@aimsify, wow, you have to hand it to those guys, those are just some of the worst reviews I have ever seen.
But note, that Crystal Ski were sending people there as well. What a dump.
If you are looking for a budget holiday, then try these guys:
ww.ski.sunweb.co.uk
They often include a local ski-pass and ski rental in the price. I have used them before and was very happy. Same goes for some other Snowheads.
You can search this forum for comments about them.
But do read their small print carefully. And then look on Tripadvisor and find reviews for the actual accommodation they are offering, as different travel companies will use the same apartment blocks etc.
Val Thorens is always a good bet for cheap accommodation in a giant ski area. And most of it will be ski-in and ski-out.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@pedasp I agree! I was quite surprised although looking at reviews I'm finding it hard to find many bad reviews for a company that has been operating 20+ years.
Looking through their twitter feed most of the feedback seems quite positive from people on these trips. Guess it's a risk, either way, to be honest.
To be fair I just want to board my heart out so
Ski.Sunweb looks really good actually, thank you for that recommendation!
After all it is free
After all it is free
@aimsify, I think this issue is more the specific accommodation rather than the tour operator / travel agent. Whiteroad have some very good deals on their site, in accommodation that is highly rated on TripAdvisor. I don't think it's much of a risk, if you research the actual accommodation itself. That said, yer pays ya money and yer takes ya choice. Deals are dirt-chip for a reason!
Here is my post about Sunweb from elsewhere:
I was looking at these guys, who I have used a couple of times: www.sunweb.co.uk. I'm not linked to them in anyway; but they do help folks on a budget get a great deal.
If you choose somewhere such as Val Thorens with them, you get a ski pass per person worth €238 EUR in the deal. And when you factor that in, some of their self-catering apartments with flights (from London), transfers, bronze ski package rental (free) and ski pass work out around £439 GBP per person per week. (That will be higher at peak times such as half-term).
So excluding the ski pass, and allowing say €80 EUR for the ski rental, that is just £164 per person for flights, transfers and accommodation for 7 days (that figure will help you compare with other deals on the web from other operators).
The flights include a 20Kg hold bag.
That is just a daft low price, and a real help if you are on a budget. Plus, their site allows you to select all sorts of options, upgrades and extras.
Caveats: It's most likely a "tired" studio for 4 with a sofa bed in the lounge and bunk-beds in the hallway. The ski pass is just for the Val Thorens area; but you can upgrade on their website. The flight times are not the best, but you can select different times. The transfer will most likely just be the Altibus from Geneva with its set timetable. The Val Thorens village is not the best looking ski resort in the alps.
Extras: Tourist tax, towels, bed linen & final cleaning. Plus a refundable €300 EUR deposit, which they will keep if you come back pissed at 3am and have a party in the hallway and wake everyone up
The good news: Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe, with glaciers, extensive snowmaking and guaranteed snow. The setting is spectacular, high in the alps. It has very modern lifts, and an a big range of bars, nightclubs and restaurants at very reasonable prices. You can also pay extra and extend your ski pass to the whole of the giant 3 Valleys — the largest linked ski area in the world. The vast majority of the accommodation is ski-in & ski-out, and most have balconies.
And the apres-ski scene is some of the best in the alps. It has the famous La Folie Douce bar half-way up the mountain: http://youtube.com/v/_YGeip0ZElk
Of course, they have many other options on their website, with bigger and better accommodation if you wish. And they cover many other resorts.