Catered or Self Catering

Hi I'm looking to book a ski holiday over New year. Last year was our first time since before children so we booked with a travel company a really nice hotel and it cost a fortune, but was lovely having the pool and wellness suite, although they did mess up our booking.

Usually we book flights and accommodation separately for summer hols and that's what I'm trying to do this year if it saves any money

I'm going round and round in circles with resorts, accommodation, flights - and the prices are going up and availability going down!

I'm hoping to go to one of the snow sure resorts in France. Flights are looking around £1100, plus transfers or car hire and accommodation. We can get an apartment for around £1000 - £1500 or Catered Chalet for around the £2000 - £2500, and I don't know which way to go. The self catering has a pool and wellness suite but we will have to eat out each night( costs of eating out in resort??). The Chalets don't but obviously have the advantage of not having to go out to restaurants ( I don't intend cooking). Anyone done both options and can give an opinion.
Thanks for any advice

I appreciate that this may be your only break from cooking and for some people holidays and self-catering are a contradiction in terms. But we've self-catered for years now because the family like the freedom of an apartment compared to a hotel, and while we do go out for some meals, it's often a good opportunity to get the family to really help with both cooking and clearing-up in a way they would avoid at home. But I undersand if this isn't for you. We explained to our kids (plus their friends) that helping-out was intrinsic to being able to afford to go at all, plus meant we could have more space than in a hotel - it seemed to work.

i have only done self catered the once, on any holiday be it winter or summer and for me, you save all year to pay for these holidays and the last thing I want to be doing after a hard day on the slopes followed by half a dozen Edelweiss in the bar is cooking. But this is not everyone's bag. In your case I would go for the self catered option and eat out in resort, at least you then have the benefit of the pool and wellness suite.

Good luck with your search and enjoy the trip.

CATERED!!!! its so much easier. You come down stairs and your breakfast is ready for you, When your tired in the evening your dinner is ready for you. Plus you dont have to worry about overspending as much, as your always going to be fed! Though I suppose this is the lazy skiers/boarders choice.

Catered is easier, but I also find it quite restricting. Last year we self catered & friends were catered. They could never join us in the evening to enjoy activities in the village or go ice skating because they had to be ready for dinner at a set time.

We usually stop at a patisserie on the way home from the slopes to eat a delicious treat & to buy some fresh bread. By the time we get home we've eaten most of the bread & don't feel hungry any more :lol: I find that if we have some yogurts, fruit, bread, pate & cheese handy in our apartment then nobody goes hungry & we don't have to spend a lot on eating out.

I enjoy getting up early & walking (hopefully through the snow) to the bakery for fresh croissants - it's all part of the experience!

At the end of the day, I guess you'll have to decide what your priorities are, but I don't think cooking has to be a chore - just keep it simple & eat out occasionally for a treat.

:D hi,if you sre looking for catered chalet accommadation at a reasonable price i can reccommend Ski Miquel,i have used them many times over the years and have been to St.Anton,Whistler and a couple of times to Serre Chevaliere and have had excellent food(all Ski Miquels chefs are fully trained) accommadation and service at avery acceptable cost(eg two weeks in whistler fully catered,with flights,lift passes transfers etc was £600 per person,but this was a few years ago now).

Still a newbee to skiing but in my first season managed 2 trips both catered chalets, one with the family and one a men only trip!

Have to say both excellent but more appropriate for the family, as my wife is struggling with the idea of skiing so to have to cook after a lot of waiting around for me and the kids would be a nightmare for her and considers it a part of her holiday and the food has been excellent at both chalets.

With the lads only, being tied to a time was not great but it does ensure we get a couple of decent meals a day.

Doing catered again for the family this coming season and hotel for the men only so could comment better after, but it was nice being looked after in the chalets, guess we just picked 2 very good ones.

Hi,
We have been ski-ing for many years and always tried to keep costs down by self catering. However towards the latter years we found catered options to be sooo much more cost effective. The privately owned chalets work really hard to make sure your holiday is fantastic and you don't lift a finger (because they want you to go back next year). You certainly don't get that kind of service and attention to detail with bigger companies, hotels, apartment etc. We've always been treated like VIP's, picked up from the airport in a private mini bus, driven to the slopes and picked up without hanging around for crowded ski buses.
Delicious 4 course meals, quality wine supplied, canapes by a roaring log fire, chalet always clean, beds made, no cooking, no washing dishes, just enjoying which is exacly what a holiday should be!!