We’re pleased to report that of the six team members we sent off to look after Chalet Royale for a week, all six returned and only one of them sustained an injury! With glorious conditions throughout the trip and perhaps a touch of après-ski as well, the team return refreshed, rejuvenated and (by and large) ready for work.
Headed up by Jonathan, the rest of the ski party consisted of Nigel, our ops manager, Jamie the head chef, Simon the sous chef, Nickie who manages the office and Matt our warehouse manager. This trip was very useful for the chefs to see the set up at Chalet Royale in order to have a greater familiarity with facilities and shops in the locality, allowing them to plan menus accordingly for clients who book into St Gervais.
Chalet Royale really does tick all the boxes for a great holiday experience. The five-bedroom chalet is set in a wonderfully peaceful location and enjoys beautiful views of the panoramas out to Mont Blanc. The team were warmly welcomed by the wonderful Claire who arranged ski hire in addition to showing everyone around and making them all feel at home.
Attention to detail is a vital ingredient in our business philosophy and the chalet didn’t disappoint. Well designed with lovely interiors, Chalet Royale felt homely, with a beautiful open fireplace, great kitchen facilities and the use of the Chalet Land Rover to run about in was particularly convenient.
The best thing about St Gervais is that it’s a “real” town with its own history and architecture, rather than being a purpose-built resort. The slopes and lifts never got too busy despite the fact that it was half term holidays for the Parisian schools.
The team only had one proper meal out due to the fantastic catering within the chalet. They managed to find a restaurant called “Quatre Epices” to enjoy a simple, delicious menu with local produce such as cheese, bacon and potatoes. With a very cosy atmosphere and the endorsement of the locals, the Jacaranda crew tested their linguistics skills by translating at least 90% of the menu before relying on the wonderful service to assist with the slightly more obscure dishes.
With perfect snow conditions, deserted pistes and glorious long red runs winding down to the resort of Megeve, it was hard to find time to feel bad for poor Nigel who had a pretty high-speed wipe-out and ended up spending most of the week sunbathing on the deck with a severely twisted knee!
All of the Jacaranda team who headed out to St Gervais for the week would like to extend a huge thank you to William Bailey at The Royal Hotel for his hospitality and the opportunity to enjoy the amazing facilities at Chalet Royale.