 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking for suggestions for driving out in Half term (no choice - kids). Looked at Evasions Mt Blanc, Grand Massif or Sybelles potentially, but anywhere would work as we're not fussed if its a smallish resort. Doesn't have to be ski in/out but would prefer not having a massive schlep to and from the lift every day. Suggestions for accomodation would be good, 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids, so bed and bunks fine)
Its our first time driving out so somewhere without a particularly complicated route would be good, but not THAT critical.
Vague enough?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Done that a number of times when the offspring were still kids. Can't fault Le Grand Bornand. About as close as you can get to the channel (10 Hours give or take). If you're quick you might still be able to grab some accommodation here: http://www.campinglescale.com/?lang=en. It will probably be accommodation that drives your destination as most will be booked up by now.
We stayed a few times, good enough apartments for the price with a B&B or HB option available if you need it. Ski Bus (5mins) right from the entrance to the lifts. Go for the Aravis Ski pass which gives you the option to Ski in La Clusaz too.
Top Tip: Don't follow your SATNAV towards Chamonix and turn off at Bonneville. Col de Colombiere is closed in winter!!
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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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Lots of options, but if it's half term and you're driving I'd consider Austria, as generally speaking it'll be a bit less busy than France.
When you say "small resort", do you mean a small resort base or a small ski area?
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@panaga52, thanks will take a look.
@denfinella, both I suppose - not fussed by a big ski area, and apres beyond a few cheecky beers after a day is off the radar these days - we're not mileage orientated particularly either, but as the two young'uns are plotting to snowboard, and neither have had much practice on drags, reasonably modern infrastructure would be preferred.
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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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Having been in Austria every Feb Half-Term for the last 5 years, busy is a relative term. Fewer Brits true, but more Dutch and Scandis. If you're planning a stopover on route then Austria is a very good option but note that it is also German Half-Term and they ALL go to Austria. Allow 14-16 hours journey time. You want to be passing Munich no later than 9.00 am each way.
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I really like the resorts in Styria - Turracher Hohe is particularly lovely (set either side of a frozen lake across which you can be towed by a tractor!) and isn't too far from Kresichberg, Katschberg, Obertauern etc - all great if you fancy a change of scenery for a day.
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Serfaus / Fiss / Ladis ?
AA routeplanner says 10 hours 30 minutes from Calais but add in stops / breaks / traffic
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Serfaus Fiss Ladis would be a good choice but it's quite a big area. Nauders is a smaller area just down the road - nice wee village with a couple of bars, bottom of gondola is about a mile out of the village but there's a frequent bus and many of the hotels run their own mini-buses on demand. We were there for half term a couple of years ago and it was too busy at all.
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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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I can tell you saint gervais is a very easy drive, about 9.5 hours all in from tunnel
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Even with 2 kids, with the he current cost of car hire in Italy, you might find it cheaper to fly to Turin or Treviso and hire a car.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@cameronphillips2000, costs of flights has gone through the roof it appears, hence the drive (we'd upgraded the car earlier this year anyway in anticipation).
Hadn't thought about Austria - and only a couple of hours further down the road.
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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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Smoking really puts me off Austria
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
| Smoking really puts me off Austria |
Indeed, but in many restaurants they only smoke at the bar and they have smoke free areas. I've left places which couldn't offer me that.
Serre Chevalier is amazing but it's far away, relatively.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
| Smoking really puts me off Austria |
Not sure when you last visited, but my experiences over the last 10 years is that smoking in bars and restaurants is increasingly uncommon. Christmas last year in Damüls we only encountered one place where it was still permitted. It's not at all difficult to avoid the occasional places that do still allow it.
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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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Apart from a few hairpins on the last few km up the hill, Flaine (and indeed the rest of the GM) is a very easy drive which avoids the major bottlenecks of the resorts further south - e.g. Tarentaise. However, much as I love it, it's at its worst for packed pistes at half term (not surprisingly). Anything at that northern end of the French Alps - La Clusaz, Morzine, St Gervais, etc - should be okay as far as the drive goes.
Regarding the cost, I did a back of the fag packet calculation to pass the time on the last drive down at Easter. It came to around 700 quid for a family of two adults, two kids. That included tunnel fares, fuel from London, tolls and two overnight B&B stops (family rooms at Val Moret & Reims Novotel). You'd be hard pushed to get flights for that, though I didn't factor in the winter tyres and chains, which we already owned. Didn't include dinner either as could/would have spent on that whether driving or not.
To be honest though, I'd drive even if flying was cheaper as I enjoy it more and also have a crippling inability to travel light.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| panaga52 wrote: |
| but note that it is also German Half-Term and they ALL go to Austria. Allow 14-16 hours journey time. |
Not sure where you’re getting your information on this?
U.K. Half term for much of the country is 17/2.
Only one little German region is off that week.
In terms of busyness I find the smaller resorts much quieter.
I’m driving to Waidring again this HT. Modern lift system, relatively high ski area for the region and easy to drive to lots of other nearby resorts.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have you thought of the Jura?
Half term will be rammed in France this year as the late UK half term is the same as the half term inxtue south of France, I'm told.
You're right about flights. Very steep that week. Barca is still reasonavme though and you can get a fair sized car for 60 quid. If it were me I'd be up to Bequeret...
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For families Serfaus / Fiss is excellent, cheaper accommodation in Ladis. It is a relatively easy drive, motorway all the way to Landeck (nearby town) and cheap petrol in Luxembourg on the way. It would be a bit further than the resorts near Geneva, though if you are planning an overnight stop it would make little difference. UK half term this year does not coincide with most German / Austrian / Dutch half terms (who are the majority of visitors there are few brits in Serfaus). I cant compare costs between France and Austria (more than 20 years since I skied in France) but it seems Austria is cheaper certainly for food and drink. Western Austria has a number of smaller resorts, the Montafon is a collection of charming villages, Dämuls has been mentioned already, there are plenty more. Most Austrian resorts have plenty of self catering apartments, check out the tourist office website for the relevant resort.
The smoking thing is a complete red herring. Yes the smoking ban has been abandoned but smoking is restricted to bars or bar areas. No smoking when food is being served. With kids you are very unlikely to want to spend time in small smokey bars or in raucous apres spots.
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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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In France, Les Sybelles or further along the Maurienne to Val Cenis would get my vote.
Both around Geneva and Tarentaise valley with big numbers visiting can be side stepped, with access generally quite easy along with less road pinch points. Less brit focused too 
Maurienne is an easy drive from UK, costs improved over headline resorts, somewhere new to explore perhaps, and with convenient car access/no parking costs. Certainly VC gives a good ski area in relation to pass costs. Food cost generally good to, gives overall a decent balance for family visit.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I am in an umbrella bar in Flachau....not one person is smoking. That is unusual though.
@munich_irish, there is one restaurant in Flachau... jagdhof... where they have a smoking dining room and non smoking. Unfortunately the rooms are separated by only a half height wall so they might as well not bother. So are they ignoring the restrictions you mention?
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If I was driving for half term I'd go to Italy. Maybe Pila (if Mont Blanc tunnel).
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@holidayloverxx, I know some places do push the limits and I am not up on the minutiae of the "Rules". However in my experience the situation is very much improved over a few years ago when it seemed every mountain restaurant had a "white out" inside. I have found many places ban smoking voluntarily and even those that do allow it generally have a separate room. The biggest pain are small bars which often unpleasantly smokey but they are of no interest to families and can easily be avoided by those who dont want to be subjected to other's tobacco smoke.
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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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@munich_irish, interestingly the Jagdhof promotes itself as a family restaurant with kids play area etc
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I would echo the recommendations for Serfaus Fiss Ladis. Really good family area - they promote it as a family resort. We stayed in Serfaus, and there is plenty to do both on the snow and off, such as the railed toboggan run.
We drove it in one hit, but that was tedious. I wish we'd stopped off overnight rather than taken the 5 am tunnel and arrived in resort after 7pm.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wherever you deciede to drive to - my best bit of advice would be to book your crossing ASAP
Also - any overnight stops.
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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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@Dippy, sound advice there as the tunnel will only keep going up. Lots of accommodation options in the GM. Les Carroz is a good option, family friendly etc and like St Gervais/Les Houches is one of the easiest/quickest drives from Calais
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@Richard_Sideways, I've been following this with interest - what is looking good?
Having told my kids that skiing was not happening, I'm now wondering if I can sort something after all.
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You know it makes sense.
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@tomj, fancy telling your children no skiing you bad person!! Best deals we've found is via tourist office booking in either Evasion Mont Blanc or resorts further down the Val d'Arly (Espace Diamant) Only flexiplus available on the tunnel outbound Friday but that's probably no bad thing and reasonable Campanile / Formule1 availability. It's tomorrow's job to actually decide on resort as need to check snowboarding schools for both (cheeky swines are both rejecting Mummy's way and turning to the Darkside!!).
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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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| Quote: |
cheeky swines are both rejecting Mummy's way and turning to the Darkside!!
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*puts up hood on hoodie* AH-hahaaa! Good! GOOOOD! Their journey to the darkside will soon be complete *Hood down*
@tomj, Short answer is 'Bleedin' Tricky!' Accommodation ranges from Oligarch-Class to cardboard box with little in between. Flights are basically gone but we've upgraded the familywagon this year to something you wouldn't mind being in for a thousand or so hours driving.
Unless we get a wriggle on, the closest we'll be to France this HT is this...
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Sat 5-01-19 19:29; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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@panaga52 beat me to recommending Le Grand Bornand. We will be heading there for our 3rd consecutive half term in Feb. It's an easy drive from Calais. Previously we have stayed in St Jean de Sixt just up the road but a 10min ski bus ride away. This year we are staying in LGB itself because our usual accommodation was booked.
LGB is a great resort, I suspect less busy at half term than other resorts, and would suit boarders too, IMO.
Good luck with wherever you choose!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@jesus, St.JdS was a good call, but nothing quite fit the bill there although there are some which were pretty darned close (gotta love emailing a guy called Mr B'astard about accomodation!)
The final winner is La Clusaz! we found a small place for about €1300 with proper bedrooms and beds (no sofabeds!) for 4 inc taxes and bits inc. <€700 for all lift passes too. Waiting for formal confirmation before booking the Tunnel crossing.
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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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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
@jesus, St.JdS was a good call, but nothing quite fit the bill there although there are some which were pretty darned close (gotta love emailing a guy called Mr B'astard about accomodation!)
The final winner is La Clusaz! we found a small place for about €1300 with proper bedrooms and beds (no sofabeds!) for 4 inc taxes and bits inc. <€700 for all lift passes too. Waiting for formal confirmation before booking the Tunnel crossing. |
Good news!
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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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