Club Med Tignes Val Claret, Tignes, France

This was one of the best ski holidays my brother and I have ever had. It was our first Club Med experience and won’t be our last; the whole package was fantastic. Compared to our ski holiday the year before, we spent half the money but had a much better time. We thought we would end up spending a lot more in resort but it was actually very economical; the only money we spent was when we went out in the evenings after the bar closed at 12:30. I thought we would have to pay extra for spirits in the Club Med bar but vodka, whisky etc was all included. You would only have to pay extra if you wanted a bottle of champagne or a whole bottle of vodka. There was really good wine with dinner and the guy would come round and recommend something to go with your meal, again you could pay for a bottle but by the glass, it was all included. We had private transfers, including an S Class Limousine to take us back to the airport (I think because we had to leave at the ridiculous time of 1am). We got there early on Sunday at about midday and they let us ski for free, so we were out on the slopes from 2-5 getting our ski legs back before lessons the next day! The ski lessons were brilliant and I felt like I really improved. You decide what class you want to go into (beginner, advanced, off piste etc) and then they make everyone ski for 10 minutes while they watch, and split you into small groups depending on how fast you can ski. I went in level 3/advanced lessons which included a little bit on the piste and quite a bit off – it was my first off piste experience and they taught us to ski in different conditions as well as going back to the basics to make sure our technique was up to scratch. There were only 8 people per group which was just the right size. The instructor’s English was fantastic. I would advise everyone to take lessons, even if you’re am expert. There was a group above ours called super off piste, where they take you into the most dangerous terrain – it’s all controlled and you’re with an instructor who knows the area and can take you off-piste safely. If you’re toying between this Club Med or the one in Val d’Isere, I would 100% recommend picking Tignes as it’s the only resort that does the off piste experience. The staff were super and went out of their way to ensure we had a good time. They sat with us at dinner, came out with us in the evenings and skied with us on the day that there were no ski lessons. It was so nice as it didn’t feel like they were just reps as a day job. Breakfasts were fantastic – you name it, they’d make it. As well as lunch, there was hot food outside for when you came in from skiing in the afternoon, like Paninis, mulled wine and hot chocolate. If you went inside, you’d also find hot waffles and pancakes at the bar to tide you over before supper time. We had a different theme every day, from sushi to Italian to Moroccan, with really good quality options whether you were a vegetarian or not. The entertainment every night was fantastic. There’s also a pool table. We made some friends who had kids, and they were perfectly entertained. The pool wasn’t anything amazing but it was a pool, the sauna could have been bigger – it was a sauna for 6, so you often had to queue to get in, but I still managed to have a sauna every day. There’s a small gym which my brother used every evening, which had classes. I used the spa and had a couple of massages which were very good. They offered free massages at lunch time, with 2 chairs near the dining hall where you could have a 5-10 minute shoulder massage – that’s what tempted me to book a full hour one! The rooms are very good, we had a super mountain view from our room which was split into 2 separate areas, perfect for a brother and sister. The hotel is literally a 3 minute walk to the nearest bars and the nightlife is really good. Piste-wise, the location’s perfect as you literally step out the ski room door and you’re on the piste. You cannot get better than that!

A good week in Tignes, we’d been to Club Med La Plagne the year before. This hotel was more modern and generally what you expect of Club Med. We preferred the location here which was brilliant, it’s ski in ski out (any level could do it, the kids were fine) and my husband said it was quite a nice walk into town. Food was fine. Our bedrooms were brilliant, we had more than enough space and they were very accommodating to us. We’d be happy to go back, but would look at a different time of year… We went at the end of the season which was very quiet and during the French school holidays. Only 20% of the guests were English which was fine for us but an issue with the children. As most of the French children went skiing with their parents, there were far fewer ski groups. They put all four of our children in the same ski group and it certainly worked better when they were in separate groups more suited to their level and style of skiing. It got quite competitive and the instructor had his daughter in the lessons too, who he kept comparing them with.