Chalet Chardon?

EileenG

Has anyone ever stayed in Chalet Chardon in Tignes? There's a gang of us are thinking of going there next winter, but it would be good to get some feedback from somone who has been there.

Is the food good?

Is it suitable for people with kids?

How close is it to skiing? Bars? Creche?

a148pro

I looked at this Eileen but never got there in the end. The staff were very helpful and the price was really good and I would have stayed there if it had worked out but in the end got a bed with my mates proper in an apartment in Tignes itself. I'd say its ideal for people on a budget who want to meet others too.

The only drawback I think is its location. Its in Tignes Les Brevieres which is one of the satellite resorts. As far as I know there's no ski bus between there and Tignes proper, so the only way up is to get, if I recall correctly, two ski lifts. At the time I wasn't mad on this because I felt it would take too long to get to the lifts I wanted to be near. I'm also not sure about the arrangements for getting back there, as in, do you have to time your return to make sure you get the last lift up to allow you to ski back home.

There is skiing in Les Brevieres and you can ski down into the town though. When I was there the snow was pretty thin and the slopes on that end were pretty icy. I also looked at going there before Christmas this year when there was heavy snow and I realised it was pretty low and the snow hadn't really settled there yet. I don't think the pistes down to there had opened yet.

That said, once the snow was in good condition I'd say it'd be fine. This would be all the more so when you consider that there isn't exactly a great atmosphere in Tignes itself, so there's no need to be staying there for the apres side of things. Its kind of like living in a space station. Also, if you're in the Espace Kily chances are you've rented a car and could therefore drive up to Tignes if you wanted. Would prob have to pay for parking.

It seems a popular place so you should be able to find some trip advisor reviews?

Edit: I should add that Tignes in general is one of my favourite ski resorts, massive selection of pistes and great off piste too.

EileenG

Thanks, I'll check Tripadvisor.

I've stayed in the youth hostel in Tignes Les Boisses, and it was fine, good food and good craic (and better rooms than most hostels). There was a few buses that ran up and down from there to Tignes proper, so I'd guess it's the same for Le breviere.

Yeah, stayed in Le Lac before and wasn't impressed. But the skiing was great.

a148pro

I think I looked at that and the youth hostel was at the end of the bus line but Les Brevieres wasn't. That's my memory anyway. Email the lads in Chardon and they'll tell you striaght up, they were very helpful. Youth hostel was obv very cheap too.

EileenG

Yeah, it looks like the usual way from Le Brev to Le Lac is via a chair to Les Boisses, and then a bus.

The Youth hostel won't take kids under 12, and we have two.

gaffmaster

I stayed there a few years ago.

Les Brev is indeed a bit detached from the rest of Tignes, and it can be tricky to time your run home. If I remember correctly, it was just one chair lift out of Tignes that we had to time right. In the morning its a bubble and a chairlift followed by a short ski into Tignes, where you can access the massive Espace Killy. We managed to ski the entire Espace Killy and make it home no problem; and we were all barely intermediates at the time.

Les Brev might not be perfect for absolute beginners. It was near the end of the season when I was there, and the pistes were warming up in the PM, but it was still possible to ski home every evening. That said, the green run home was closed on the last couple of days, and I felt sorry for a couple of snow ploughers eeking their way down the red, their instructor must not have realised the green was closed.

Chalet Chardon itself has more of a hostel feel than a Chalet feel. It's almost a hybrid of the two. It's clean and basic; not luxurious. Our room had two bunk beds (4 lads) and its own private bathroom. The staff were young and very friendly. Meals were generous and decent quality, with plenty of wine too. There's a bar in the basement that knows how to party, but there was no issue with noise. I've no idea how close it is to creche etc, sorry.

The best thing about Chalet Chardon is the price and flexibility - it's not just Saturday to Saturday, they'll accomodate shorter/midweek stays. I would consider going back. It's probably best suited to groups, although I think they have a couple of double/twin rooms.

Hope that helps.

gaffmaster

I forgot to mention that there is no bus service between Les Brev and Tignes 2100.

EileenG

Thanks, just what I wanted to know.

Our group is all pretty good skiers (that black done to Le Brev is looking interesting) but there is a couple of young children who need ski school/creche and that's what's making it difficult.

a148pro

Hmmm, not sure there'd be a kids ski school there Eileen, its pretty small. There is one in Tignes proper for sure, underneath the black that leads down into Tignes from Val, they have a little travelator thing and a kiddie park. My mate had his toddler in it when we were there. If you read the trip report section I list two places I stayed in, they were both not crazy money but were obv nowhere near as cheap as Chardons.

RATM

I stayed there a few years back, 2006 I think. It is a good value hostel with nice meals in the evenings. The place is British owned and run and the staff were very friendly and laid back.
The dorm rooms can be a little cramped with six of us in there and not much space for all the extra bits and pieces a ski holiday entails. Still though I can recommend it.

I'm not sure how suitable it is for kids though Eileen. It attracts a lot of large groups in the 18-25 year range, many of them on trips organised by their university ski club. Some of these can be raucous to say the least. Noise wise their is a bar/nightclub in the basement of the building which stays open till 2am. It is well insulated though but there would almost certainly be noise in the corridors late at night when people are going to bed.

The owners also have another chalet (without a bar) close by to the main one- this might be more suitable for your group. Charadons is a great place to stay but just do be aware it can be quite a young crowd who stay there to ski hard and party even harder.

EileenG

Thanks. I wouldn't worry too much about the noise. My kids are teens who would enjoy a noisy bar, and the small child is a good sleeper. The real problem is the food (got a few allergies between them which mean you need to be certain what is in the meals) and the ski school for the little ones.

The place we have been going is similar, I think. Good meals, plenty of wine, decent bar, but very basic accommodation. Perfect set up for childcare (they have a little shuttle bus which picks kids up from the front door and takes them to ski school and home again) but we were getting a bit bored.

Now we're thinking we'll go back there, but hire a minibus and go to Orelle and Bonnaval. The teens are going to parapent.