Alpe d'Huez Apres Ski Report: 24th February 2011
It's still holiday time here in Alpe d'Huez, so with all the families in town, the bars have been slightly quieter then usual.
On Sunday I managed to get try out a fantastic restaurant in the old town called Au Puits Des Saveurs, I did go there last season and let m tell you the food is still sublime. I opted for the very reasonably priced set menu, which came with a fois gras starter, steak main course and crème brulee dessert for a very reasonable 27 euros. All of it was cooked to perfection and expertly presented. One of my friends Josh ordered the same starter from the a la carte menu, and his portion was slightly bigger, but there was definitely more then enough on my plate. The restaurant is very cosy and has quite a French feel, but the menu offers dishes from all over the world. I don't have a bad word to say about the place and Pat the owner provides a wonderful atmosphere for the place. I strongly recommend it if you have an evening meal to find.
There were a couple of seasonnaire events in town this week, L'Etalon held a treasure hunt on Tuesday which involved fancy dressed seasonnaires running around resort and the mountain in search of the treasure, won in the end by the team of Alice, Dale, Kevin and B (I suspect a little foul play involved!).
Pacific's open mic night was again thriving with people all willing to try their hand at entertaining the masses, with great performances from a couple of Crystal chalet hosts another huge success.
And then yesterday Yeti held a pool party BBQ to take full advantage of the good weather; unfortunately I had to go to work and therefore couldn't stay long. But when I left, the atmosphere was jovial and the food smelled great.
And so it is time to finish my guide to the bars of Alpe d'Huez.
Over in Les Bergers you are quite limited for choice as other then very small French bars you only really have Tiger café, but this is by no means a bad choice. It is one of the larger bars in town and they show all live sport and often have themed nights and events.
As you make your way from Les Bergers into the old town, you will not be able to miss The Underground Bar opposite the church. A massive favourite with locals, seasonnaires and holidaymakers alike, Underground cannot be missed if you are spending any amount of time in Alpe d'Huez. They have loads of themed nights, guest musicians and always, good entertainment. Undies is responsible for the biggest closing party of the season and is always the last one standing on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.
Moving down the hill into the old town, there are a couple of great little bars down here starting with the Grotte du Yeti, with a great terrace which backs right onto the slopes it's a great place for an après BBQ, and really good deals during their apparently never ending happy hour. Next we have one of my favourite haunts in town Pacific Pub, in my opinion the best place to go to watch sport. It has quite an English pub feel about the place, but don't let this fool you – things can get messy here. Their open mic night on a Sunday is well worth a visit and they have the cheapest pool table in town. Try the toffee vodka, it's delicious! O Bar is just a little further on and is popular with French and English alike. O Bar has a great selection of cocktails and also some of the best food in Alpe d'Huez. Ideal if you want some after-mountain munch, it's also a Mecca for any Tottenham Hotspur fans visiting the resort.
Finally in resort we have a group of bars just up the hill from the old town on the route du Coulet. Here is where you will find the very late night action of Les Caves and Igloo nightclub, the only places in resort with a licence after 2am. But before we get to that, you have Le Pub, new this season but off to a great start Le Pub offers comfortable surroundings, a great view over the old town and a huge selection of delicious beer. Look for the train when you get there. Next you will find Zoo bar, one of the smaller bars but with a fantastic atmosphere, very popular with the French, Zoo bar offers a pool table, some very interesting shots, and a definite good time.
Lounge 21 has a great reputation as one of the best restaurants in resort, but in my opinion is under rated as a place to go for a non-dining experience. Certainly one of the classier places in resort Lounge has a fantastic wine and cocktail menu. This year they are offering delicious tapas if you don't feel like dipping into one of their famous fondues, just watch out for the armchairs, so comfortable they might swallow you up.
Igloo and Les Caves offer different perspectives on the late night action. Igloo is the much bigger of the two, and every night is rammed full of people who won't be catching first lifts in the morning. Igloo has a stage podiums and a huge dance floor for you to shake your moves on, and they have loads of parties on throughout the season ranging from strip shows to full-moon body painting parties. Caves has a slightly more French ambiance of the two nightclubs, again with a dance floor to boogie away on, and with a live DJ every night. Expect to pay slightly more for drinks in both venues, but if you just have to keep the party going, these are the places to do it.
If you have been reading my après report for any time at all, you will know all about Smithy's Tavern. Usually the busiest bar in town, Smithy's is a must see on an evening out in Alpe d'Huez. With a shooter list of 100 different shots you can try to get yourself in the Gallery of Champions by trying them all, and always a great programme of events. Famous for the dancing on the tables, which inevitably happens at the end of the night, Smithy's Tavern is home to the biggest parties in resort, great bands and hazy memories that you will still be trying to work out on the flight home. Smithy's also has the added advantage of having the best looking barman in resort…Me! See you there.
Remember, we're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time!
Pete
For a full list of this week's events, check out our What's On Calendar. You can also find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.
