As part of our trip to Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percee in Tignes, with Mark Warner we we were offered free child care for the three girls all day and into the evening. Had we had to pay for this it would have cost £180 per child for the week. Before we went I did think this was maybe a bit expensive, however now I know the quality of the childcare and the activities provided I think this is excellent value. In effect it is the same price as nursery at home, but much more fun!
We knew that due to the nature of the holiday, and as I was learning to ski we would use the childcare more than we usually do on holiday but didn’t expect for the girls to love it as much as they did. It was a fabulous addition to our holiday and we can’t thank Mark Warner enough for this perk at Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percée.
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The Snowman room at Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percée where the mini club (ages 3-5) and babies childcare was based, was on the ground floor of the hotel and was a very friendly place to be. It was full of toys, books, games, dolls house, cars etc. There was a list of activities posted on the wall outside the room so you could see what your children would be doing every day. You could use this activity plan to decide if to go and pick them up and at what time. It was a mixture of activity and quieter play depending on the time of day.
Jodie and Sam looked after my girls (Jodie was their key worker in nursery speak) and they were both incredibly, patient, kind and funny. The girls loved them. They really made this special week extra special with their enthusiasm and energy.
To give you an idea of the activities they took part in, they made shapes with shaving foam, played with balls and parachutes, went on crepes and hot chocolate trips (additional €5 per child) went to the park, went sledging, got involved in card making, singing, stories, and playing games. They also watched films every other day after lunch to give them a chance to relax. The system was also incredibly flexible, you could sign them in and out throughout the day, or just return at 5.30pm after their tea, whatever suited you.
We used this flexibility quite a lot as we used it to take the girls out at different times. Having three little ones on the snow on skis with only two adults is not practical! Particularly when one parent is a ski novice too. We took the twins out skiing/falling down the hill one morning, I took them sledging another day, and towards the end of the week this flexibility allowed me and my hubby to ski with our eldest, leaving the twins to go out for hot chocolate. The twins definitely thought they got the best deal!! Hot chocolate with Jodie – what could have been better! Have a look at a little vide of our fun with the girls here.
For children over 4 which included Lily, you could drop them off suited and booted for ski school and they would take them over to their classes and collect them afterwards for lunch. This greatly assisted me getting to my ski lessons on time and allowed my hubby to head off to the slopes. Throughout the week I felt very very comfortable leaving my three girls in their very capable care.
Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percée
The additional benefit for me, scratch that let’s call it the fabulous part for me, was that Jodie and Sam gave my girls their lunch and tea every day. Meal times are not a favourite time of mine in our house, they never seem to want to eat! So to have someone else give them their meals was a real treat. It was also very good for my three to eat with other children every day (as they aren’t at nursery) and see how well they eat. They also ate much more varied food, as they had to eat different things than they were used to i.e. the pizza wasn’t the same as at home! This is definitely a good thing.
Every evening you could choose their next days lunch and tea from 6 choices on a menu at reception. There was never a day when I couldn’t find something on the menu they would like. Some dishes my children had during the week were fish pie, pizza, pesto pasta, chicken roast dinner, tomato pasta with garlic bread, sweet and sour pork, vegetable curry, spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne, chicken bites with wedges and beans. There was also always a plate with ham, cheese, carrots, cucumber sticks and tomato on for them to choose from. There was then a daily desert special (crumble, chocolate mousse, jam roly poly) or you could choose a yoghurt or ice cream/sorbet for them. I’d like to say they ate better than us, but that would be a lie, our food was very good too. Click here.
The only thing that didn’t work perfectly for me was the evening childcare. This stared at 7.30pm and went on until 11pm which is a fantastic service. They start a film at 7.30 which finished around 9 so all the parents had time to eat their evening meal. We had used an evening film club last year in Greece so I hadn’t thought it would be a problem, even though it does mean the girls getting to bed at around 9, two hours after their normal bedtime. What I hadn’t considered was that when the next day the kids are only lazing about it doesn’t necessarily matter if they have a later bedtime, but when they are heading out to ski lessons (which are hard work) they really need to be well rested and they are actually exhausted after a day on the slopes. So we used the film club a couple of times, one night we tried a baby monitor that sort of worked although beeped a lot disturbing others at dinner, and two evenings we ate in our room. The other option would have been to hire a babysitter although I never managed to ask in time to sort this out. Another two years on and this wouldn’t have been an issue at all, two years younger and we could have put them to sleep in their pram/travel cot and again it wouldn’t have been an issue as they would just have slept. I know some ski hotels have a listening service so they have in-built monitors for reception staff to listen too they can then alert you if the kids wake up. It depends on what works for you and I know some families we spoke to loved the film club. Others we met had taken their own video monitors from home and requested a room that was in close range to the restaurant.
At the end of the week following on from the girls ski lessons medal ceremony, the childcare team have their own presentation. They award all the children with a certificate explaining what ‘character’ they have been that week. My three were awarded certificates that truly suited their personality, proving to me, if any proof was needed, that they had completely understood my children. and given them the best week they could. Thank you Mark Warner and all the team at Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percée, we will be back.
NB: We were provided with the childcare courtesy of Mark Warner whilst staying at Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percee.
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Karen Beddow founded Mini Travellers in 2014 while doing what she loves most...going on holiday!
Mini Travellers is for parents looking for holiday ideas, destination reviews, days out and things to do with the kids. We also have family travel tips, activity ideas and all other things family holiday related. Take a look at some of our latest reviews for holidays and day trips in the UK.
This all sounds fabulous, please can I come next time and go into the snowman room with your girls??
Great post Karen the childcare looks fantastic but i do imagine they would be so tired at night and would need an early night, the whole ski holiday thing looks fantastic xx
Sounds amazing!! As I have never relied on childcare I would always be nervous of something like this – but it sounds great and if you recommend it – it’s going to be great. We are going skiing when the girls are 3 – I can’t wait!! Great post lovely lady. xxx
What a wonderful idea, to have childcare like this offered while on holiday. I had no idea such a thing existed! It would make travelling with small children that much easier, I should think.
This sounds perfect, As parents so many of our holidays revolve around the children so having reliable, high quality childcare must make such a difference.
This sounds perfect, As parents so many of our holidays revolve around the children, particularly when they’re very young, so having reliable, high quality childcare must make such a difference.
We also have three children and remember the days of maneuvering the slopes with all that gear! What a brilliant resource the planned child care is! #MondayEscapes
Sounds like a really convenient option, particularly if the parents are splitting off to do different things. They seem to have covered nearly everything, so hopefully you were able to go out ski with some peace of mind. The certificates are a nice touch. #MondayEscapes
Wow. This childcare looks amazing. I haven’t put our three kids in any sort of program like this yet, but now with a 4 year old I think it might be time to try some of these out. Thanks for sharing. So glad the girls had fun. #MondayEscapes
This sounds great. I used to think that childcare on holiday wasn’t for us, but once I saw how much fun A was having, I soon changed my mind.
I think the kids had a better holiday then the adults! This is great #MondayEscapes
Skiing can be really tricky (and stressful) with children so knowing they are well looked after while you can ski and can be taken to their lessons as well is amazing. It does sound a lot to start with but the amount they do probably makes it worth it. I agree about them being totally pooped afterwards so the cinema club would be a bit of a stretch for my four year old. Be good if they could do a babysitting service too. Thanks #mondayescapes
That’s a really good point about the evening childcare – we used it at Levante, but I can see it might not have worked as well if the children were having a very busy time during the day. Hot chocolate and crèpes though – that would be enough to tempt any youngster! #MondayEscapes
Love the pictures in this post, makes me want to go and have a hot chocolate ! We have never really used childcare facilities on holiday but I must say when I read about Mark Warner resorts it sounds like they have it down to a fine art. It seems like there is an option that would suit most families and of different ages -which is never an easy task!
I have really been wanting to take the boys skiing but wondered how we would juggle it – having the flexibility of childcare is a great idea. I don’t know about the kids, but I can barely stay up after 9 if I am on a ski holiday! #mondayescapes
Hooray for great childcare! Always so important when traveling with children. We’re going on a cruise in February and I am really looking forward to the kid’s clubs so my husband and I can get some one on one time. #mondayescapes
Great to get an insight into holiday childcare. I’ve never used it before but I imagine a skiing holiday would be the perfect chance to give it a try.
I have never skied before and my husband, who loves it, is desperate to go as a family. I, like you, would need to spend a fair bit of time in lessons so this could be the answer we’re looking for!
#MondayEscapes
Good to know exactly what you get for your money. Peace of mind plus hot chocolate seems pretty good to me! Mark Warner always seem to be good at providing excellent childcare.
We tried skiing for the first time earlier this year but just as a couple. It was great to see how well children are looked after on the slopes – in many of the US resorts the kids are fitted with GPS systems when skiing, which is very reassuring.
my husband went skiing to Tignes with his friends several years ago:) it was a different experience than this though:) #mondayescapes
The price did seem high at first, but after reading all of the details it sounds like it’s worth it! It’s very well organized and has so many options – I especially like the themed rooms! Something like this would be an excellent expense for some parents who desperately need a peaceful holiday. 🙂
Sounds like a really good service to have while on a ski holiday. Makes sense to use it so you can get time on the slopes without having to keep an eye on the little ones. 🙂 #MondayEscapes
What a great range of activities for the girls. I’m also not a fan of meal times, so knowing that this is all sorted for you is a real treat. It sounds like Mark Warner have everything covered for families!
It’s great that you have the option of childcare should you wish to use it, and sounds like the girls had a fantastic time. We had never used childcare before we went to Greece in April, and Katie loved everything about it. Also meant that hubby and I got some kid free sunbathing time x
My daughter would have loved that! I took her skiing on a school trip (with me and a lot of secondary school kids) and I never saw her! Aged 5 she attached herself to the instructor and was confidently tacking reds by the end of the week -she was 5!
She now goes skiing with her friends! (She is 20 now).
The childcare really was great value when we went for a MW summer break, must be great for skiing. My only experience is being the childcare as a teacher on a school trip while learning to ski myself, I have never been so shattered in my whole life!
We’re thinking of taking our girls ski-ing next year. This looks fabulous. Kids clubs are so important when on holiday, make life so much easier. Huzzah for finding a great one! #mondayescapes
This looks fab! I haven’t (ever) been skiing and this would be the sort of thing that we would really make me book! I think a skiing trip is in order 🙂
Great to know there are people who are passionate about working with kids. They make parents lives much easier. Seem like the girls had an awesome holiday! #MondayEscapes
Sounds like the holiday worked out perfectly for everyone! It must be great to have excellent childcare available. We really need to think about this in future. #mondayescapes
Flexible and quality childcare is hard to find – especially when you are abroad so this sounds like a rare find. I love that picture of your little girl with the hot chocolate – I want one of those!!! #mondayescapes