Powder White - www.powderwhite.com

When booking our party of 18 was assured that there was dedicated car parking in front of the Chalet Dolomite in Val d'Isere. However, on arrival in the morning of Sunday 8 April 2018 there was only space for 3 of the 4 cars in our party as there were 2 other cars parked in the car parking area which were not owned by chalet guests. The chalet manager therefore said we should park outside on the pavement as the 2 cars would be cleared by the police later in the day (his resort manager having complained about them being in a private area), and that our car would be safe until then. After a walk into town we returned to find a €135 parking fine. This was was referred to Powder White's resort manager, who said that the Company's attitude was that this was my responsibility not their's to deal with. On that basis, and assuming no change of heart by Powder White, legal action will be initiated.

The chalet itself was tired and needed a full refurbishment, there was an awful problem with smells from the drains and dampness and the furniture was in a dangerous state of repair (one of the dining chairs collapsing upon use, which could have caused serious injury, with others being in similar rackety state). However, the chalet manager was an absolute star throughout our stay and genuinely put himself out for our party and the other chalet guests.

I cannot recommend Powder White on the basis of their crass cavalier attitude in respect of both the car parking fine, which I will now have to pursue them for, and their arrogance in marketing such a shoddy product.

Awful, awful, awful company. It's so budget it's embarrassing to both its employees and its guests.

From what I heard from our chalet host they treat their staff appalling: docking pay for any little overspend on budgets, overworking and underpaying their staff wherever possible, setting unreasonably tight budgets that are just not achievable these days, etc, etc.

Our chalet (in Val d'Isere) was constantly faulty: toilets leaking, cleaned poorly, jacuzzi broken.

I wouldn't even entertain the idea of booking with this company.

WE ARRIVED AT 6PM AND FOUND THAT THE ROOM ALLOTTED ON TELEPHONE BOOKING WAS GIVEN TO SOMEONE ELSE. POOR ROOM, POOR WASHING FACILITIES AND SURLY STAFF WHO ARRIVED LATE IN THE MORNING 7.45 INSTEAD OF 7OO. STAFF DIDN'T KNOW WHICH SKI LOCKER BELONGED TO THE CHALET. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO SHOW ME TO THE UNDERGROUND CARPARK AND SWABBED THE FLOOR WITH BLEACH WHILE WE STILL SAT AT DINNER. A THOROUGHLY BAD EXPERIENCE, THE WORST IN TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF SKIING. DIDN'T ACCEPT OUR LEGITIMATE COMPLAINS EITHER.

I CANNOT RECOMMEND. WE WANTED TO BE AWAY EARLY ON THE LAST DAY AND THE CHALET GIRL TURNED IN AT 08.30!!!

We had a catered chalet holiday with Powderwhite in the 2014/5 season. Not a great experience - dirty kitchen and poor hygiene (washing up cloths were filthy, kitchen worktops left dirty, oven 7 other appliances dreadful). Hosts were friendly and helpful but couldn't cook for toffee.

The icing on the cake was the attitude of the Director of the company when we complained after getting back to the UK. Incredibly defensive, she denied pretty much everything we said and clearly had no time for us at all.

Don't book through this company!

Having used PW many times in the past we thought we'd play safe and book again (winter 2013) in Verbier. I cant fully explain how poor PW were, but chalet was cramped, basic and the host was terrible. More interested in her own winter fun than ours. Food was v average too.

The reason i'm writing this negative review is the way PW handled our groups complaint - they simply denied or countered to the contrary on every point we raised. Our complaint was initially constructive feedback due to some great holidays in the past but due to the attitude of the PW staff (senior directors) I thought best to share my experience on here. I'll never book with PW again (after 6 previous trips). Our group is made up of 40yr old professionals but our issues were treated like we were schoolchildren!

Do go to Verbier it's great - just not with PW.

Nearly didn’t get home! stayed in a chalet in Verbier booked through Powderwhite and went with the wife's best mates family. There was 11 of us including kids and just about fit into the chalet Payana which looked ok from the outside but was much nicer inside. The living room was big and had a nice fire. Our favourite thing about the chalet was the veranda that had excellent views of the valley and we spent loads of time up there in the evenings. Also the ski lifts were really close which made getting to the slopes easier. Verbier was nice but we were lucky the £ got us more Euros as some restaurants can be expensive and even things like coke can cost a bucket. We were a bit worried about what to do when we got there as this was our first time in Verbier but what Powderwhite dont tell you when you book is that you get a holiday pack before you leave that gives you a lot of info that you would need and what you can get. Anyway we have only just got back but nearly didnt make it because there was a road blocked and we could have missed our flight but the staff already knew about it and ensured we gout out early enough to make our flight which rounded off a great holiday nicely.

My family & I went on a ski holiday with Powder White just when the heavy snows hit. At times it was a little scary but the staff were very professional and ensured that we were catered for and helped keep the kids very calm. We stayed in St Anton and the 6 person chalet was very reasonable and was in a very good location close to ski lifts. Due to the snow we were unable to ski at times but was provided an entertainment package to keep us busy which the kids loved. The price was fair and the food was decent but what saved our holiday was the staff and we really appreciate it, the chalet hosts were brilliant. I would advise to book your ski passes and lessons before going as we had to pay local prices which can be quite high.

We went to Val d'Isère with Powder White and had the worst experience we have ever had on any holiday.

No one was there to greet us on the first night, so we had to search for the chalet in the cold, with our luggage on toe.

For the next two nights, we did not sleep because the members of another group in the chalet were running up and down stairs, screaming, smashing glasses, opening the doors to the bedrooms (there are no locks), urinating on the bedroom doors and, as we found out on the morning of our second day stealing money from one of the chalet girls' wallets. This was brushed off by the chalet girls in the morning and therefore reoccurred (but for the urinating and theft of money) on the night.

The food was also very average; our chalet was maintained and the meals were prepared by two young ladies between secondary school and university, so the standard is not very high.

We spoke to the Powder White manager at the resort about this, but he offered no alternatives so we left for a hotel. We ended up being about 800 euros out of pocket; Powder White never contributed towards any of this nor did they ever apologise.

We now have no alternative but to commence legal action against them; be warned!

I booked a ski holiday with Powder White in March. The staff were very knowledgeable and helped us put together a package that suited us. Although powderwhite do not sell flights, they helped us book some including transportation to the chalet we hired. It was like an all inclusive holiday because we has a catered chalet, got ski lift passes and ski hire arranged all down to childcare and a crate of wine. Fantastic experience! The chalet was clean and cosy and the shops were not too far away. I will book a ski holiday again so recommend them.

I wrote this review as the company deserved a mention for delivering great ski accommodation packages over the last 2 years. The difference with Powder White Ltd is they independently own their chalet accommodation resulting in less problems and are good communicators. I have stayed in 2 chalets both of which were clean and comfortable. The chalet may have been a little pricey but the staff done a great job and actually took care of the nitty gritty and let me get on with my holiday. First time I booked through a travel agent where a few things did go wrong but Powder White fixed it. The second time I booked directly as the Powder White website had live availability and prices online.