 Poster: A snowHead
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My only set of friends that ski are teachers, and so are limited to school holidays. We've identified the 27th Dec as the only week we can do, and they are on a very tight budget.
Having a look through Crystal, Nielson, Inghams etc we could get self-catering in the Tignes/Val Thoren etc but based on the TripAdvisor reviews, the accommodation sounds (very) grotty.
I'm not beholden to any resort or country, but would like a good chance of decent snow, and reasonable accomodation. Anyone got any ideas of how that could be done for circa £700? A minimum of 4 people, but could be more.
Any help would be much appreciated (searched the forum but it doesn't handle New Years Cheap as a query very effectively)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dibergio, is that just your accommodation costs, or does that figure include travel and lift passes?
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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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I`d look at driving and staying somewhere smaller like Pralongnan La Vanoise, Les Saisies, or proper towns such as Bourg St Maurice or Samoens and accepting it will be necessary to take the ski navette or drive to lifts each day. Its too many years since I skied anywhere other than France to offer any opinion but others on here will know about other countries.
Booking everything yourself ie channel crossing/accommodation/ski lessons etc will be cheaper than TO`s for the New Year but weather you can do it for your budget? I don`t know? Others on here may though! Good luck
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Cheap operators to look into:
- Chalet Chardons in Tignes
- UCPA though Action Outdoors
- Snowcoach
- there are also hostels about, e.g. in Chamonix, Bourg St Maurice (that I know of).
That is the most expensive week of the year though, so TO and flight prices will be high. As suggested, driving will be better value (and also the coach, if you can face it).
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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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Yes travel and accommodation. Will check out those options later. Cheers
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Dibergio, UCPA through Action Outdoors would probably be your best bet because their "all inclusive" prices do include passes, ski hire and (depending on the specific holiday) lessons - and there are lots of reports from happy customers here on Snowheads.
You are very unlikely to be able to do it cheaper and they have centres in a number of top resorts (all of which will be rammed, of course, but if you take lessons - which they provide up to v high standards - you would get lift priority.
Les Saisies has been mentioned but it's not cheap at new Year. You could get a nice 2 bedroom slopeside apartment in a quiet part of the resort for about €1200 that week but I think you'd be better off looking at UCPA - more lively, superb value.
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Take a look at Rocketski - have been with them on 3 occasions and they do cheaper end of the market, quite well. usually half board hotels that are fairly basic, but nice enough. The food is actually fine and plentiful. Their service was been good to very good, to be honest. They provide flights, transfers and half board accommodation.
They will probably have deals at some point - worth keeping an eye on the Beausoleil in Alp D'Huez - right by the slopes and lifts (well 50m to the lifts).
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Dibergio, Personally I think with self drive, apartment hire, food, lift pass (close on 300euro for 7 days), insurance, lunch and drink £1000 will be a closer estimate of the cost in a big ski resort
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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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We did Les Arcs as family of 5 for less than £3000 all in self drive and self catered over Xmas, it can be done. Look to book direct via tourist board and think driving is best option
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If you are looking at a catered chalet, with flights, transfers, accommodation, food etc all in (not including lift passes) take a look at Silver Ski. They are very reasonable and don't massively inflate their prices for premium weeks. They go to decent resorts (3 Valleys and La Plagne) and their accommodation is fine but not luxurious.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Dibergio, is New Year the only time? Teachers here too, we normally get away for Christmas but have done New Year. Checking the dates for our area we finish on Friday 19th which again opens up Christmas week for us. It's a fair whack cheaper at Christmas than New Year and the slopes are generally a lot quieter.
If you definitely are stuck to New Year as you say and don't have any luck with Rocket Ski or Silver Ski then Snowcoach is a good option. You should be able to squeeze in one of their 5 day trips in within your budget for Christmas. We went at Half term to Valmeinier for their 4 day trip, it was pretty quiet, well within £700 each inc passes and ski hire (although Snowcoach's skis were crap).
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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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I'd strongly agree with all the points made by hammerite, right down to the crap Snowcoach skis. 
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The accommodation in Valmeinier while looking a bit tired wasn't a cesspit either. The games room downstairs is a state, the rooms could do with a little attention, but I slept well every night, could have a warm shower whenever I wanted one and ate pretty well. It's literally only a few steps up until you can put your skis on too. As it was only 4 days we skied pretty hard, harder than we do when away on the more regulation 6 ski day holiday.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
The accommodation in Valmeinier while looking a bit tired wasn't a cesspit either
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Agree there, too, though it's some years since we went there. We took a big party - 4 adults and 6 kids (the latter shared a 6 bed "dorm style" room which reduced the price AND gave them free equipment. The holiday was very good value though I don't like the chalet hotel formula - all the disadvantages of both, IME. Valloire - linked - is an excellent resort.
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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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What's the coach like? Like a cramped national express one, or the fancier ones you get in the alps for airport transfers??
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Poster: A snowHead
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The coach was OK - you could recline the seats IIRR. They showed videos. Rather similar to a flight to Whistler - but infinitely cheaper.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you are happy to DIY then have a look at some of the smaller villages in the Zillertal valley. They are all on the train line which is free with the ski pass and so you can easily get to all of the resorts in the valley. You can send an accomodation request to http://www.zillertal.at/en/winter/search-book/request-pool/ and the hotels will come back to you. If you can a decent price on a flight, then 700 for accomodation and travel should get you something nice.
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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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I've just booked for a week in Superdevoluy over Xmas with Snowtrex, It works out quite cheap because they include the lift passes in with the price of the chalet. It cost £906 for all three of us including 3 lift passes for the week. Flights to Marseille are quite cheap too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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gary, that sounds good. 
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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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gary, Snowtrex seems to work better for bigger groups too, so might be an even better option for Dibergio. We go as a 3 and when looking for ideas often struggle to find somewhere with Snowtrex without having to pay for an extra person as most apartments seem to be for 4 or more.
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Dibergio, A good quality 2 bedroom privately owned apartment in Champagny en Vanoise is available for just under £1000 for that week, close to the centre and lift. That would leave you with £450 each to get there, I'm sure you could find flights and car hire for that much.
Have a look at skyscanner.net for flights and carrentals.co.uk for car hire prices.
In the less touristy resorts the French clientelle seem to leave booking their ski holidays until after their Summer holidays so the accommodation starts to book up around September time so some of the decent French owned accommodation is still left.
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Agree that Samoens and Bourg St Maurice are good options. Also worth looking at Brides les Bains which gives you access to Meribel via a Gondola. About 8- 9 hours from Calais by car.
The 2 bedrooms in Residence Cybele will sleep 6 adults comfortably as they also have an extra set of bunks in a coin montagne ( mountain corner) - about £1000 per week. There is also a sofa bed so technically would sleep 8 but we only allow upto 6 adults in our apartment. Or the smaller studios can sleep a squashed 4 ( on sofa bed and mountain corner)
Our apartment is already booked for that week but there are other privately owned apartments in the same Residence that might still be available. Have a look on Owners Direct.
The gondola opens up at 8.15am so you can be in Meribel in time for first lifts or ski school.
There is a large super U and Carrefour in Moutiers which is only a 10 min drive down the mountain so you can self cater without spending a fortune in a small mountain supermarket. If you do decide to go out for a meal or drink that the prices in Brides are a lower than higher resorts.
As only 10 mins from Moutiers the snow train from St. Pancras is also an option but probably expensive at New Year - best to coach or drive. Euro tunnel prices for Dec 2014 are out already.
Clientele is a mixture of English and French.
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Which area do you live in / set off from?
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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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Lots of great options here.
Having not driven down to France before, it seems daunting, especially when snow is involved! However the suggestions of Champagny and Brides les Bains do sound good. Also like the flexibility a car offers in terms of going to different areas.
Snowcoach does sound good value and the hotel in Valmeinier looks good. How long is the coach journey?? What is Valmeinier like as a resort?
UCPA don't have their prices up for this winter yet as far as I can see.
I'll go back to the teachers and present them some options. Thanks everyone.
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Dibergio, Action Outdoors (UCPA bookign agent in the UK) will have the prices up in August
"Winter 2014/15 programme is available August: Please join our mailing list to receive a reminder."
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Having not driven down to France before, it seems daunting, especially when snow is involved!
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It really isn't - it's dual-carriageway from Calais to Moutiers for example, from which you can access 3V and only short stretch of single track road to LEs Arcs and La Plagne. It has to be exceptionally bad weather before the motorways are closed.
The last bit up to resort can be problematic - but remember the resorts have a vested interest in getting you there, so roads are cleared quickly and efficiently. There may be times when you would need to put snow chains on, easy with a bit of practice at home, but then careful driving gets you there. 1000s of people from UK, Holland, Belgium do the trip every year without issue.
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| Quote: |
Apartment in Termignon : £100 each
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even at New Year? And flights for new year week will be expensive - almost certainly a lot more than £120 return. Driving is certainly going to be cheaper for new Year though you can expect some very heavy traffic (much more of a problem than snow is likely to be) and need to think hard about the timing of the trip. Val Cenis is further to drive than some other resorts but does offer good value.
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You know it makes sense.
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Dibergio - We have started driving to the Alps in recent years and have found it quite enjoyable. We like listening to lots of music on the way down and having the freedom to follow our own timetable. It can be handy having a car to pick up some items in a valley supermarket and possibly drive to a neighbouring resort depending where you are staying. We drove to Val Cenis last year and the drive up from the motorway is very easy with no proper hairpins. Although it was March when we went so less chance of icy roads. Driving on French motorways is on the whole easier than motorways in this country - if you have cruise control you can set it at 80mph and sometimes not have to move your feet for 2 hours!
We booked a self drive package through Peak Retreats and would recommend this for the flexi plus which will enable you to jump any queues at the tunnel and not have to worry about getting back for a specific time slot. The apartment we stayed in was on the more expensive side but there are other cheaper options..eg. Les Balcons de Val Cenis Le Haut.
I saw the Snowcoach coach at the ski show and it looked ok..however their hotel in Val Cenis did not look inspiring from the outside.
For future trips I'd recommend going during the Easter holidays and then you will be able to treat yourselves to luxury accommodation for the same price.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| even at New Year? |
Even better actually. Follow the link above for last year's prices - €730 for the 8-berth Myosotis.
| pam w wrote: |
| Val Cenis is further to drive than some other resorts |
According to:
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/
Termignon is actually 2 minutes nearer Calais than say Couchevel 1850 so much the same distance really.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Altis - yes but places like Flaine and La Clusaz are about 3 hours nearer than Val Cenis or Courchevel.
I suspect Val Cenis is quicker to get to than Courchevel as the roads are generally less busy in the Maurienne valley..
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Okay, but my point is that Val Cenis is not at the end of the earth. Plenty of folks drive to the Tarentaise resorts so it ain't too far.
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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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Dibergio, the coach trip is about 17 hours inc ferry crossing. We got there, had breakfast and were skiing by 10am - they had lift passes waiting for us and in house hire shop was open (might be worth getting better kit from the Skimium shop across the road). The coach wasn't full there or back so we could spread out a bit. The OH and Jnr slept quite well, I hardly slept at all, so the first day's skiing was a bit laboured for me.
Valmeinier is pretty quiet, a few bars but not a huge amount going on at night. That said if you wanted to there was somewhere to go a bit later on. The ski area is pretty good. We found it perfect for a 4-5 day trip, we skied the whole area, but didn't recover our tracks too much. We only ski on piste, we found the runs to be varied without there being any real tricky runs and had enough fun.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Try La Thuille , Italy is cheap !
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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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I have been on Snowcoach a few times, but as I pick the coach up at Dover the journey is quicker for me. I usually reckon on 12 hours "Calais to Chalet". The coach travels through the night and you arrive at the chalet ready to ski the first day. I am 6 foot 4 and while I have had better nights sleep, the seats on the coach recline and have decent legroom (or they did when I last went about 3 years ago).
The week-long holidays mean that you travel out on the Friday night and travel back the following Saturday night, meaning that you get 8 days skiing. Snowcoach also offer lots of short breaks.
While Valmeiner has been mentioned by some, don't overlook Snowcoach's other destination of St Gervais. Their Hotel Terminus is down the mountain at La Fayet and they provide shuttle services morning and evening to and from St Gervais and sometimes Les Contamines. From St Gervais it is easy to hop over to Megeve and also to get a bus and ski the Combloux area. I think you can also catch the tram from outside the Hotel Terminus up to Les Houches. So you have a choice of reasonable sized ski areas, though you have to rely on transport to get you to and from the slopes.
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Big Dave, leg room is still fine. I just don't sleep very well when travelling, everyone around me on the coach seemed to be fast asleep but not me.
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I just don't sleep very well when travelling, everyone around me on the coach seemed to be fast asleep but not me.
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I found the same, but I still reckon coach is do-able if it's saving a lot of money. I wouldn't sleep any more on a cattle-class trans-Atlantic flight. What I wouldn't do is pay a premium to sit up in a train seat all night, though I've used sleepers (not the disco ski train thing) and found them very comfortable. You still don't sleep an awful lot but lying down flat is bliss compared to sitting up in a seat, even a reclining one.
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There used to be a coach where the seats turned into beds. I never went on it but I remember looking on with envy as one passed our sit-up-all-night job with Ski Olympic. I somehow doubt that it's still running though.
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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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| Quote: |
I just don't sleep very well when travelling
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Me neither, but Mrs B and the kids are quite glad about that
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Right, so after presenting the options, and both our better halves dropping out, it's not looking like we will go the first week of Easter holidays (28th March).
Just having a quick look at prices, seems I should be able to widen the net a bit now. So:
- travelling from London
- plane or coach
- catered ideally but could do SC
- £700 for travek and accommodation
- snow sure
Cheers
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