A family ski holiday is decided at the table as much as on the slopes. Children tire sooner, get hungry earlier and cope badly with waiting, and a few adjustments change every meal of the week.
Children run on a different clock
A child who has been skiing since 9am is hungry by midday, not by 1pm. In the evening the useful dinner window falls between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. Beyond that, tiredness overtakes appetite and the meal becomes a negotiation.
This is why resort restaurants open early in the evening. The 6.30pm sitting belongs to families; the 8.30pm sitting belongs to couples and groups of adults. Choosing the right one creates comfort on both sides: children eat when they are hungry, and everyone else dines in peace.
What actually fills a child who skis
The energy needs of an eight-year-old skiing for five hours are proportionally higher than an adult’s. The stomach, however, is smaller, and cannot take everything in at one sitting.
The answer is three points in the day rather than two: a proper breakfast, a simple lunch, and a substantial snack around 4.30pm. Dinner can then stay light, which helps with falling asleep, often difficult during the first nights at altitude.
Our children’s menu at €19 follows that logic: coquillettes with ham, small pasta shells served plainly, or a mini margarita pizza from the wood-fired oven, plus a dessert. Nothing extravagant, sensible quantities, and dishes that children actually finish.
Waiting is the main enemy
A tired child copes with ten minutes of waiting, not thirty. Three habits reduce the strain. Book, so that you are seated straight away. Order the children’s dishes on arrival, without waiting for the rest of the table to decide. And have something to bridge the gap: bread, an olive, a small plate to share.
Ask for a table away from the service routes as well. A child seated in a corridor gets up three times as often, and so does the parent following them.
Sharing suits families
Dishes for the middle of the table solve the problem of choice. A large pizza cut into slices, a selection of piattini, the Italian small plates meant to be passed around, or a tartiflette, the Savoyard bake of potato, onion, bacon and melted reblochon, served for everyone to help themselves. Each person takes what they want, nobody is left with a plate they cannot finish, and waste drops sharply.
It is also better value. Two pizzas and a salad for three people cost less than three individual main courses, and almost always prove sufficient. Our lunch menu is built with that kind of sharing in mind.
Altitude and small children
Children generally acclimatise faster than adults, but they describe symptoms badly. Headaches, irritability and loss of appetite on the first day are not obstinacy; they are the signs of an adjustment in progress.
The standard advice applies twice over: drink plenty, avoid intense effort on the day of arrival, and do not worry about a poor appetite during the first twenty-four hours. The tourist office website sets out the usual precautions at altitude, and the Les 3 Vallées pages cover conditions across the ski area.
Meals as fixed points
On holiday the daily rhythm comes apart. Meals then become the only fixed points in the day, and that is precisely what reassures young children. Eating in the same place several times in a week, finding the same table and the same waiter, has more effect on the mood of a holiday than most parents expect.
It is true for the adults too. Not having to decide where to eat every evening removes one decision a day from a week that already contains plenty.
Organising a larger table
Above six people, it is better to telephone than to book online. A large table needs a particular arrangement, sometimes a separate area, and a service adapted to it. We prepare these tables in advance, and only a direct conversation allows that to be set up properly. The number is +33 (0)4 79 00 10 40. Larger gatherings are covered in our article on groups and private hire.
For birthdays, twenty-four hours’ notice is enough to arrange a dessert and a considered arrival at the table.
What to carry in a pocket
Three things prevent most late-morning crises. A compact snack, a cereal bar, a fruit jelly or dried fruit, something that can be eaten with gloves on. A small bottle of water, since children rarely drink of their own accord at altitude. And a tissue, given what cold air does to children’s noses.
These supplies do not replace a meal. They prevent the 11.30am collapse when the queue at the restaurant is lengthening. They also earn their place on days when the lift queues are long, where a quarter of an hour feels interminable to a six-year-old.
Frequently asked questions
What time should we have dinner with children in Val Thorens?
Between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. That is the first sitting, the family one, and the point at which children still have an appetite rather than a growing list of complaints.
Is there a children’s menu at Le Rendez-Vous?
Yes, at €19: coquillettes with ham or a mini margarita pizza, plus a dessert. Portions are calculated for children rather than scaled down from adult plates.
What should we do if a child has no appetite at altitude?
It is common during the first twenty-four hours. Concentrate on drinks and small quantities, without forcing anything. Appetite generally returns on the second day.
Can we come with a pushchair or a baby?
Yes. Let us know when you book so that we can allow for the space and provide a high chair if one is needed.