Where is your fav family chalet/ location....or is it a secret?!

Hi all,

Just discovered this forum - wish I'd found this forum before our first ski trip last year!

I wonder if any of you guys can give us some of your years of experience as we are trying to find and book our perfect chalet in the perfect location for Half Term 2010. The ones I seem to find want loads of money (9-11k for one week whole chalet rental for 11...5 of those being children age 4,66,9,11!) which, apart from not having, we cant possibly justify.

We are going round in circles.

Our first trip was to Le Viking hotel (through Crystal) which was in the perfect of all perfect locations at the top of Le Pleney cable car in Morzine. Right on the green slope, with a fantastic area for kids to ski (or try) and sledge right outside the hotel with rope and magic carpet lifts. So we have been spolit. The hotel on other hand was not so perfect....by a looooong shot so next time we want to go with our friends (as before) in our own chalet and take our childcare with us.

So, we want a chalet (ideally catered), ideally ski in/ out and on/ near an easy blue with a green or other child friendly ski/ toboggan area very closeby so our childcare can entertain kids in the morning.
Close to lifts and blue/ green runs.
Easy walk to town/ village/ shops/ cafe/ restaurant. We dont want a car.
Dont want chalet to be up a slope as have a child with mobility problems with us who prob will need a buggy - am I showing my ignorance here...is it possible to get a ski in/out chalet not up a slope!!

Anyway, I cd really do with your list of favourites to help me out.
We were looking at Chalet Fram in Les Gets but it looks like its in the 'other' side of town with a bit of a walk out of town, no ski area for kids nearby and off a red run (yeah right!).

..or your thoughts on a good website to help me out wd be great.
Sorry for the ramble.
Hope you can help!

Becs

The following hyperlink might help:

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/resorts/default.aspx

I'm not sure if it'll work for a non member but it could be worth a try.

Norwich, Norfolk but the skiing not up to much, but the grubs good

Have a look at what Skiworld have to offer.

Hi Caines,
I was looking for a ski holiday for last Feb half-term, and I'm looking for one now for next Feb, so I understand your problem. Practically any sort of ski holiday seems to be incredibly expensive at that time, because it's the peak week/possibly 2 weeks of the ski-ing year.

When my children were younger we used to go in school time, at the beginning of January after the Christmas holidays. Presumably this option isn't open to you? But this year my daughter was in her GCSE year and didn't want to miss any school. The prices were about twice what we'd have paid in January. So I decided to change my tactics.

I managed to find a very cheap holiday for us by going self-catering and booking through a French estate agent, and booking the train and transfers myself. I know this isn't what you want to do, but the price difference is amazing. For example, I booked an apartment for 5 people for 675 euros for last Feb half-term, in Val Thorens. The apartment had a fantastic location, with the piste going right past it (not quite ski in ski out but pretty close), a few yards from the shops, and the ski shop was close. The train was £250 each (direct to/from St Pancras) and the transfer was around 20 euros each. Total per person assuming full occupancy around £400. A chalet with flights would have cost me anything from £800 upwards per person (most of them were over £1000 per person).

I may be totally wrong, and no doubt if so someone will correct me, but I think if you stick with your stated requirement you won't find anything much cheaper than what you already have. And, because there are so many of you, I don't think you'd find a last minute booking either.

Next Feb half-term I think we're going to Courchevel, again French self-catering. You can't book until about July, but if prices stay the same it should be 950 euros for an apartment for 4, 3 star, ski in gondola out (that's what you have to do if you're at the bottom on the flat!),sledging run virtually outside the door, train around £200 each (flights are cheaper but I prefer the train), transfers probably around 20 euros each again return. Total cost per person around £540 (plus of course ski passes, lessons, ski hire, and insurance).

If you go self-catering you do of course have to buy your own food, as compared with a catered chalet, but I reckon this evens out because you can go back to the apartment for lunch, and lunch on the slopes can be very expensive.

Lots of people here seem to think Niederau is great for beginners and intermediates (as does one of my friends - I haven't been there myself) but Austria doesn't generally seem to do self-catering.

I'm sorry to be so depressing, but ski holidays are very expensive, especially at Feb half-term.

Ally

May I just counter balance that and add that ski holidays dont have to be very expensive, although I do personally avoid school holidays. I have always been prepared to take my kids out of school, but I appreciate not everyone can do that, especially at the latter stages of their education.
A fully catered chalet in St Anton at £500pp including lift pass? I dont think thats expensive.

Tony,
I agree with you, I think that's very cheap, but I don't suppose that's Feb half-term. There are some very cheap offers around, e.g. an offer on today - Cheval Blanc apartment Val Thorens, 21st March, 4 people, £200 each with Thomson including flights from Manchester (half price offer).

And I was thinking about the whole cost of the holiday. My daughter and I always have lessons morning and afternoon, because she skis too fast for me and complains bitterly if she has to wait for me, and I don't want her ski-ing on her own, nor do I want to ski on my own either, plus I think we improve faster in lessons.

We had an extra day in Val Thorens this Feb (got the night train back), and lessons plus ski passes plus ski hire was an extra £500 each.

I agree perhaps I over generalised, I was thinking of my own situation. If you can go when you like, where you like, and you don't need lessons and you bring your own gear, then ski holidays can be very cheap. However, as I think I said, we prefer to go by train, which involves a 250 mile train journey to get to London, with one change, then across London on the underground, then train to the Alps, then bus, then walk to the apartment. My daughter wanted to buy her own skis but I said 'no' because I just couldn't face carrying them as well as all our other luggage. And boots would be even worse. And it's much too far for me to drive all the way to the Alps.

And as I said she doesn't want to miss school (she is doing very well at the moment), and I have to work here at home from around March right through to the New Year with our holiday cottage lets and farmwork, so we can't go when it's cheapest. At the moment, unfortunately, I am stuck with going at half-term in Feb.

Ally

That just proves how different everyones own circumstances are.
For Ally, its long train rides and not having to carry her own skis and boots, and lessons as well. And all in school, holidays. £500 for one extra days skiing? Thats madness.
For me, I can fly from almost anywhere within reason, take my own gear, and go anytime of the season.

I hope you find something that works for you. Would you not consider flying?