 Poster: A snowHead
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I am planning a surprise trip for my family next February, got ferry booked looking for a decent resort for children, not breaking the bank and roughly no more that 9ish hours drive from Calais. Any thoughts please.
J 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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les gets
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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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Dates? Make a vast difference. Almost all resorts will take you longer than 9 hours drive from Calais, given the need for stops, especially with kids, and if it's one of the very busy holiday weekends, you will almost certainly spend some time in traffic jams. Calais to Morzine (one of the easier resorts to drive to) is 880kms. And of course you lose an hour crossing over to France. It can be done, of course, but needs a lot of forward planning. Give us a bit more details about your dates, age/experience of kids and general requirements. If it's half term you need to be pretty quick booking accommodation; much will already be booked.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Feb half term
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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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2 adults intermediate skiers, 2 children 11+6 learners( loads of dry slope lessons) easy slopes for girls , not bothered about nightlife
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Most of the good resorts are actually more than 9 hours from Calais. Make it 10 hours and you have some of the best resorts in the world. And do the drive overnight while the kids sleep
However, if you are really limited my 9 hours then the small resorts of the Voges are possible.
http://en.france-montagnes.com/massif/ski-resorts-france-vosges
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When is your ferry booked? Timing of the journey is pretty critical for half term. You need to try to be arriving in resort before 0900 or after about 6 pm. Type of accommodation? Budget? I suspect that the average driving time from Calais at half term is probably over 12 hours. It can take 3 to do the last 50 miles if you really hit it wrong, especially if there's a lot of snow and police are stopping vehicles without chains.
If you can find accommodation with a Sunday changeover it'll make a big difference, especially a quieter changeover Saturday on your last ski day. If leaving resort on Saturday at half term need to be either VERY early or not till the end of the ski day - get a good day's skiing in, head a few hours north before stopping overnight and complete the journey home on Sunday.
Easter is preferable to half term - much cheaper, much less crowded.
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depending on your time of travel and speed you can get to to quite a few resorts in a round nine-ten hours from calais.
Might even be better to start off Saturday for a Sunday check in, leave the UK mid PM and drive down 4-5 hours and overnight and get up early next day to be ahead of the traffic. OR crash it overnight but you ll be knackered first day!!!!
Without breaking the bank, resorts I would consider, Le Grand Bornand, Ste Foy, Val Cenis, - smaller lesser known and lesser cost than the bigger resorts
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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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+1 for Morzine, and since we drove through Les Gets to get there I'd include that too.
also Flaine was an easy drive, and similarly anywhere we passed through to get there (Les Carroz I think, and possibly others)
Alpe D'Huez was a bit further, but not a bad drive.
Tignes (Val d'Isere, Les Arcs, anywhere in the 3 valleys) is more of a stretch,
I also recall Chatel being an OK drive, but that (unlike those above) was a long time ago, and the driving was shared between more people, so I probably slept most of the way.
Not decided on 2015 yet, tempted to go fir Easter rather than Feb half-term, but not done much research yet.
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Might even be better to start off Saturday for a Sunday check in, leave the UK mid PM and drive down 4-5 hours and overnight and get up early next day to be ahead of the traffic.
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I think that's ideal if you can manage it, though I'd probably try to do more than 4 - 5 hours, landing up with only a couple of hours more to drive after an overnight stop.
The quickest I've done, Calais to Les Saisies, is 10 hours. That was in fine weather (so the speed limit was higher - in wet weather it's under 70 mph), I was on my own, and just made three short 30 minute stops. That's an average of 106 kph for the 8.5 hours driving - and the last section of the journey (from Sallanches) is slow. Normally the journey takes me longer, because I ease off the speed (saves a LOT of diesel) and have at least one longer stop for a meal. I also often drive across the Jura rather than slamming down the motorway - saves fuel and tolls and is a much more enjoyable drive, adding around 20 minutes only.
I do sometimes "crash it overnight" and on a clear, bright, starry night it's actually quite enjoyable in a masochistic sort of way, with the right in-car entertainment. BUT I am not driving for a week and I spend the next day pottering, relaxing, cooking, making beds etc, not skiing. People vary a lot in how they cope with a night's missed sleep - I'm lucky and recover quite quickly but some people feel out of sorts for a few days, especially if they have problems sleeping well the first few nights at higher altitude.
I wouldn't do an overnight drive it for a week's skiing and in the days when we did ski holidays with 3 kids they NEVER wanted to drive; unanimously opting to go by coach rather than car, when the budget was tight. If you make a nice overnight stop, in a decent hotel and have a good evening meal, it adds a lot to the cost, especially for a family.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
Might even be better to start off Saturday for a Sunday check in, leave the UK mid PM and drive down 4-5 hours and overnight and get up early next day to be ahead of the traffic.
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I think that's ideal if you can manage it, though I'd probably try to do more than 4 - 5 hours, landing up with only a couple of hours more to drive after an overnight stop.
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+1
Having once experienced a half term drive to Serre Chevalier that took 18 hours from Calais to resort (incl 5 hours for the last 80km), I'd aim for going the day before, and stop for an overnight with 2-3 hours left before arriving at the resort the following day.
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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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Take a look at Les Contamines - think it excellent value for money for a group like yours - ski area not enormous but varied and lots of good intermediate terrain
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also a resort where a car is quite handy (not necessary) so you'd be taking advantage of having driven
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You know it makes sense.
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I reckon you're best looking at the Pierre and Vacances website, setting your budget and having a look at google maps. Personally I call Powderbeds up and let them do the legwork for me, and double check the drive on google maps before we book.
Look for accom with ski in ski out, and try to bribe the Check in clerk for a Ground floor room.
This has taken us to Valmenier (the Missus was blown away, mind you, I only booked it the day before we checked in "Pack you bags..we're off NOW",
Belle Plagne (similarly stunning, no cars) and this year we go to Avoriaz: shorter drive maybe? For new skiers, maybe Belle Plagne is best, with loads of long gently blues to play on.
If staying at Plagne or further south, book a night (via Laterooms) at Sofitel in Lyon on your outward: awesome!!!
Happy planning!
BTW, I have no allegience or other relationship with any of the organisations mentioned in the above post, they just never let me down
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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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les houches?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| ajc2260626 wrote: |
| les houches? |
Like the pay for 2 adults and 1 child lift pass then get the others free! Hope I can incorporate this. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Looking at driving to dover from lancashire then staying in dover overnight, first ferry in morning the drive to resort, crash out for nights sleep tp then hit the slopes the morning after.
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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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Check out Le Mont Dore linked to Superbesse (see www.Sancy.com). Great for beginners & intermediates & the nearest resort to drive to from Calais (just 7 hours). Very French resort and very affordable.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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BenTisdall, I have had a look, accommodation is more on the Superbesse side it seems. Does look cheap( ish) half term family of 4 comes in at 2100 EURO for tunnel/fuel/tolls/passes/hire/apartment.
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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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We drive to St Gervais every Feb half term, get to Dover in time for an early breakfast and arrive @ chalet around 6-7pm. A fully charged ipad or portable dvd player are the secrets to happy children on a long drive!! We stay in town and then drive up to the lift station every morn (takes about 10 mins and easy enough drive) to make the most of having a car... always plenty of space to park in time for ski school! Awesome resort for families with some really lovely tree skiing, lots of greens and blues and more difficult stuff for parents. Never found it too busy and keep going back after 4 years of fab holidays! Heard good things about the other Evasion Mont Blanc ski resorts too which are all nearby (Saint Nicolas, Combloux, Les Contamines and Megeve). Hope this helps - been waiting for a snow heads topic where I have experience that would be useful!
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