Latest posts for the topic "Chalet holiday but on a budget."

Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Mon, 6 Oct 2014 17:07:05 GMT

Hey guys.

Hope everyone is well? Now that I've moved house, brought a dog and finally remembered my password to the website iv decided to look at going away this winter.

I have a budget of GBP1600 for two of us to go away on the 4th January for a week. With work and my fiance's uni course this is the only week we can go.

The 1600 needs to cover abomination, transfers, flights, ski hire and lift passes.

I have looked on Crystal at Andorra and a place in Italy, can't remember which resort. And they have had holidays in my price range.

We would like to stop in a chalet but have no idea what they charge and if it's out of our price range. Also we haven't decided on a resort, so can anyone please give me advise.

As always, cheers in advance as I know you all have good tips and advice

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 7 Oct 2014 11:25:54 GMT

Try Alpine Elements, they have a good range of chalets well within your budget. Val D'Isere for GBP510pp fully catered is just one option.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 7 Oct 2014 17:10:30 GMT

You need to decide where you want to to Sm4sh before you start looking at chalets and costs.
Andorra is generally cheap, but snow may be an issue that early, hopefully not.
France is the chalet capital - places like Meribel, Val Thorens, Les Arcs and in particular La Plagne are full of them.
Its a tight budget even by my standards - why dont you wait and book something late as prices will drop within 2 weeks of travel?

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 7 Oct 2014 21:04:57 GMT

That seems an OK budget, sm4sh. You should be able to look at a number of places.
I don't do chalets, so won't try to help there. I always try to stay either in a hotel, (which, for best price would be a late booking), but I prefer a b&b or apartment, where the proprietors mostly speak German.
sm4sh, what is your local airport(s)? That is a key factor on flight value.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 7 Oct 2014 23:39:45 GMT

First pass GBP1410 flying from London.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Wed, 8 Oct 2014 11:43:21 GMT

Hi Sm4sh. Agree with Tony about France. Have skied La Plagne many times-good to excellent ski area and pretty snow sure in early January. They have the glacier there so skiing all year round! Prices in La Plagne can be a bit high but staying in a chalet can ease the pain! Have used both Crystal and Silver Ski who would come in your budget at that time of the year. Silver ski have some excellent chalets in Plagne Central with excellent access to all the other villages (plus Les Arc). Have a look at the websites. Also possibly worth considering is Italy with Gressoney and Champoluc good and very reasonably priced. Let us know how you get on.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Wed, 8 Oct 2014 13:19:27 GMT

The first couple of weeks of the year tend to be quieter and cheaper, althouhg like Tony says the lower resorts might not have the best snow, but if you can hang on and book last minute like has been suggested you could get yourself a great deal.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 9 Oct 2014 00:21:46 GMT

We would be flying from Manchester or Birmingham. Have been looking on the Neilson website and come across some cheap ... hotels :)
Seems to be heading more towards the hotels at the moment as I don't think my fiance realised you kinda share Chalets with other people staying there.

At the moment we are looking at Soll, Austria and Arinsal, Andorra. Do you guys have any negative points on these resorts and at going at this time of year?

There is just so many different places to book and after my first year skiing in Borovets I am always worries there will be no snow.

Sorry to be a pain.

:)

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 9 Oct 2014 06:03:56 GMT

Silverski have amazing last minute deals, I worked for them last season. In January last season they had deals from GBP199 la plagne has some amazing pisted runs but even better off piste and is very snow sure they are also offering flights from Manchester this season

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 9 Oct 2014 15:31:08 GMT

We stayed in Scheffau in early January a couple of years ago so skied in Soll also and encountered a fair bit of fog! Not sure if this is typical for January? We also found the piste map confusing. The ski bus service seemed to be good, but I think you need to decide where to stay in Soll - ie near the lifts or near the town.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 10 Oct 2014 21:33:44 GMT

Hi Sm4sh,
The half-board hotel we're staying in, the Sauze hotel in Sauze d'Oulx, on the 11th January, is only about GBP1,000 for 2 people on 4th Jan, including flights and transfers.

Unfortunately I have no idea whether there will be any snow there on 4th Jan. I just hope there's plenty there by the 11th!!

http://www.crystalski.co.uk/ski-resorts/italy-ski-holidays/sauze-doulx/hotel-sauze/

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 12:34:48 GMT

Looks like its been alright the last few years

http://www.igluski.com/italy/sauze-d-oulx-snow-history_3484

ill look into it

cheers

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 17:30:10 GMT

Yes, we thought the snow history for Sauze looked OK, before we booked the holiday :)

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sun, 12 Oct 2014 16:07:52 GMT

sm4sh wrote:We would be flying from Manchester or Birmingham. Have been looking on the Neilson website and come across some cheap ... hotels :)
Seems to be heading more towards the hotels at the moment as I don't think my fiance realised you kinda share Chalets with other people staying there.

At the moment we are looking at Soll, Austria and Arinsal, Andorra. Do you guys have any negative points on these resorts and at going at this time of year?

There is just so many different places to book and after my first year skiing in Borovets I am always worries there will be no snow.

Sorry to be a pain.

:)

Sm4sh - remember how many people said "be warned" about snow before you went to Borovets?

Well be warned about Soll or Andorra as well. Soll is low, Andorra can simply be iffy. Just depends on how the winter progresses, but personally I wouldnt book either in advance.

Also, chalets are a better way of meeting other people, gaining some good tips, sharing experiences, and also generally better value for money with breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner and wine included. Just pick one which has all ensuite rooms!

Like I said - decide on where you want to go first, what your criteria is/are, and then look for something suitable. Skiworld have some good deals on chalets at the moment.

I think Dave Mac might be steering you towards his line, which is do it yourself - not something I think from what you've told us about yourself that you'd be suited to, and as such flights are not the issue for you, its about the package for someone like you.

Look at SkiTotal, Skiworld as well as the usual Inghams, Crystal and Neilson.

Theres some very good deals to Les 2 Alpes with Neilson at their chalet Hotel, and also the Planibel apartments in La Thuile - both of which would be highly recommended resorts.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sun, 12 Oct 2014 16:51:56 GMT

Thanks guys for the tips, just been looking at Planibel hotel/apartments.

Would you say I am better booking a holiday as soon as I find one or waiting and booking in December sometime?

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:58:02 GMT

sm4sh wrote:Thanks guys for the tips, just been looking at Planibel hotel/apartments.

Would you say I am better booking a holiday as soon as I find one or waiting and booking in December sometime?

It all depends on what you think is a decent price to pay. Wait until later and it may be gone and you've limited your options. Ski holidays dont tend to sell out though unless its peak weeks.

I was going to book the Planibel Half Board - including flights, transfers, HB it was coming in at GBP560pp which in light of this years huge price hikes I didnt think was bad value for money. However, bear in mind you're adding on GBP200 roughly for a lift pass, GBP20 a day for lunch, GBP20 a day for drinks and suddenly GBP560 has turned into nearly GBP1100pp! Thats why for GBP100 more I have booked Club Med in swanky St Moritz.

Some good club med deals at the moment for just over GBP1000pp all in, and I mean ALL in. Les 2 Alpes and Serre Che were the last 2 I saw on offer at those kind of prices for January.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:45:55 GMT

sm4sh wrote:Thanks guys for the tips, just been looking at Planibel hotel/apartments.

Would you say I am better booking a holiday as soon as I find one or waiting and booking in December sometime?

I would say either book well ahead, when there's plenty of availability and you've got loads of time to think about it, or book last minute and just get the best bargain you can find in an OK sort of resort.

The other thing you have to think of (unless you go all inclusive), is the price of food and drink on the slopes. In Tignes you could pay 5 euros for a cup of tea in a mountain restaurant, whereas in Folgarida it was more like 1 euro! And likewise, in Tignes, a small bargain lunch for me, with a drink, was about 15 euros but in Folgarida (Italy) it was only 3-50 euros!!

Oh, and the lift pass in Sauze d'Oulx is pretty cheap as well. In the slack period after New Year from 6th January, it's only 130 euros, which is currently about GBP103 for the Via Lattea area (before bank charges for the currency conversion). But for the 5th January it's 190 euros. I think the price with Crystal is GBP161 for the lift pass, and GBP50 for the ski hire, but you'd have to check. If we book lessons through the Sauze hotel it's 130 euros (reduced from 150 euros) for 3 hours per day for 6 days. I don't know what Crystal are charging.

So, I would expect the total holiday cost of the Sauze hotel for 6th Jan booked through Crystal to be about:
Half board hotel plus transfers = GBP500
Lift pass = GBP161
Ski hire = GBP50
Total = GBP711 per person.

Plus, they're often offering 2 for 1 on lift passes or ski hire.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:01:20 GMT

Add GBP300 into Ally's equation as she hasnt factored in lunches and drinks and spending money, so thats a round GBP1000 or so for a budget holiday in a 2 star hotel on a package with Gatwick flights at 6am (usually) in a resort which is well known for erratic snowfall.

Food and drink prices do vary massively based on where you go, which is why something like the Club Med packages are well worth a look as I could find one of their deals for GBP1000 all in to certain resorts on 3rd or 4th Jan (6th is actually a Tuesday so you won't get a Crystal package going that day.....)

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:15:39 GMT

Tony,
I don't know what the prices are like in Sauze, because I haven't been there yet. But I'm quite sure I didn't spend more than about 40 euros all week in Folgarida on food and drink.

And the Sauze hotel is 3 star, not 2 star, and has very good reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g194891-d3301609-Reviews-Hotel_Sauze-Sauze_d_Oulx_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html

It's not that I'm pushing that particular hotel out of the thousands available in various ski resorts, it's just that I happen to have researched it because I'm going there!

Oh, and whilst we're factoring in extra expenses, I always find it amazing how much I spend in airports and train stations. Last time I took a packed lunch with me and saved a load of money!

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 17:39:38 GMT

I couldnt survive on 40 euros a day for food and drink, I have no idea how you do it. Morning drink will be a couple of euros, lunch around 10-15 maybe, couplf of afternoon drinks another 10, and then a couple of giraffes of wine or beers another 10-20 depending on quantity and prices.

The Sauze is 3 star in Italy, and according to Crystal. That doesn't mean its much better than your average 2 star, remember I have stayed there a few years ago. It really must have been gutted and rebuilt for it to deserve 3 star status. Dont get me wrong, its reasonably comfortable and in a great position, but the furniture was old and tatty, the corridors and stairwells echoing and noisy, and the bedrooms were downright dangerous with wires hanging off the walls. I seriously hope the place has been renovated from top top bottom for your sake.

Anyway, none of this helps the OP.

40 euros for the week!!!!! You clearly cant eat or drink more than one espresso and a panini a day!!!!!

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 23:55:18 GMT

There is a great deal of confusion about European hotel star ratings. The systems vary from country to country and in Italy from region to region. Even though they are both 3 star hotels the Hotel Sauze clearly isn't in the same league as the Hotel Maria in Ortisei http://www.hotelmaria.cc/en/Default.asp.

The European Consumer Centres' Network has produced a brochure detailing how hotels are classified in each EU state. http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/docs/hotel_establishment_classification_EU_en.pdf

The hotels associations of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland have created the Hotelstars Union which also classifies hotels according to specific criteria http://www.hotelstars.eu/index.php?id=1

The points about the condition of the hotel Tony_H made aren't taken into account when the authorities decide how many stars a hotel can have.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 08:53:26 GMT

Tony, I think they must have renovated the Sauze hotel since you were there last, or it wouldn't have had such good reviews on Trip Advisor.

Back on topic:
One of the main differences I have noticed between chalets and hotels, from the financial point of view, is that chalets seem to give you free drinks of tea and coffee and wine with meals, whereas hotels seem to charge for all drinks other than at breakfast when you can usually have a choice between fruit juice, tea or coffee.

And also, chalets give you something when you get in from ski-ing, usually cake and tea/coffee, at around 4 p.m. Mind you, some of the hotels are starting to do this as well. I notice that the Sauze is offering 'tea' from 4-5 p.m. I hope this includes actual 'tea' and not just something like peanuts!

Oh, and here's another tip for you Sm4sh, have a look at the reviews on Trip Advisor for whichever chalet/hotel you are considering. They are often most informative. I just checked the Sauze ones (again) to find out about the afternoon tea, and it says this:

'The bar. At reception there is a small bar and whilst lacking in apres atmosphere they do offer the cheapest drinks in town. They also provide tea and cake for when you get off the mountain. Oh did I mention the free wifi.'

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 18:31:43 GMT

Ha ha, can't beat abit of free wifi! Ill have a look at trip advisor to see what peoples reviews are of a hotel. I think at the moment I have been looking towards Hotel Planibel which one of you suggested earlier in the thread but then I also might wait until December and see then what is available.
I do like the idea of a Chalet but think I need abit more of advanced planning, so maybe next year.

I realised this week my passport runs out in November... So that has just cost me GBP80!!! Good job I noticed though else I wouldn't be going anywhere.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:45:15 GMT

AllyG wrote:Tony, I think they must have renovated the Sauze hotel since you were there last, or it wouldn't have had such good reviews on Trip Advisor.

Back on topic:
One of the main differences I have noticed between chalets and hotels, from the financial point of view, is that chalets seem to give you free drinks of tea and coffee and wine with meals, whereas hotels seem to charge for all drinks other than at breakfast when you can usually have a choice between fruit juice, tea or coffee.

And also, chalets give you something when you get in from ski-ing, usually cake and tea/coffee, at around 4 p.m. Mind you, some of the hotels are starting to do this as well. I notice that the Sauze is offering 'tea' from 4-5 p.m. I hope this includes actual 'tea' and not just something like peanuts!

Oh, and here's another tip for you Sm4sh, have a look at the reviews on Trip Advisor for whichever chalet/hotel you are considering. They are often most informative. I just checked the Sauze ones (again) to find out about the afternoon tea, and it says this:

'The bar. At reception there is a small bar and whilst lacking in apres atmosphere they do offer the cheapest drinks in town. They also provide tea and cake for when you get off the mountain. Oh did I mention the free wifi.'

Hey Ally, I just had a look at the Sauze website. Looks very much to me like the bedrooms have had a lick of paint, but they're still very much the same as when I was there a few years back, and the bathrooms are unchanged, maybe some new furniture. Best of luck.

As for trip advisor - I think its a really useful tool for getting a general idea of what a hotel comes across as, but you have to consdier a couple of things: firstly the kind of people who go to these places and say its brilliant. For example, look at reviews of Playa de las Americas in Tenerife - not somewhere I would ever consider going, but some of the reviews are incredibly good, but you have to consider the type of people who go there, and what they are looking for. My experience of Hotel Sauze was that if you wanted to party all night and crawl back in a 3 or 4am and wake everyone in the hotel up, then you'd say it was a great base. If you were one of the people trying to get a good nights sleep to ski hard early next morning, you might say it was a dreadful place.
Secondly, people only tend to write a review if they have had a really bad experience and want to warn others, or if they have a vested interest in promoting the place, or unless it was genuinely fantastic.
But you will get a flavour from a consensus as to whether the place is good or not. Expect mixed reviews, as it is all at the end of the day extremely subjective.

As for hotel vs chalet, Ally is right about the food and drink. In a chalet, the main difference is usually they are smaller and cater for maybe 6-18 people often. Some places are bigger, but mainly a chalet is more intimate, like a home from home. You will be looked after by a host who will cook for you, and they will usually be very flexible about what time they serve meals, based on what the majority of guests request, and also what they will cook. Whereas a hotel tends to advertise times for meals, and my experience says if yo miss the first sitting food can often be hard to come by, so eat early!
Chalets will allow you in and out all day, much more flexible on what you are allowed to wear around the place, whereas a hotel may specify what you can wear in certain areas. A hotel will have a bar, a chalet you can bring your own beers in and put them in the fridge or buy them cheap from the hosts if they prefer that way.
You will get wine served technically free with dinner, and if your host if a decent guy or girl, generally they will let you help yourself to the wine from tea time to bed time. Some companies are a little more "stiff" and less flexible, stingey I have heard it called!
And yes, you can get free hot drinks all day every day in a chalet, whereas in a hotel you probably would have ton either pay or they may only provide them at restricted times.
No big queue for breakfast or dinner in a chalet either. I've found myself waiting at 8am for someone to come and open gates or a rope into the dining area in order to get breakfast done as fast as possible, with the owners pedantically waiting until exactly 8am until they open up! Whereas in a chalet we have had the hosts agree to serve breakfast from 7.30 for example so that we are out by 8 and on the first lift at 1/4 past, thus killing every bird with the same stone and avoiding any lift queues as well.

Everyones different, everyone has their preferences, and one experience in each could be quite different to another. Personally I really like chalet holidays, more intimate and personal, less stiff if you like, less regulated and better value for money in the main. But I have also had some extremely good hotel holidays, mainly in Austria as the quality there seems to be higher than in Italy certainly, and much of the French ones I have been to as well, unless you pay through the nose of course. I still say Club Med offers very good value for money as an overall package, especially when you take into acocunt you can eat lunch on the slopes in their dedicated restaurants and the food quality is excellent. Only 2 people I travelled with felt the food was not good, but then they are the sort of people that ask for chips every meal and want half a bottle of ketchup all over their food, so probably wouldn't appreciate the better food anyway. You know the type....

Anyway Sm4sh, plenty to consider. Don't be put off a chalet holiday if you are bothered about people in your chalet, its a sociable thing and you all have the one love in common, skiing.

I hope you make a good choice and enjoy it.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:50:55 GMT

Have you booked the dog into kennels yet and included the cost in your budget??

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 13:44:15 GMT

As Tony says, go with Club Med and avoid the Hotel Sauze and you will be sorted. :roll:

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 19:12:08 GMT

I think we should drop the Hotel Sauze and see what the results are after Ally as been. It does sound good to me though, up all night on the beers :lol: but then I am the type of guy who goes Ibiza often enough. eeek don't judge me! there's nothing wrong with a good rave.

Anyways my parents can have the dog so no added cost there. I missed out on a ski trip last year as my Mrs wanted to buy a dog and thought over Christmas would be the best time to do so, I was then told 'a dogs for a life not just for Christmas'!! We still have her, along with our chewed up kitchen, skirting boards and table...

I Do like the sound of a chalet but this year is all about the budget so ill see what is available in my price range a little closer to.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 11:19:04 GMT

Brucie wrote:As Tony says, go with Club Med and avoid the Hotel Sauze and you will be sorted. :roll:

yes cos that's precisely what I said isn't it???

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 13:19:03 GMT

I must be an odd person then because I write reviews on Trip Advisor good or bad. I find it a most useful website but I take what I read with a small pinch of salt. However, lots of different people saying the same thing is something that should not be ignored and I have not found the reviews to be wildly different from the experience once I have been there. If you are going to a resort renowned for carousing all night then you would expect the reviews to be mainly from people who have gone for that purpose and take account of the fact when reviewing them.

The Sauze Hotel has been chosen because it fits best with the disparate group that are the J2Ski holidayers. It won't please everyone but I also hope it won't offend anyone. Clearly it is not of the standard that Tony_H would consider but then that is his prerogative. Even if it wasn't my first choice (and I am not saying it wasn't) I am happy to fit in with the majority because they are a great bunch of people and I want to ski with them.

The J2Ski holidayers are democratic and those who had been on previous holidays all had input into choosing this hotel. So we are happy and we would encourage anyone else to come and join us.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 20:55:59 GMT

When are you all going to The Sauze Hotel then? I have just had a look at the prices for the 4th Jan but seems to be fully booked that week. With all this rep its getting its making me want to book up and see what its like for my self :lol:

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 21:18:48 GMT

Well put Felthorpe! :thumbup:

To me the idea is quite simple:
I'll accept an outdated hotel/chalet (if it's clean & safe) as long as the quality of skiing (snow and ski-terrain) is really great! And goes without saying that having awesome company is a big plus as well!

I'd say that if anybody here would be happy to spend their ski holiday in a fantastic 5* hotel, even if they'd have terrible snow and ski terrain, then such people might want to look for a different forum. Cause I thought what brought everybody here is our common passion for SKI, so that should be top priority when planning a ski-holiday!

Of course, I'd be lying to pretend I would not enjoy the comfort of 5-Stars Hotels, but when budgeting is an issue, the lodging level falls far below in priority than the quality of snow, ski terrain and enjoyable company.

PS: While I kept saying SKI/SKIING, that that does not mean I forgot we also have some cool boarders in this forum! But, we can look at them as skiers with weird preferences (like choosing to use just one fat ski and wear soft boots! hmmm: could that be looked at as a form of budgeting :roll: :lol: ;-) )

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 21:21:39 GMT

sm4sh wrote:When are you all going to The Sauze Hotel then? I have just had a look at the prices for the 4th Jan but seems to be fully booked that week. With all this rep its getting its making me want to book up and see what its like for my self :lol:

The Sauze 8) group holiday starts on the 11th January -)8)

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 23:35:04 GMT

sm4sh wrote:When are you all going to The Sauze Hotel then? I have just had a look at the prices for the 4th Jan but seems to be fully booked that week. With all this rep its getting its making me want to book up and see what its like for my self :lol:

Sorry Sm4sh, you're quite right, it looks as though the Sauze is all booked up with Crystal for the week starting 4th Jan :(

There's still availability for the week we're going, the 11th Jan, but I remember you said you had to go on the 4th Jan.

Never mind, there are loads of other budget hotels and chalets around in various ski resorts. And as you said, you can always leave the booking for now and look for a last minute bargain.

If I think of another suitable one I'll let you know :)

And I'm sure we'll take lots of photos in and around the Sauze hotel and post up about its good and bad points after our holiday, so you'll find out what it's like :)

And if it turns out to be OK, you could always consider going there the following year ...

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 13:08:37 GMT

catp wrote:Well put Felthorpe! :thumbup:

To me the idea is quite simple:
I'll accept an outdated hotel/chalet (if it's clean & safe) as long as the quality of skiing (snow and ski-terrain) is really great! And goes without saying that having awesome company is a big plus as well!

I'd say that if anybody here would be happy to spend their ski holiday in a fantastic 5* hotel, even if they'd have terrible snow and ski terrain, then such people might want to look for a different forum. Cause I thought what brought everybody here is our common passion for SKI, so that should be top priority when planning a ski-holiday!

Of course, I'd be lying to pretend I would not enjoy the comfort of 5-Stars Hotels, but when budgeting is an issue, the lodging level falls far below in priority than the quality of snow, ski terrain and enjoyable company.

PS: While I kept saying SKI/SKIING, that that does not mean I forgot we also have some cool boarders in this forum! But, we can look at them as skiers with weird preferences (like choosing to use just one fat ski and wear soft boots! hmmm: could that be looked at as a form of budgeting :roll: :lol: ;-) )

I think you misunderstood what I said completely. I'm absolutely not a 5 star kind of person but when budgeting myself for January it worked out about GBP100pp more for 4 NOT 5 star all in at club med compared to a 2 star in Italy. No Brainer. Especially taking into account the high quality of the ski area I'm going to.

As for sauze, I've had 2 great ski holidays there. I just wishes the snow had been better as its often iffy, and also that we had stayed somewhere other than the hotel sauze the second time. I've stated in plenty worse, mind.

I'm sure the j2 trip will be great.

Let's see what smash ends up doing.

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 18:56:52 GMT

Pressure is on then now! :lol: I'm going wait a month or two then book up, so yeh if you see anything Ally let me know.

And it has got to be the 4th Jan as my Mrs has started a part time Uni course which is every Friday and I cant talk her out of missing a week... I have tried. Else it would have been good to see what this Sauze hotel is all about and maybe meet a few of you guys.

I suppose there's always another year!

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 19:03:15 GMT

Hi Sm4sh,
I have sent you another suggestion by private message (so that no-one else grabs it before you do!) :)

Re:Chalet holiday but on a budget.

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 12:46:46 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

catp wrote:Well put Felthorpe! :thumbup:

To me the idea is quite simple:
I'll accept an outdated hotel/chalet (if it's clean & safe) as long as the quality of skiing (snow and ski-terrain) is really great! And goes without saying that having awesome company is a big plus as well!

I'd say that if anybody here would be happy to spend their ski holiday in a fantastic 5* hotel, even if they'd have terrible snow and ski terrain, then such people might want to look for a different forum. Cause I thought what brought everybody here is our common passion for SKI, so that should be top priority when planning a ski-holiday!

Of course, I'd be lying to pretend I would not enjoy the comfort of 5-Stars Hotels, but when budgeting is an issue, the lodging level falls far below in priority than the quality of snow, ski terrain and enjoyable company.

PS: While I kept saying SKI/SKIING, that that does not mean I forgot we also have some cool boarders in this forum! But, we can look at them as skiers with weird preferences (like choosing to use just one fat ski and wear soft boots! hmmm: could that be looked at as a form of budgeting :roll: :lol: ;-) )

I think you misunderstood what I said completely. I'm absolutely not a 5 star kind of person but when budgeting myself for January it worked out about GBP100pp more for 4 NOT 5 star all in at club med compared to a 2 star in Italy. No Brainer. Especially taking into account the high quality of the ski area I'm going to.

As for sauze, I've had 2 great ski holidays there. I just wishes the snow had been better as its often iffy, and also that we had stayed somewhere other than the hotel sauze the second time. I've stated in plenty worse, mind.

I'm sure the j2 trip will be great.

Let's see what smash ends up doing.

Is that the same club med where they had a bout of food poisoning when you were there and you marked them 5/10 ??? :(