 Poster: A snowHead
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Ski-in, ski-out is very much available - you just need to know where - some of the places we have stayed in have been ski-in and ski-out although it wasn't something that we particularly looked for when booking.
Hotel du Golf in Courchevel 1650 - boot room door was adjacent to the stairs to the telecabine at the foot of the piste.
Residence Montana in VT - ski off the piste into the boot room.
Hotel Christiania in Les Gets - ski off the piste onto the short garden path to the ski chalet.
Some others were a bit of a mix - apartment in Covara you could ski back to - but would need a hike up the hill to get back onto the piste - the chairlift was a 5 min walk downhill.
I would agree that if you cant actually ski to the accommodation then it shouldn't be advertised as ski-in/ski-out - but should be described accurately - i.e. short walk of 3 mins uphill/downhill/on the flat to the nearest lift/bus.
Its particularly useful to know this if you have young kids as its a faff for 2 adults to get 3 kids worth of skis and poles plus your own from the accommodation to the lift if the kids cant carry their own safely.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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@snowdave, now that you mention it ... AirBnB is actually quite tricky (honest, and we're pretty savvy) to set up just as you'd like it if you don't want to accept defaults. And they occasionally get their internal logic wrong - at one point we'd accept down to 3 nights and we'd only accept Sat-Sat for xmas and new year so their system then reckoned that the 3 nights over new year which that year broke over the Saturday was acceptable (yeah, I know, how does that work?)
So despite us having set this up absolutely correctly, we had to go back to them, and have them break the news to the clients who'd "Immediate booked" (despite us having turned that option off ...) that their "immediate" confirmed booking was not actually confirmed after all.
Now, being "professional" hosts, that was done within 24 hours but. still ... does happen.
Ryanair? NEVER AGAIN. I will not pay for someone to insult me (well, not unless they are very pretty, wearing a leather catsuit and brandinshing a whip*).
* wait, what?
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| WishIWasFitter wrote: |
| By doorstep I mean only having to carry your skis for maximum 25m. |
25m is doable in many places but personally I wouldn't restrict myself to that. I remember when the kids were young we stayed in La Norma and it was probably 200m from the apartment to the lift on flat pathway. And it was fine. It's probably the most we've had - quite often we've had literally ski in/ski out or less than 50m walk. Location is definitely important (if the distance to lift/run is important) but I wouldn't be overly restrictive on it. Usually the resort will have a plan du station online showing the proximity of apartments and lifts.
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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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@under a new name, it is probably a perception thing why we disagree. I just had a look at booking.com for December 24th in Geneva and hotel rooms (Ibis budget) are coming in at £61 to £70 per night for a twin. For me that's not too bad.
As I think you and others hinted at perhaps the OP would be better off getting a hotel on the way between Geneva and the mountains. My suggestion would be to get the train from Geneva to say Chambéry spend the night there at about £30 per twin room and move onto the resort the next morning. Train to Bourg st Maurice and up the funicular perhaps. However train timetables and resort bookings may not be available yet so I would suggest that the OP waits and sees. I am not sure, for example, if our agent is doing Saturday to Saturday that week
I now see why the OP was flying out Christmas eve - easyjet and I suspect many other airlines are not flying on Christmas day.
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@johnE, indeed, very possibly. My colleagues and I were invariably looking for "business" class hotels near the center of town. And Geneva is at least as bad as Paris for that sort of thing. The IBIS budgets are either out at the airport (which can be an advantage) or in Petit Lancy which is very residential and not terribly convenient for very much.
I'd also agree, somewhere en route probably a better idea -> and cheaper.
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@under a new name, The hotel my nepthew found was in the red light district. Does that class as "business" 
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Ah a fine thread which gets to explore all the hazards of the "one week" rental model and the pros/cons of ski in/out etc. It does seem to me that some people don't live in the real world in acknowledging that most owners prefer to rent by the week with a fixed changeover day and much as some more modern platforms might indicate ultimate flexibility, the reality is still very much the norm.
As for ski in/out you pays yer money and you take yer pick. Personally I think it's a daft thing to make a red line but then I'm not wrangling small kids. I would note however that many N American families seem to wrangle small kids quite effectively from a ski in/out car park.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| johnE wrote: |
@under a new name, it is probably a perception thing why we disagree. I just had a look at booking.com for December 24th in Geneva and hotel rooms (Ibis budget) are coming in at £61 to £70 per night for a twin. For me that's not too bad.
As I think you and others hinted at perhaps the OP would be better off getting a hotel on the way between Geneva and the mountains. My suggestion would be to get the train from Geneva to say Chambéry spend the night there at about £30 per twin room and move onto the resort the next morning. Train to Bourg st Maurice and up the funicular perhaps. However train timetables and resort bookings may not be available yet so I would suggest that the OP waits and sees. I am not sure, for example, if our agent is doing Saturday to Saturday that week
I now see why the OP was flying out Christmas eve - easyjet and I suspect many other airlines are not flying on Christmas day. |
A hotel room in Geneva for 1 night still doesn't solve the problem of finding an apartment that fits both the 25m to the slopes AND sat to sat covering xmas day and New Years.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Extremophile, why not?
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Extremophile, why not? |
For the reasons discussed previously on this thread.
arrival Xmas day departure NY day is highly unlikely and at a reasonable price. It has already been highlighted the OP that this covers 2 of the highest earning weeks in a season, granted, It's not impossible, but it is highly unlikely that the OP will find a place to fit all the requirements at a reasonable price (i.e. not paying for 2 full weeks (or close to that price)
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@Extremophile, oh I (now) see what you mean. I think the OP is just going to have to wait and see what's available. We spent 13 years renting out apartments in Chamonix and Sat/Sun xmas and NYs were always a bit of a mystery until near the time! As in - we found it better to be flexible - xmas always had to play 2nd fiddle to NY though. First week of Jan usually so quiet that it didn't matter if we bit into it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Extremophile, oh I (now) see what you mean. I think the OP is just going to have to wait and see what's available. We spent 13 years renting out apartments in Chamonix and Sat/Sun xmas and NYs were always a bit of a mystery until near the time! As in - we found it better to be flexible - xmas always had to play 2nd fiddle to NY though. First week of Jan usually so quiet that it didn't matter if we bit into it. |
Well, my point has been clear all along - even you admitted the OP had crap dates for high season. 
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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@Dave of the Marmottes, yeah, fair point. One of the advantages of Sat-Sat bookings is that often your cleaning crew work M-Fr so Sat's an easy day for them.
Our (and all our mates) experience is that you can these days, in Chamonix, at least, stick to Sat-Sat when there's high demand but you get a better return outwith those dates if you're flexi.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A quick look on booking.com for Tignes (i.e. somewhere likely to have something approaching ski in/out apartments) threw up >120 accommodation options available for sat-sat at Xmas/NY 2021-2.
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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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| snowdave wrote: |
| A quick look on booking.com for Tignes (i.e. somewhere likely to have something approaching ski in/out apartments) threw up >120 accommodation options available for sat-sat at Xmas/NY 2021-2. |
Yeah, I'm not sure what the big ooh ah is in that regard.
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| snowdave wrote: |
| A quick look on booking.com for Tignes (i.e. somewhere likely to have something approaching ski in/out apartments) threw up >120 accommodation options available for sat-sat at Xmas/NY 2021-2. |
On the OPs alternative thread in chalets and apartments ,the OP says they're looking for a 4/6 room apartment (I am assuming that means bedrooms) a search on b.con shows very few apartments fitting the requirements stated (25 m from pistes, the dates discussed, size of apartment), and those that do show are well upwards of £5000! More if the op arrives on the Friday!
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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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@Extremophile, Apartments that size (and I will assume they meant rooms, not including bathrooms and toilets) and that close to the slopes are available. Just there aren't that many of them because the number of people who have parties that big going self catering are rather small. Who fancies catering for 10 people on holiday. I have managed to do such large parties myself by offering a free place to the person responsible for catering. We did find places in Tignes and Val Thorens a short walk to the slopes (<100m) and ones in Flaine and Val d'Isere a bus ride away.
Per person they were not too expensive, but I imagine very few places are advertising just yet. IIRC I made my bookings in September or October for January
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| Extremophile wrote: |
| snowdave wrote: |
| A quick look on booking.com for Tignes (i.e. somewhere likely to have something approaching ski in/out apartments) threw up >120 accommodation options available for sat-sat at Xmas/NY 2021-2. |
On the OPs alternative thread in chalets and apartments ,the OP says they're looking for a 4/6 room apartment (I am assuming that means bedrooms) a search on b.con shows very few apartments fitting the requirements stated (25 m from pistes, the dates discussed, size of apartment), and those that do show are well upwards of £5000! More if the op arrives on the Friday! |
I would assume they mean 4/6 person/berth apartment/chalet. If they want a 4/6 room apartment/chalet that will be a lot more difficult where ever they go as there just aren't that many of that size.
Some seemed to think there would be an issue going Sat-Sat given they are Xmas Day-New Years Day and I thought snowdave was debunking my myth with his search (which concurred with my thinking).
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| johnE wrote: |
@Extremophile, Apartments that size (and I will assume they meant rooms, not including bathrooms and toilets) and that close to the slopes are available. Just there aren't that many of them because the number of people who have parties that big going self catering are rather small. Who fancies catering for 10 people on holiday. I have managed to do such large parties myself by offering a free place to the person responsible for catering. We did find places in Tignes and Val Thorens a short walk to the slopes (<100m) and ones in Flaine and Val d'Isere a bus ride away.
Per person they were not too expensive, but I imagine very few places are advertising just yet. IIRC I made my bookings in September or October for January |
The OP clearly states they want max 25 m from the slopes, so your 100 m is off the mark, not sure getting the bus is what the OP wants either.
I didn't say they'd wouldn't be available I have said all along that finding those dates at a REASONABLE price is highly unlikely. Who genuinely thinks £5000 minimum is a reasonable price? Not me. And the price is even more expensive for the Friday arrival, that makes it even less reasonable. Particularly if some of the group don't don't even get their own bedroom ( I wouldn't pay that kind of money and be expected to sleep on a sofa bed in the living room)
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| Quote: |
Who fancies catering for 10 people on holiday.
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Ideal. We had a party of 12 in a chalet with 6 en-suite rooms in Les Gets. Each bedroom did an evening meal - shopped (making sure there was bread, milk etc in for breakfast), cooked, cleared away and washed up. Pre-arranged. The kitchen equipment was excellent, the layout made it a sociable kitchen to work in. We went out for a pizza the last night. It went very well. People planned what to cook and took any special spices etc with them. We ate very well - not competitive "fine dining" but great home cooking. I organised it, and knew everybody, but none of the others did.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I've done a couple of trips with iirc 8 people, mixture of couples and singles, self catering.
As with pam w the shopping, cooking, washing up was divvied out and it worked out really well.
10 seems perfectly manageable - if you can find somewhere that size.
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| Extremophile wrote: |
| I have said all along that finding those dates at a REASONABLE price is highly unlikely. |
It's probably going to be the most expensive week of the season, I'll give you that.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
The OP clearly states they want max 25 m from the slopes
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That is a very tight constraint. Is it from the boot room, the front door or from the apartment entrance? I think our apartment in Tignes (chalet Planton) it was > 25m from the apartment door to the front door of the building. The one in Val Thorens was more than that vertically from the front door.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
The OP clearly states they want max 25 m from the slopes
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That is a very tight constraint. Is it from the boot room, the front door or from the apartment entrance? I think our apartment in Tignes (chalet Planton) it was > 25m from the apartment door to the front door of the building. The one in Val Thorens was more than that vertically from the front door. |
Dunno, but the op made it clear they didn't want to walk farther than that with kids and when everyone is tired. It's up to the OP what they consider important but if they put such tight constraints over the highest priced weeks of the season they are going to have to pay a massive premium to get it. Ultimately it's up to the OP.
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Be nice to hear from the OP
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You know it makes sense.
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OP had a not dissimilar thread for Christmas skiing (but not Switzerland due to cost). I fear this may be heading the same way
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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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@Extremophile,
| Quote: |
Who genuinely thinks £5000 minimum is a reasonable price?
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Our last "proper" season, 2019, our 2 bed apartments were €2,500 for xmas and NY weeks ... 4-6 beds are clearly going to be rather more expensive ...
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Poster: A snowHead
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To me ski-in, ski-out means being able to put skis on in the morning within about 15m on the door, and being able to ski back to about the same distance at the end of the day. It makes a huge difference if your party has young children or the very elderly in it, as neither may be able to carry their own skis a long way. And I would want to know what ability level is needed as well - being on the edge of a green/blue piste is very different to having to schuss down a snow covered steep narrow slope between buildings and turn/stop within 3m at the bottom!
I am prepared to use AirBnB for short-notice travel, for a stay within say 4 weeks of booking, but want more certainty for a family holiday booked months in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And isn't it a bit more complicated than this? Many resorts now offer heated locker rental in or by the main lift. It's a completely different prospect walking 100m or so in ordinary winter boots to/from a main lift/endpoint. No one has to carry anything. And even better if you can drop into the bars or shops en route home, rather than having to get home, shower and change and go out again.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 13-04-21 16:35; 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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| under a new name wrote: |
@Extremophile,
| Quote: |
Who genuinely thinks £5000 minimum is a reasonable price?
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Our last "proper" season, 2019, our 2 bed apartments were €2,500 for xmas and NY weeks ... 4-6 beds are clearly going to be rather more expensive ... |
Yep... as i've been saying.
Not sure where the OP has got to. 
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@Extremophile, they've disappeared as usual I expect when the conversation doesn't go their way instead of joining in.
I need to charge more if a 2 bedroom is 2500€ a week.  .
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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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Like PPs have said, it's because Christmas is a Saturday this year, so it scuppers the usual Saturday-Saturday dates.
We've booked an apartment in Austria through the VRBO app (like AirBnB, less fees) and are going 21-28 (Tuesday to Tuesday).
You might need to look at comprising on either your dates, budget or ski in/out specification. I agree with others, a five minute walk to the lift is no issue.
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| LaForet wrote: |
| And isn't it a bit more complicated than this? Many resorts now offer heated locker rental in or by the main lift. It's a completely different prospect walking 100m or so in ordinary winter boots to/from a main lift/endpoint. No one has to carry anything. And even better if you can drop into the bars or shops en route home, rather than having to get home, shower and change and go out again. |
This is exactly what we do. The apartment we use is about 200m from the lift but we leave the skis in those lockers overnight. Some days we walked over in winter boots and carried the ski boots (not all lockers were heated so always put boots in the boot room) other times we just wore ski boots. Not carrying skis was a game changer (two under 10s with us).
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@Owlette, it was a game-changer for us too.
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Pierre et Vacances have just released their rates for next Winter, they are offering flexible dates at some locations up to 8 Jan for any day arrival and departure so 8 days possible. All weeks from 8 Jan are Sat to Sat only.
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FAQ
