Val d'Isere Apres Ski Report: 19th April 2012

The good thing about leaving though is the leaving parties and having spent most of last week ill in bed it was a good reason to get out and about again.

The day started on the hill with a few runs in this snow/sun weather we’ve been having and then in the afternoon we headed to La Folie Douce for a bit of rosé and dancing.

La Folie Douce, if you’ve never heard of it, is the place to start your après with pumping house music on the massive terrace. Singers, dancers and musicians help give the music that individual touch all under the guide of Kely Starlight who you can’t miss; he’s usually wearing fur and/or high heels.

The atmosphere is upbeat with a hint of decadence. People dance everywhere, including up on the tables; no mean feat in ski boots. The drinks are flowing, the rosé is the most popular although from time to time the bar crew get a bottle of bubbly and spray it over the crowd.

The closing party is the biggest of the season and great fun too so check out the schedule at the end of this report.

So after a good bit of dancing, we headed down to get ready for the evening's entertainment which was dinner out in Victors restaurant. It is located above the Spar supermarket in the centre of town. I’ve drank several times in the bar but have never actually eaten there so was looking forward to trying it out.

We arrived at 8pm and our table was ready for us so we grabbed our seats and everyone was eager for cocktails. The best thing about eating in the restaurant is that you get an advance on the bar happy hour which is normally from 9 until 11pm. Meaning that two-for-one cocktails actually starts at 8pm, woohoo! I had my usual; a margarita and very nice it was too. There are all the classic cocktails with some interesting house cocktails as well.

Anyway, it was time to start thinking about food. The menu has a good selection of dishes including pizzas, burgers, quesadillas, thai curries, salads, as well as some more upmarket options like the thai tuna with crispy noodles or steaks. Everything’s really reasonably priced too so you don’t feel like you’re burning a hole in your pocket. More cocktails anyone???

Having had a big lunch I wasn’t too hungry so I went for the thai seafood soup which came as a thick, coconut broth with just the right amount of spice with prawns, mussels and green beans. I was also told the thai curry and the tuna were both lovely although I didn’t get a look in. Obviously the lads were pretty hungry because they wouldn’t even wait for me to take a photo before getting tucked in.

So all in all it was a lovely evening even if I was sad to see a good friend go. But it’s not just the leaving parties that are getting people out and about. As everything starts to close down each bar does its own closing party in style. Here’s the low-down on the dates for each one.

• Saloon closes on Tuesday the 24th
• on the 25th is V-Spot, Doudoune Chalet and Dick’s Tea Bar
• Thursday the 26th is Moris’ closing
• the Folie Douce is spread out from the 26th to the 30th ending in Café Face with the big finale day on the 30th
• the Fall Line closes on the 27th
• the 30th is also the closing of the Lodge Bar and Doudoune Club
• the 1st is the last day the lifts are open and so the Tete de Solaise and Blue Note are closing, with the last funival being a fun descent of the OK Orange with fancy dress and various homemade apparatus to do the descent with.
• the 2nd is Underground and Le Petit Danois closing
• and finally, MBC closes on the 10th.

Well that’s it from me for now. Enjoy yourselves, stay safe and have fun. TTFN.