Cheap & convenient resort for young children?

After an enforced break, we're looking to do a holiday next season with our 5yr old (who's had some dry & indoor slope time) & 3yr old (who won't be doing much).

I've not skied in Europe much, except once in the Dolomites, once in Breuil-Cervinia and a couple of times in Scotland (!). So I don't really know what the good options are for a family with two young kids. Here are our main criteria:

Child-friendly. Obviously. Both ski school for the older one, and some things for the 3yr old too.

Cheap. We're not too fussy about miles of runs, flashy lifts, deep powder or apres ski. We are fussy about money. I learned to ski on a club field in New Zealand where the high speed rope tow was pulled by a tractor engine. And did I mention I've skied in Scotland? I've been to Whistler, Banff, Kicking Horse and Jasper but I'm quite capable of modifying my expectations :-)

Short transfers. A couple of hours is probably OK, would like to avoid anything over, say, 3 hours.

Good flight options from the north of England. Either side of the country - we can get to all of Doncaster Sheffield, Leeds Bradford, Manchester or Newcastle pretty easily.

To save money I think we'd probably look at January, but dates are flexible. We'd skip the mid term break.

So.... any ideas folks? Someone suggested Borovets, but from reviews it's a love-it-or-hate-it place. Someone else recommended Slovenia, but they've not skied there. Andorra looks like maybe another option, but transfers are long. And beyond these, I get a bit overwhelmed by all the options.

Cheap..Umm. Then its really got to be Austria or Italy. Flights to Geneva, Innsbruck, Salzberg can be cheap especially if you book early or go mid week. From those places you have loads of places within 1 or 1.5 hrs especially from Innsbruck and Geneva. I am sure loads of folk will recommend resorts that fit your bill but mid to late Jan is a good time to go but it can be really cold for kids then so make sure they have the right kit.

Cheap. Bulgaria.

We went to Pila last year and it was cheap - coffee breaks didn't cost an arm and a leg. It's convenient - all the runs end up back in the same place, where the ski school meets, so super easy to pick up kids from lessons. There are several hotels in Pila itself, or Aosta in the valley which is linked to the mountain by a 20 minute bubble ride. I think the transfer from Turin was only an hour and a half. Most runs are easy reds. Nice place, friendly people.

Brucie wrote:Cheap. Bulgaria.

Yeah, I've heard that. But I've seen mixed reviews (online, don't know anyone who's actually been).

I know you get what you pay for, but if the difference in cost is the price of a stress-free holiday that might be worth it. I'm not too bothered about some old lifts or dodgy snow (Scotland remember...) but something like an unsafe-feeling resort might be a different matter.

Have you been to Bulgaria recently?

I've heard good things about Pila for families. Of the resorts I've skied, Soldeu in Andorra and Risoul in France are good for families, but transfers are longer than desired. Les Deux Alpes would be OK, but nothing special. The Bjornen area of Are in Sweden would be good, but the cheap flights are from Gitwick or Heathrow. And I would not go with small kids in January because of the potential for very very cold weather. And yes, you can do Scandinavia "on the cheap" so long as you don't eat or drink out much.

Sorry if this is teaching granny to suck eggs, but if you want to save money, look at doing a DIY trip, rather than using a tour operator. For maximum savings, book the flights early.

dobby wrote:Sorry if this is teaching granny to suck eggs.

Not at all, thanks for the advice. The only trips I've done to Europe before have been organised by others, so I don't have any preconceptions about the best way to do it. I've DIYed a few trips to Canada before, so I'm happy to do that for Europe too.

I couldn't find any especially cheap packages for Pila, and a couple of people have mentioned it now. So perhaps I should look at a DIY trip there.

Just MHO, but been there and got the t-shirt. You're thinking in the right direction; skiing with little ones can be great fun but best to treat it as a holiday with some skiing, rather than necessarily a "ski holiday". You don't need a big ski area or metres of powder, which let's you widen your choices of resort massively, and I hear you on the budget... 8)

hillsy wrote:We'd skip the mid term break.

Good plan if you have that choice.

hillsy wrote:To save money I think we'd probably look at January

As Dobby said; that's not a great time to be out with small people - they get cold and tired a lot quicker than the rest of us. If it's blowing a blizzard and -20C it won't matter how much money you saved...

Been there and done that - won't do it again...

My advice, really, would be to focus on late season. Easter is just a great time to be in the mountains with kids; way more sunshine, warm afternoons, un-crowded slopes (other than the actual holiday days like Easter Sunday when locals turn out in force, of course).

Been there and done that - every time now!

Prices are lower also, and a lot of resorts have special deals for late-season skiers.

I'd recommend looking at Italy (Pila, as above - but also Monterosa who do offers like free lift passes, with local hotel bookings, for the last weeks of the season) and definitely don't overlook France. The French are having a big push with a widespread "Ski into Spring" initiative and have lots going on.

I've just seen an ad for La Clusaz (somewhere I know well!), for example :- "Learn to Ski - From 8th to 28th April, Free Lift Pass, Free Lessons and 50% off ski hire".

If you're planning ahead for next season then you've plenty of time but browse around and check out the late-season deals this year; there'll be similar next year.

HTH :thumbup: