 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi! I am looking to a book a skiing holiday for feb 2015 and I wondered who people recommend booking through? And which sites to avoid?! Any help much appreciated!! I am not fussy about where we go and would be looking at a self catering chalet preferably x
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi Jenny.
There's no right answer, really. Some people prefer to "DIY" the holiday, and book travel and accommodation independently. For those newer to skiing, though, many find it a lot easier to book through a tour operator. There's absolutely hundreds of them out there, some huge, some that only operate in one particular resort.
If you're fairly new to the game you'll probably easily find your way to the huge tour ops, like Crystal, Neilson, Total Ski, Inghams, , directski. There are online travel agents such as ifyouski.com, igluski.com.
Like I say, there's no right answer. I've been skiing for years, have previously lived in 3 different resorts so know a lot about what to book. But for my holiday next year me and group have booked through Crystal.
I would say, that if you're looking for a self-catering chalet your options are going to be limited. Self-catering is more often limited to studios and apartments; chalets are predominantly catered i.e. breakfast and dinner.
Welcome to snowheads.
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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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Thank you for your help, that is very useful! I will definitely book through a big tour op I think. It's just so difficult to find a reputable one when you are new to it! I'm currently looking on ski world . Have you used them?
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I've not personally used them before but they are pretty big.
With any large tour operator you're always going to get some good stories and some bad ones. But all of the big tour ops are big for a reason; mostly that they get it right much more often than they get it wrong. At the end of the day, they're all much of a muchness really.
The most important thing will be to do lots of research and find the right resort for you. If you're learning to ski or hoping to take lessons then that also should be a big part of your research.
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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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Great advice, thank you. I'm doing lots of research!! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions soon....
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Jennyg, we've done a Skiworld trip. Our chalet host was very hit and miss, but it was the last week of the season and I think in his head he was already on his way home (in reality he was in the bars getting wasted at going home parties). A gentle kick from the area manager courtesy of a complaint from us soon changed things.
Generally I think they are fine though, I wouldn't base my impression of the whole company on the actions of one individual.
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Jennyg, Will this be your first ski trip? If so, then depending on where you live it may be worthwhile having a few hours beginner lessons at one of the indoor snowdomes. This gets you used to the equipment and the feeling of moving about on the ski boots and skis, and the first feeling of snowplough sliding on snow which often gets people hooked on this skiing lark!  It also means that you are that bit further advanced when you start ski lessons in the 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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Jennyg, I used ski world Easter 2013 to Soelden and they were excellent.
How big is your party? A chalet would suit 10+ and then organising the self catering bit can be tricky. We have managed it a few times by offering an all expenses paid holiday to one member who has done all the cooking, organised the shopping and cleaning. It took a bit of doing but in the end it was an excellent and cheep holiday.
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Jennyg, you have a PM (top right, Send/Read Messages) 
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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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Jenny. If there are 10 or more of you then a lot of tour operators will offer group discount (or equivalent). A good tip is to pop into a travel agent such as Thomas Cook or Thomson, First Choice etc and talk through what options you have for groups. I'm in a group of 16 for next year, and we went through First Choice travel agent with Crystal (Crystal, First Choice and Thomson are all part of the same group, called TUI). Anyway, we got a better deal from the travel agent than we could get online. For every 10 persons that travel you get 1 place free (so effectively 10% or so off). But they also gave us a 2 for 1 deal on lift passes, so that saved another £100.
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You know it makes sense.
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Jennyg, If your group of 10 - 12 wants to share a self-catering place where you can all sit round a table for a sociable dinner, you'll struggle through some of the tour operators though there are plenty of places out there which answer to that description, if you book DIY.
I did a group trip to Les Gets once - we had 6 double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and each "room" did one evening meal for everybody - we went out to dinner the last evening. It was terrific. We rented three cars and drove from Geneva airport. The group included 3 non-skiers but everybody took their share. It depends on the quality of your friends I guess. 
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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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Jennyg, should also have asked - is that going to be half term? That will make a big difference as much of the good quality accommodation will already be booked for that week (especially in France where there are also four weeks of french school holidays from Feb/March.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Jennyg,
What pam w, says. Tour operators tend to provide what the market demands and self catering chalet holidays for large groups are not a high demand item. You will find it difficult with a tour operator and generally have to settle for either a catered chalet or several apartments.
Finding a self catered chalet DIY is not difficult, you can usually do it through Tourist Office websites or Interhome has quite a selection.
How you arrange travel for a large group is a bit dependant on how compliant they are but the logistics are not difficult, the personalities may be.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jennyg, I'll add my 2 pence worth, based on organising a number of trips.
As I understand it, you are a group of 10-12 looking for self-catering in February.
As others have said, few, if any, UK Tour Operators will offer this, so you are probably going to need to DIY.
This means organising flights, transfers, picking up/dropping off keys etc. as well as organising buying food for 10+, a cooking roster, washing-up roster etc. Are you really up for this? It can be done, but if you are not experienced in this kind of thing (your questions suggest so) it can be daunting and your friends need to buy in to the idea that everyone mucks in.
Self catering accommodation can be found on Tourist Office websites, Interhome, HomeAway and a few other sites, but is usually apartments rather than chalets. Have a look around and see what you can find. Pick three or four resorts and see what is available.
In my experience, 'Who to book through' is the least of your challenges. The important things to agree upfront are:
1) what are people prepared to pay - i.e for transport, accommodation, food and lift passes
2) when are you going - apart from the first week of Feb. you are going to clash with all of the European holidays, with the high prices and limited availability that this entails
3) what are the ideal attributes of the resort - blue runs/red runs/off piste, low prices, good snow, good ski school, short transfer etc
4) what sleeping arrangements are acceptable - doubles, singles, triples, Austrian twins, sofa beds, bunks etc
5) how are you going to get from UK to resort - departure airport(s), by coach or train, self-drive?
6) by when do people need to commit - there is no point spending time and effort setting something up only for half of the group to drop out in November, so get commitment and full payment as early as possible. Be sure that you know what happens if there is a last minute drop-out; if your name is on the booking form, you are responsible for paying.
7) who has the final decision - (the answer is you ) - with no comebacks from the group. If anyone is unhappy, they can arrange the following year's trip. Maybe get one of the others to support you, so if anything unexpected turns up you have an extra pair of hands to help.
Having found out what is available, and at what price, compare this with what the T/Os are offering for B&B or H/B in the same resort. If you're taking on all of the hassle for just a £20 saving, then book B&B instead and let the T/O take the strain.
I'd be inclined to find a resort, find two or three accommodation/price options and then get feedback from the group, with a deadline for a final decision of say 1st September (or even earlier).
Good luck - the folks on here will help if you have questions about specific resorts, T/Os or hotels/B&Bs etc.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 15-07-14 16:02; edited 1 time in total
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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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If you're taking on all of the hassle for just a £20 saving, then book B&B instead
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Lots of good advice here, but when we did our trip to Les Gets the whole point was to enjoy a communal evening meal without the expense of going out to a restaurant (also one of the participants had limited mobility/balance problems and icy pavements presented a particular challenge). We agreed on straightforward "home cooking" - there was no competitive catering and most people have a favourite recipe they can produce. The people in one of the rooms swore they had no cooking skills at all so they bought in a range of charcuterie, cheese and salads and a superb raspberry tart from the boulangerie - no problem. Even small ski resorts (French ones, at any rate) will have at least one traiteur producing tasty dishes to heat and eat in an apartment.
There is only one sensible rule for that kind of arrangement, to my mind, and that is that the duty cooks do the shopping, cooking, clearing and washing up for their night. And enjoy a completely lazy 5 evenings with everything done for them. Some people are tidy cooks, washing up as they go along - others use every dish in the place and create chaos. It's not fair to leave the first people washing up for the second.
Because we had three cars we didn't all have to do do everything in one big gang - or get up at the same time. The keen skiers drove to some other parts of the Portes du Soleil as the snow was pretty thin everywhere. The chalet wasn't "ski in/ski out".
I was the main organiser and I enjoyed it - the only problem was getting three cars back to the French sector of Geneva which proved such a challenge that we caught our flight only because I literally ran all the way through the baggage hall and up to the easyJet desk, leaving everybody else struggling with luggage, and stretched the point a little assuring the nice check in man that the rest of the party weren't far behind. I have since learnt my way in and out of the different parts of Gva airport.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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pam w,
Geneva airport must be the only airport where you approach the checkin desks through the baggage reclaim hall. It feels so weird when you do it.
Incidentally, I found when organising my own trips the savings over a catered chalet, even bringing our own "chalet host", was over £100 per person. And no one hassling us to go on pub crawls etc.
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Dav, obviously people vary and our style of holiday wouldn't suit everybody. I didn't find it any hardship for two of us to prepare a meal for 12, all good friends, on just one evening in the week. Nobody in the group wanted to be out boozing till 6.30 - 7. Everyone headed back for a hot shower and some tea, not least because everyone was economising on lunches! We drank plenty of wine with the evening meal. Drinking in bars in ski resorts is an expensive pastime and most of the people in the party didn't want to spend money that way. Before the evening meal, when the evening's "hosts" were sorting out supper, most of sat around in the very comfortable chalet with yet another cup of tea, or a gin and tonic, or a Coke.
It was an economical week. Early January, cheap airfare booked well in advance, 3 full cars, with costs shared, the chalet was very reasonable in low season, we ate and drank well and the non skiers greatly enjoyed the convivial evenings. They included my mother, who stayed in the chalet reading and making cakes during the day. The final evening out - pizzas and plonk - very ordinary - cost substantially more than any of our self-catered evenings.
These days, as I have my own apartment and have a fair few friends and family coming to stay, I generally do a lot more cooking than I did that week!
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Pam, I totally get why you did it. And as you spend far more time in the mountains than most, it's a nice thing to do as you know all the foibles of doing the food shopping and where to head to get max value and choice. Also, like you say, different strokes for different folks. Some people probably do prefer to get back to the chalet and chill out there with a cup of tea / glass of wine rather than in a bar. As part of a mid 30s - mid 40s collection, my group are all of the opinion that the 4pm or so to 7pm stint in the pub are the tastiest beers you'll find around, and a much welcome treat after a hard day!! Hence that's our priority.
I guess it's for the OP, who by her own admission is rather new to these things, to find the right solution for her group, so it's all a worthwhile discussion as it points out the pros and cons of both sides. But for beginners/early intermediates I definitely wouldn't under-estimate how tired they'll be at the end of a ski day; and then whether cooking after all that is really worth it.
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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're going to Ischgl next year with Ski Total, who do chalet holidays. Never used them before but the reviews seem generally good.
http://www.skitotal.com/resorts/
They're catered, but TBH I hate cooking on holiday anyway, especially skiing!
In the past I've used the big TOs; Crystal, Inghams, Neilson, Mark Warner etc and had no complaints with any of them.
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