 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok it's time for the annual question, what is the best value skiing trip this year for the family??
Travelling from Scotland & criteria are:
Must be cheap, needless to say really.
Not interested in driving, have priced it up in the past and the time and effort not worth it imo.
Family of four, mixed ability but kids are now fairly comfortable on blue & the easiest red French runs.
Standard of accomodation not important as long as comfortable and clean, would prefer not to SC.
Have went with Equity and Skitopia in the past and found them to be ok, any other similar operators.
Fly to Europe, not NA
We have only went to France and Italy in the past, any better budget countries that would still provide some challenging skiing, have heard Andorra/ eatern Europe runs dont have many difficult runs but might be fine for the family?
Sorry if asking the obvious.
Cheers
S
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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scotabroad, the big question is - when? If it's half term then, frankly, you can forget it. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Erm, no not half term have given up on that in the past.
Was thinking of being naughty and taking kids out of school (bad parent), or perhaps late in season at Easter, last year had some good deals at that time. Beacause of the good Scottish season last year we ended up taking a few days to Aviemore and the kids family loved it, and it was less hassle.
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£1400 quid and I have found a week in Val D'Isere for 4 in a 7 person appt so just about big enough, SC, flights to Chambery from Midlands, last weekend in March and my kids have just broken up.
I don't think that's too bad, and the flights are not at daft o clock either, coming back it's like 6 in the evening, so might even manage a morning on piste on the last day if the transfer bus doesn't leave at crack of sparrows.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Friend of mine always does Morzine at easter but there is only him and his daughter.
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scotabroad, well then, the world's your oyster! Your main trouble now, with "cheap", will be the very high value of the euro.....heading for parity with the pound . A late-ish tour operator deal to a low-budget catered chalet in France might be a reasonable bet - we found that this was the best formula with kids for saving cash, as they could fill up with chalet tea after skiing (thereby saving extortionate cost of eating much on the mountain) and we could take duty frees. Duty free no longer an option unless you fly into Geneva, but cheap French supermarket gin is a good substitute.
You will probably have plenty of better suggestions - I don't know Andorra or the Eastern Europe resorts. We enjoyed a trip to Kopaonik (Serbia) many years ago but there were recent reports that tour operators have dropped it, for various reasons.
Aviemore might be good again, too, but it's difficult (impossible?) to plan far ahead, isn't it?
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Just about to pay out over £3.5K for family of four for half term. That's including lessons, lift passes, ski hire etc. The real killer has been the half term premium though. Normally we would be expecting to pay around £2k. This is for a package, and included everything except food. Two adults and two children. Our summer holiday is coming in at around £1.5k DIY so I'd say £2k for skiing would be good and do-able. The £3.5k we're now paying is pretty painful, I must admit.
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scotabroad, try going the second week in easter i have found doing DIY to Andorra i have saved £600 on just flights and hotel 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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johnnyh, 
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scotabroad, have sent you a pm 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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johnnyh - holy schmoly!!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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johnnyh,
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and included everything except food.
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Bloomin' heck, I get two family of four DIY self drive s/c hols and a girls weekend for not much more than that
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We've just booked for Fogarida in the Dolomites 4 of us with flights, transfers, HB & all kit, lessons & passes for a little under £2k. That's with Rocketski leaving on 17th January.
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You know it makes sense.
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snowlamb, good price ,but if you have to do 'school holidays ',i would be surprised if you can do an 'all in' holiday with a TO or DIY for much less than 3/3.5 k
I am looking for next years trips(2010) already at New Year and Easter.Have any Snowheads any Gems to share based on previous experiences?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| scotabroad wrote: |
Ok it's time for the annual question, what is the best value skiing trip this year for the family??
Travelling from Scotland & criteria are:
Must be cheap, needless to say really.
Not interested in driving, have priced it up in the past and the time and effort not worth it imo.
Family of four, mixed ability but kids are now fairly comfortable on blue & the easiest red French runs.
Standard of accomodation not important as long as comfortable and clean, would prefer not to SC.
Have went with Equity and Skitopia in the past and found them to be ok, any other similar operators.
Fly to Europe, not NA
We have only went to France and Italy in the past, any better budget countries that would still provide some challenging skiing, have heard Andorra/ eatern Europe runs dont have many difficult runs but might be fine for the family?
Sorry if asking the obvious.
Cheers
S |
hi there.
check out my good mates web site.
he'll sort you out mucho cheapo.
tell him kev recommended you.
www.skisupreme.co.uk
the company is based in east kilbride.
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Poster: A snowHead
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http://www.skimeribel.co.uk/ has some great deals, coach travel from london might be a bit of a problem but you can get travel and accomodation in a catered chalet for £299 each for the week starting 10th of january which seems pretty stuninng value to me although the lift pass will set you back a bit. The skiing in the 3 valleys is going to be a hell of a lot better than you will find in any of the budget ski resorts in eastern european countries as well. Also when I went with tham last year we managed to squeeze 7 and a 1/2 days skiing in a one week ski trip with two of the days being transfer days meaning empty pistes and no lift queues.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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johnnyh,
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and included everything except food.
Bloomin' heck, I get two family of four DIY self drive s/c hols and a girls weekend for not much more than that Shocked
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I know it sounds like a lot and I do believe you have done more for the same. But even though everyone says they can do this holiday for that price my experience has been that the deals aren't quite the deals they seem. And on this point I am more than happy to be corrected but I did a fair amount of research for our half-term holiday and quite frankly was unable to get a price for a holiday that was anything like as cheap as some people claim you can get.
I appreciate that self-drive might be cheaper but unfortunatley for me my car only does about 18-20 miles to the gallon so driving can work out pretty costly too. Also, I'd need to do all the driving including a 5-6 hour drive from here to Dover.
The price we are paying is brochure price, and yes I'm sure that going with a TO makes things more expensive nevertheless when we looked at DIY the flights (again for half term we coming in at almost £2K alone for the four of us). Now maybe I'm doing this all wrong and I'd love to see a real breakdown of someone elses holiday costs and how they booked it.
Incidently, there are somethings/apsects which I appreciate that I will be paying more for - for example the hand holding that we get with the TO/ the easyish transfer - also the accomodation we stay it is good and compared with someplaces I've stayed in the past I would rate at above average but its certainly not luxury.
As I said this cost includes lift passes for four, ski hire for three, boot hire for two and lessons for three. Which again, when this is factored into a standard TO holiday (Crystal, Thompson et al) at half term doesn't (to me) ever seem to be much less.
If anyone wants to prove me completely wrong I would be more than happy to see the figures.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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OK - just did a really quick comparison on the Crystal website and for the same stuff for the same week but staying in a studio apartment (considerably smaller than the one we've booked) it would work out in excess of £4K for the four of us. I do accept that non-half-term will be cheaper but my point is that for that week this is about what the TOs are charging/charge.
Again, snowheads show me the way to the cheap holidays if there really are any!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Megève or Courchevel 1850. Obvious, really.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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almost £2K alone for the four of us
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the only way to get reasonable cost flights at half term is literally to be hovering over the keyboard as the flights are released. Flights will go up massively in the first few hours they are on sale. The next day simply won't do. Driving is not much of an answer; the roads can be horrendous.
I don't think your holiday price, all-in, johnnyh, is too bad at all. When we did budget family holidays in the 'eighties, in early January (always took the kids out of school)  I'd never seem to get away with less than £500 a head.
We did coach travel with Ski Olympic twice, and it was fine (uncomfortable, but no worse than a chartered trans-Atlantic flight). It saved £50 a head and gave us two extra days on the slopes (so saving was more than eaten up in extra lift pass costs!). But I wouldn't like to coach at half term. Or fly. Or drive. If I was forced to holiday at half term I think I'd book my flights really early and/or drive to somewhere obscure, probably not in France and definitely not the mass ski factories of the Tarentaise. My kids are all grown up now but oldest grandchild just started school, and daughter is a teacher, married to a teacher. So this problem doesn't go away. Easter is the answer!
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johnnyh, Booked BA flights Gatwick to Zurich the minute they came out, £115 each. Studio apartment for 2 in Zermatt booked at the same time through Interhome, £400. Swiss transfer ticket for 1 adult and 1 child, £67. About £350 each for half term (liftpasses, food etc on top of that). key to good DIY prices is being really quick off the mark.
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Well, OP, have you thought of holidaying at home? Plenty of skiing in Scotland by the sounds of it!
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I don't think your holiday price, all-in, johnnyh, is too bad at all.
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thanks pam w, I was starting to feel a bit of a mug.
Colin B, obviously sounds good - I suppose I'll need to work out how to be on the internet when the flights are released.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Colin B, yes, we did the same last year, flights booked with BA at 00:01 am on the day they came out, apartment with Interhome, swiss transfer ticket, about £1270 for 4 of us, 2 weeks in Switzerland with the 2nd being half term.
With BA it's easy to work out when to buy - the website tells you. It's 350 days in advance I think, but just go on, try to book a flight in one year and you will be told. To find out with the low costs you need to get on their mailing list and check your mails regularly.
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johnnyh, "I'd love to see a real breakdown of someone elses holiday costs and how they booked it." (sorry can't do the quote thingy yet  )
I have sent you a pm with our budget for a half term trip.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Family of four, Tignes, half term?
Guiding or ski school for everyone, ski/boot hire for nippers and eating out evey night in decent eateries.
I'm budgeting for £4,000 plus in total.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Mosha Marc, You'll bust that budget. (unless you are all teatotal!) 
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You'll bust that budget. (unless you are all teatotal!)
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is that the budget just for in-resort spending?
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You know it makes sense.
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Axsman, we aren't. We do! 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Half-term in Jasna, Slovakia
Flights to Bratislava £420 booked with Ryanair last month
Hotel B and B in Jasna £980
Car Hire £200
Ski Hire and Lift passes £700
Food and drink £700
Total £3000 For 5
Expensive for us, but we wanted something different this year.
If we had taken the holiday at the equivalent of our flat in France we would have budgetted
Car Ferries, tolls, petrol, hotels en route £800 (Flights and Car Hire if we booked early about £800)
Nominal Hire of flat £500
Lift passes £600
Food and drink £600
Total £2,500
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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johnnyh, have pm'd you with a breakdown of what we pay. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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scotabroad, This year for us is:
5 x flights Edinburgh to Innsbruck @ £274 = £1370
Private transfer to Stuben am Arlberg €360 = £300
7 nights halfboard in 4 star hotel for 5 with lift passes included €2600 = £2170
TOTAL £3840
Complete pain getting from Scotland to Austria, unless your willing to get connecting flights - but having 3 kids, getting a connecting flight or driving to say Manchester sucks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wow, in the past I have honestly, truly managed to get all four of us away for a week, absolutely everything included for 2000 quid. That is working pretty hard at very last minute to get a deal.
This 3000/ 4000 budget talk is blowing me away, mind you that is quoted at half term so I can understand how it mounts up + the weakness of the pound wont help.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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scotabroad, Went to Oberlech earlier this year with kids and cost well as above but hotel was £3700 without any passes! So base price was around £6k. When I go away with boys to St Anton though I usually get cheap flights with connections, and stay in b&b's and usually get a week in centre of St Anton for around £500-600 all in
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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When our four kids were kids I'd usually budget around £1k per person per week all in.
Since they started eating (and more critically drinking) more than Mrs Axs and nearly as much as me, I revised that to £1200.
Add 25% to go at half term and you won't be far out.
Fortunately, they are now of an age when school hols are no longer an issue, so we can save the 25% and spend it on Jaegerbombs 
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Thanks to those that have given a break down of your holiday expenses. I think it's really interesting to see the different ways in which money can be saved. I was also somewhat relieved that I picked up a rare copy of the Daily Mail ski mag in Tescos in Truro yesterday and in there was a breakdown of the family holiday specialists and there prices for both a half-term week and a non half-term week. It looks like we're paying the low end of what some companies are charging - so I don't feel completely taken.
We are going to consider alternatives for next year as I can see that some people manage to do a great deal more with their budgets. And lets face it even £2K is still a lot of money to find for an all in holiday cost.
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Since they started eating (and more critically drinking) more than Mrs Axs and nearly as much as me, I revised that to £1200.
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Axsman, we worked on the basis that once they're old enough to drink (alcohol, that is) they're old enough to pay for it. As we could never afford to do much drinking "out" on ski holidays I didn't see why I should pay for the kids to do it. We found that a low-budget chalet gave them plenty of opportunities for free wine with dinner, and they spent some of their pocket money or Saturday job money on duty frees on the way out and/or Old Lady Gin from the supermarket.
johnnyh, if you're just having the one family holiday Easter is a good alternative, especially for DIY holidays because prices for rentals direct from owners are much less than at half term. The French don't seem to bother nearly so much with Easter skiing.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Never did chalets (well only once!) as we wouldn't have wanted to inflict our brood on anyone else, or have to put up with their 'little darlings' either.
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We were probably lucky, but we always enjoyed the company in the different chalets we went to and it was nice for the kids to have other people to chat to, play games with, ski with. Being with other adults brought out their more mature and sensible side, usually. Usually..... there was one evening when one of them discovered that just because wine was "free" it wasn't sensible to pour it down your throat like there was no tomorrow. He was showing off a bit because of the presence, down the "teenager" end of the table, of the very gorgeous daughter of one of our fellow guests. However, the others were nice about it and the fact that the father of the gorgeous girl - a very good skier - enjoyed being able to ski with someone who could give him a run for his money meant he was more tolerant than might otherwise have been the case.
Mostly the kids - ours and others - were civilised enough company to enjoy having them around. We could not have afforded holidays which entailed much in the way of "rounds" in nightclubs and the chalets were a good bet for us. We used to buy beers and mixers from the chalet staff (who supplemented their pay by hauling it from the supermarket for us) and everyone had plenty to drink (too much, occasionally...) without breaking the bank. I think for budget family holidays, which is the focus here, catered chalets take a lot of beating. The fact that a big "chalet tea" was available from 3 pm was also a big money saver, because buying a proper lunch for a family on the mountain is pretty ruinous. Absolutely lovely way to spend time and money, but just wasn't possible on our budget.
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