Pragelato Sestriere Italy

Our second year with Club Med (Val Thorens in 2024 being the first) and I have to say that Club Med Pragelato-Sestriere was great. The layout wasn’t what we expected - the accommodation was in individual chalets rather than a single building, but our room was the closest to the central hub so it wasn’t an inconvenience.

The room was great as were the facilities, and the buffet was exceptional - on the food, I’d say give the specialty restaurant a miss (our experience there wasn’t great) and if you stick with the buffet you will not be disappointed. Our interraction with staff was great, and they were very friendly and helpful.

The arrival / check-in / skis and boots collection process was a little ramshackle, but only to be expected on a very busy changeover day with 600 new guests arriving. Not quite ski in / ski out (as was the case at Val Thorens) but the gondola was a 1 minute walk across the courtyard from the main entrance. As for the lessons / ski guiding, 100% excellent, and our instructor Umberto was a gentleman, and our experience with him throughout the week was great.

Overall, I’d say the week was great and I’d have no hesitation in recommending Pragelato, and would happily return.

The Club Met itself is pretty good. Take it easy on the oysters but overall a superb experience. Truly all inclusive since one can have an on mountain lunch with wine all inclusive of the meals as well.

Five days of ski instruction was also included. It is that were we got truly lucky. Luca is an accomplished skier but it is just a backdrop to quality of instruction that he provides. He is genuinely interested in improving each and everyone and he knows how to do it. It is equally important that his English allows him to accomplish that. You will also have the best time ever. If I ever go back I will go out of my way requesting Luca as an instructor in advance. The terrain definitely warrants a return trip. We did not get lucky with snow but that's even more of a reason.

Great place and ski school. Nice environment and food. Amazing staff, and service! Especially Yuval and Heri from the bar who were lovely, hospitable and made sure we had an unforgettable experience, they were smiling all the time and were the best bartenders we could wish for.

Had an amazing time.
If you are a half glass empty sort of person there are a fair few things to get frustrated about. There is very little communication between the various departments so you can easily get conflicting advice.
However, there is a lot to like. Skiing was amazing and our instructor, Paulo, was incredible. He was more like a tour guide than an instructor and took us to some amazing places. The footprint of this ski area is huge.
A big tip - THERE ARE NO SKI LESSONS ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. They should make this very clear because we met some people who arrived on a Friday, didn’t know how to ski and did nothing for the first two days.
Also - if you are a beginner, insist on getting the bus to Sestriere. Skiing there is very difficult for a beginner and they should make that more clear.
The buffet was exceptional. The speciality restaurants weren’t so good and really difficult to book.
Our room is great.
The ski locker set up is fantastic and it’s easy to get ready and jump on the gondola.

If you’re scratching your head, wondering why all of this translates to a five star recommendation? We left feeling like we had an incredible experience. Embrace a little bit of chaos and don’t sweat the small stuff!!