Chalet Le Misti, Courchevel 1650, France

Thoroughly disappointed. Did not get what we paid for. Management lacks attention to detail, and staff clearly do not get enough training. Cons: - We brought our dog so they wanted an extra £150 for a deeper clean when we left, which we had agreed to up front. They didn't do a deeper clean. The next guests arrived shortly after we left. They pocketed the money. - They wanted and additional £250 for a dog damage deposit, which took them (PowderWhite & Iglu) over 1 month to return after we chased 5-10 times. The dog did not cause any damage. - They advertise for 8 people. They do not have enough sofas for 8 people - only 5. They do not have boot warmers for 8 people (only 3-4 pairs) or space for 8 boards/skis. They don't have enough glasses to service 8 guests - staff were always collecting glasses in use to reset the table for the next meal. - They advertise free shuttle to slope on a first come basis. When we asked, the chalet hosts said that shuttle is only for airport transfers, lessons at 1850, and they try not to encourage as they don't want everyone using it. Before they dispute this - several of us heard them say it. - Breakfast - they didn't have enough croissants for 8 of us. We had to continuously ask to have the milk and juice jugs topped up. - some of the canapés were a joke. one day it was humous and carrot sticks. - They didn’t have decaf coffee…it took them 3 days to get some - They’re supposed to serve chocolates every night. We only received them for the last 2 nights. Wifi - it had a ~50 character password which is ridiculous. Staff had been asking for weeks to get it changed, and it wasn’t done. It’s a simple thing to do. We took care of it on the first evening within 10 mins. The router is in the top corner of the chalet - it barely worked on the bottom floor - we were using our 3G service instead as it was faster. - We forget to tell them the bed setup that we wanted (i.e. twin into a double). We mentioned it as soon as we arrived. They said they would do it whilst we were out. They never did. - The complimentary wines are pretty poor. We didn’t drink much although we would have liked to. - They only give you 3 keys for the chalet - between 8 adults Pros: - the meals were served more or less on time, were tasty and filling. We were so stuffed we never had space for the cheeseboard. - The combi host was pleasant and tried hard to make us comfortable. - Location - exactly as described. Views are excellent. We accidentally knocked the shelf on a flimsy bathroom mirror and broke the corner off the mirror. The chalet host said not to worry. Later in the week the resort manager arrives asking to take a payment of €300! You can get a replacement from Amazon (delivered up the mountain in France) for about €80. They gave us excuses like location, and that it had to be matching…but every bathroom in the chalet had a different mirror. One of them had the same mirror, but it had also been broken and they fitted a plank of wood across it vs getting it replaced. Then they said it included labour - put they have a full time salaried handy man. On the last day, the Operations Manager came to see us as we were leaving, again trying to convince me to make a payment. I explained that I am willing to pay as we broke it, but only a reasonable amount. I also mentioned all the shortcomings and that they had saved some money on dinner as we didn’t arrive on the first night despite having paid. I suggested they could use the money they’ve saved there towards the cost of the mirror (which cost €60 in the end). They shrugged their shoulders indicated that we’re not due any refund for their shortcomings in the contractual agreement, but are still going to chase me for €60. Part of the reason it took so long to return the dog deposit was because they were holding it ransom in exchange for the cost of the mirror - despite our contract saying that deposit is only for the dog (they do not charge guests without dogs any deposit). Overall, I think PowerWhite are unprofessional and offer a poor quality service which lacks attention to detail. We will not be using PowderWhite again. They have been running this chalet since 2004, yet there are no reviews on Iglu, or on Trip Advisor. This seems highly suspicious to me. I suspect the reviews are bad, and so they’ve been deleted.

Apres-Ski 3/5
Accommodation & Value 2/5

Pritesh Vora