Champagne, snow and ski boots: My unexpected love affair with Club Med

Package holidays and all-inclusive resorts have never really featured on my itinerary. Even a snow or ski holiday, while vaguely intriguing, wasn’t something I’d actively gone looking for. Without sounding snobby, like many people reading this, I’ve always thought that setting out on a self-planned, bespoke trip was my preferred mode of escape.

That was, until Club Med invited me on a hosted press trip to Pragelato in the Italian Alps. To put it plainly, I have rather enthusiastically drunk the Club Med snow-holiday Kool-Aid, and quite possibly asked for seconds.

The OG all-inclusive

Founded in 1950, Club Med practically invented the modern all-inclusive holiday – and did so in wonderfully carefree style. Think post-war Europe and a group of sun-seeking adventurers and a village of tents on the beaches of Mallorca.

The concept was simple but game-changing: pay once, and everything is taken care of. Meals, activities, drinks and a ready-made social life included. Decades later, that same philosophy still holds, whether by the sea or in the mountains: arrive, switch off and concern yourself only with life’s big questions: ski before lunch or another cocktail after it?

Set in Italy’s Piedmont region near the French border, Club Med Pragelato is a traditional Alpine village whose name loosely translates to “icy meadow”, a fitting description for a place defined by long, snowy winters. The area had its moment on the global stage during the 2006 Winter Olympics, hosting ski jumping and cross-country events, but today it epitomises quaint mountain life. It also offers direct access to the vast Via Lattea (or “Milky Way”) ski area, where around 400 kilometres of slopes stretch across the Italian and French Alps.

The lie of the land

From Milan’s Malpensa Airport, the resort is about a three-hour drive away. The further you travel from the city, the more the landscape begins to resemble a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Highways give way to winding mountain roads and postcard-perfect alpine villages. By the time we reached the resort, the snow had started falling, and I mean properly falling.

It’s a bit of a cop-out for a writer to say a scene is “beyond words”, but this one comes close: snow drifting steadily down, the quiet hush that only snowfall seems to bring, a glass of bubbly in hand and a warm welcome to the resort. Bing Crosby’s It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas started looping in my head, which would be perfect if it hadn’t been February when I visited. Peak Italian ski season.

Adding to the “festive idyll” vibe, guests stay in charming alpine-style chalets that give the resort the feel of a small mountain village. Rooms are cosy and private, each with a balcony overlooking the surrounding peaks. Mornings begin with coffee and watching the snow fall as the resort slowly comes to life. It’s the perfect base for skiing, hiking and, ideally, doing as little else as possible.

Skiing and then some

While snow adventures here aren’t only about skiing, it’s certainly the main draw, and Pragelato delivers in spades. Having never skied before, I had no idea what to expect, but Club Med makes the whole process remarkably straightforward.

Lessons, equipment and slope access are seamlessly organised, with a cable car departing directly from the resort to the vast Via Lattea ski area and its slopes for every level. Even the gearis taken care of: you’re fitted once for skis, ski poles, boots and hiking kit and from then on everything waits neatly in your locker, ready for the next day’s adventure. It also leaves you free to focus on the important things, like perfecting your ski-holiday look, with plenty of vintage-inspired, slightly retro tracksuit moments to be had.

If skiing isn’t your thing, there is plenty else to enjoy. The resort has a beautiful indoor pool, perfect for a leisurely swim while snow falls outside (I even tried the aqua aerobics class, which, to be fair, was one of the only slightly lacklustre moments of the week) as well as a spa with a hammam, sauna and sensory showers.

There is also the lively après-ski scene for those who prefer their snow holidays with a side of socialising. My personal highlight, however, was snowshoeing. Using specialised footwear that distributes your weight across deep snow, it’s essentially winter hiking, ideal for anyone who loves nature. Guided walks lead through the surrounding alpine landscape, and ranged from gentle routes in a nearby national park where we learnt about local wildlife and forests, to more challenging climbs across the snowy terrain. It’s an unexpectedly magical way to experience the mountains.

Fam and food

For parents, Club Med Pragelato is very much a family place, and a surprisingly seamless one at that. Kids are grouped by age and promptly disappear into their own clubs, ski lessons and an endless rotation of activities. One minute they’re learning to ski, the next they’re making friendship bracelets, heading off on treasure hunts or watching nightly shows. The result is an obvious holiday win, children having the time of their lives and parents free to enjoy the slopes, blissfully unburdened, reunited later with new friends and plenty of stories. Or so I heard, having remained blissfully child-free myself.

Another major drawcard is the food. There are several options, including La Trattoria’s wood-fired pizzas, antipasti and local beers, plus Piedmontese classics such as creamy fondue. Most nights, however, we found ourselves at the enormous buffet, called Il Piemonte. This food bonanza brings together the best of Italian cuisine with international flair: think handmade pastas, charcuterie, an impressive spread of local cheeses and ever-changing themed dishes. There are plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options, and a clear focus on minimising food waste. In short, pace yourself.

The time of your life

For those who enjoy a good drink and a dance, the nightlife is a real highlight. Club Med’s culture is at the heart of it, and it may well be where I fully started drinking the Kool-Aid, helped along by a few very strong cocktails in the libation mix.

The vibe is best compared to Kellerman’s, the fictional Catskills resort from Dirty Dancing, where everyone works hard by day and parties together at night. At the centre of it all are the G.O.s or “Gentil Organisateurs”, Club Med’s famously sociable staff, who seem to do everything from running sports activities to working in the boutique and hosting the evening festivities. You’ll bump into them throughout the day and almost certainly end up jolling with them at night. Expect everything from line dancing to wonderfully chaotic staff performances and the iconic “45 Night”, a long-standing Club Med tradition. It’s slightly surreal, undeniably fun and surprisingly easy to get swept up in.

Off the island

Beyond the resort, excursions offer a change of pace. We visited Pinerolo, a charming town in the nearby Turin region. The city of Turin is close by too, and when we were there, was hosting the Winter Olympics.

Our Pinerolo guides were delightful locals, both folk musicians, who shared stories about the area’s history and musical traditions, where the hand-cranked hurdy-gurdy still reigns supreme.

The walking tour began, naturally, with coffee and pastries – as if we hadn’t eaten enough back at the resort – before we wandered through the streets, taking in the architecture, terracotta details and churches (it is Italy, after all). The morning ended at a lively local market, where the South African contingent demonstrated that we are very much not afraid of spending a little moola.

So how much is it?

Of course, all of this comes at a price. Club Med Pragelato packages start from around R37 019 per person for a seven-night stay, excluding flights and ski-gear hire. It’s a fair whack upfront, especially once flights are added, but the value lies in the all-in approach: lift passes, lessons, meals, drinks and entertainment are included, cutting both the admin and the creeping extras of a typical ski trip on a foreign dime.

For families and beginners, the ease is a major draw. That said, you are buying into a system with set dining times and ski schedules, which may not be for everyone. For me, however, the trade-off quickly began to make sense.

SA gets in on the action

And the good news for South Africans is that the Club Med experience will soon be much closer to home: just swap beaches for snow. Their new resort is currently under development on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, promising the same effortless mix of adventure, relaxation and all-inclusive ease. If my unexpectedly enthusiastic conversion to the Club Med way of doing holidays is anything to go by, it may be time for you to start preparing to buy in too.

Prices correct at time of publication. Terms and conditions apply. Jo was a guest of Club Med.

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