

I visited Les Gets in France with ten friends during January and stayed at the Ferme du Lavay for a week. It was absolutely fantastic apart from the fact there was very little snow – something that doesn’t happen very often in The Alps during January. The chalet is located at the top of Les Get, only a 5 minute coach ride from the main express lift. This was probably the only downside of the chalet – at the top of a long and winding hill it is difficult to get about in the evenings. During the day our chalet host took us down to the lift and picked us up in the afternoon so it wasn’t a problem.

We booked the Ferme du Lavay through Total Ski who run a lot of fully catered holidays. I must admit, this was my favourite part – having a chef cook breakfast, a four course evening meal and a cake in the afternoon every day. That’s right, no cooling on this holiday! Since the chalet was so large and there were 17 guests staying at the time we also had a cooking assistant and a cleaner, all staff worked for Total Ski.

Chalet

The chalet was just as you would imagine accommodation in the Alps to be, it looked like a wooden cabin from the outside and was snug and cosy inside. Ferme du Lavay can sleep up to 24 people therefore you can get a gist of how large this chalet is. There are three floors in total, the ground floor with three bedrooms, the middle floor with a huge lounge area, kitchen, dining area, two smaller bedrooms and a bathroom for these two rooms to share. The entrance to the chalets is also on the middle floor. The top floor consists of three larger bedrooms all with a double bed and at least one single bed.

Below is a name and description of each bedroom:

Ground Floor

Room 1:Tahoe – Twin bedroom with en-suite
Room 2: Steamboat – Double bedroom with en-suite
Room 3: Whistler – Family room with a double bed, 2 bunk-beds, kitchen area and en-suite

First Floor

Room 4: Mammoth – Double bedroom
Room 5: Heavenly – Twin bedroom
Shared bathroom

Second Floor

Room 6: Aspen – Double room with two single beds and en-suite
Room 7: Vail – Double room with single bed and en-suite
Room 8: Snowbird – Double room with single bed and en-suite

The middle floor excluding the bedrooms had recently been refurbished and it was gorgeous. We were a little disappointed with some of the bedrooms and bathrooms which also need a bit of a lift but overall it was lovely accommodation.

Food and Drink

If you like your food and you like a bit of skiing I think you’ll probably enjoy staying at the Ferme du Lavay. Each morning breakfast is served between 8 and 9 and you have the choice of cereal, croissants and other pastries, scrambles eggs and bacon, bread with jams and marmalades, tea, coffee, fruit juices. To be honest I thought it was amazing! Then off you go for an exhausting day on the slopes, get a bite to eat on the mountain, then on your return to the chalet a delicious cake will have been prepared and tea and coffee will be on the side.

Quick catnap and a shower and you’re ready for dinner! First up is canapés, then up at the table for a starter, main course and dessert and as much wine as you can get down.

Below is some of the food we enjoyed during our stay:

Starters

Soup and bread
Prawn salads

Main Courses

Duck
Chicken stuffed with avocado, stilton and taglaitele
Salmon risotto
Pork
Beef
Most dishes were served with vegetables

Desserts

Trifle
Summer berries pot with cream
Apple strudel

Blog your Travels » Chalets