Port Du Soleil - Need some help please!!

Hi there,

I've been searching websites in Canada for ski packages to Port Du Soleil, and nothing seems to come up.

I was wondering a few things...

1. Which town (Avoriaz, Morzine?) is the best to stay for ski-in/out, activities and restaurants?
2. Which company provides a ski packages to any of these towns? Doesn't need to be Canadian, just one that comes highly recommended.
3. If no package is available, how do you arrange transportation to any of these towns?
4. Which hotels are highly recommended and located in the center of the town?
5. Should we hire a ski guide the first day or two, so we understand the terrain and routes (especially how to get back to our resort!)?

Any help is GREATLY appreciated! :P

Hi AM_CANADIAN,
I have been to Morzine twice (2006 & 2007). Both times with the same holiday company.
They have their own catered chalet and can also place you in the hotel next door. I stayed in the hotel on a half board basis and had no complaints at all. Both are only 10 minutes walk away from town.
If you can find a flight into Geneva airport they will pick up and transfer.
The only thing they can't offer is the ski in / ski out facility.
They also gave us a guided day to show us all the hidden pistes, which during the school holidays is no mean feat.

I'm not associated with the company. I just feel you can get some information and a good holiday from them.

This is the link to the web page:

www.simply-morzine.co.uk

Best wishes

Is there a particular reason why you've chosen the Portes du Soleil? I've skied the whole circuit in a day, but we only just managed to get back to our starting-point in time before the lifts closed. This year the snow looks good, but bear in mind that in warmer conditions, some of the connections are not that great and you may have to catch the bus. If you plan to come over for a couple of weeks or more, you might like to try a couple of centres, more if you have 3+ weeks e.g. Avoriaz, Chamonix, Verbier, Champéry, Villars - the list is extensive.

AM_CANADIAN wrote:Hi there,

I've been searching websites in Canada for ski packages to Port Du Soleil, and nothing seems to come up.

I was wondering a few things...

1. Which town (Avoriaz, Morzine?) is the best to stay for ski-in/out, activities and restaurants?
2. Which company provides a ski packages to any of these towns? Doesn't need to be Canadian, just one that comes highly recommended.
3. If no package is available, how do you arrange transportation to any of these towns?
4. Which hotels are highly recommended and located in the center of the town?
5. Should we hire a ski guide the first day or two, so we understand the terrain and routes (especially how to get back to our resort!)?

Any help is GREATLY appreciated! :P

1. I would stay in either Avoriaz or Chatel-Chatel is a good central point to link to the whole area and Avoriaz is nice and high (and better night life).
2. Alpine Elements do packages to Morzine and I think maybe Avoriaz but you could try Igluski-I used them a few years back they were ok.
3. Best way to do a transfer AND accomodation is by "The Solutions Room" - Goggle it and put in what you want and people who run chalets will get back to you-they usually pick you up from airport or will have advice on how to get there.
4. Dont know about Hotels because have always stayed in Chalets.
5. If you go with a company like Crystal they will provide a Ski-rep guide person for a day int he week but its fairly easy to get around unless you want to go off piste in Les Gets (which is excellent)

Enjoy!

rossyhead wrote:

2. Alpine Elements do packages to Morzine and I think maybe Avoriaz but you could try Igluski-I used them a few years back they were ok.

Enjoy!

As I've said before in a previous post, you may wish to type 'Tripadvisor Alpine Elements' into Google before proceeding any further with them! :evil:

If you can't find a suitable package, if you can fly into Geneva, there a numerous trasnfer options to the PDS. Google 'transfers Geneva to Portes du Soleil' & lots of options come up. In the past I've often used Alp-Line & they've been excellent.

Ski hire (if needed) can be pre-booked online or easily done in resort once you get there. You will pay a bit more but it will at least give you time to check out a shop that is in a convenient location for you. Equally, lift passes can be bought on your first day of skiing. I always do this & have never had any problems or queues.

Personally, I like to get to know an area by exploring it & using a piste map. Chatel is a good base for the PDS & you just have to make sure you are back in the right sector by mid - late afternoon. There is plenty of information around the ski areas telling you what time you need to be back on a certain lift to prevent you from becoming stranded on the wrong side of the mountain.

Good luck with your planning - I get the impression that you aren't a beginner, so with a bit of time & patience on Google, you should be able to sort something out. Once you've organised flights & accommodation, the rest should be straightforward.

BTW, when are you planning to come to Europe?

Avoriaz is probably your best bet if you want to ski to the door, and is pretty well connected to the circuit but it's a pretty ugly place unless you like 60's french architecture. We've had half a dozen Easter weeks, and usually find independent Chalets in the Montriond area where they'll generally ferry you up to Ardent for the Les Lindarets lift. This is a fantastic spot as you can basically choose from 3 lifts at the opt taking you to Chatel, Swiss Side (Le Croset/ Champoussin) or Avoriaz and then down to Morzine.

The area's generally well sign posted and the maps are pretty good, but whether you want a guide probably mostly depends on your navigation experience.

Don't miss the goat village below Les Lindarets, with huge choice of pretty alpine restaurants, and the Rosta in Les Gets which producs a kind of large bread roll (say 8 inches) filled with chips and burger !

Have a great time - we keep going back year after year !