Best Value Family Ski Holiday? Package / Chalet/ Drive / Self Booking - what does everyone else do?

A snowHead

I am recently returning to ski holidays after having a family (3 Kids aged 3,7 & Cool

and I am looking to book for 2023. Now I can only go during school holiday time and have 5 people to pay for as opposed to 1! So my question is what is the best value ski holidays for families? What does everyone else do and what works? I don’t know if it's best to book a package holiday or hotel and flights separately or drive or catered chalet etc etc. What time of the year is best? Easter? What resorts?

A few points:

I don’t mind driving, but we live in North England so will have to factor in a hotel or two and extra time
I don’t mind catered chalets
Happy to fly but if its not a package I find the transfers can be pricey for 5?
I want to stay somewhere where you can walk to ski lifts, restaurants etc - I don’t want to use the car or buses at all.

What do other people find works for them? So many options!

Thanks

A snowHead

@jimmytwoburgers, I don’t think there is a best option. It’s what works for you.

For 5 of you I think driving would be best option and in school holidays possibly the cheapest.

My brother in law swears by Club Med and the all inclusive everything done for you. I can’t think of anything worse and self cater and book independently.

If decide what you like as a family in terms of cooking or being catered for, that will narrow your options to start.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@jimmytwoburgers, I agree with @Boris, you have to find what works for you. However, you can pick up a feeling of what suggestions sound appealing, and value for money and go from there.

Personally:
Time of year: Easter.. it's cheaper than half term, and it's generally warmer and the sun's out. Beautiful.

Where: Snow sure with ski in, ski out, just for ease. Val Thorens, Avoriaz, Belle Plagne are favourites depending on how early Easter is.

Fly or Drive: I've done both, and there's little between the options. But we prefer Easter flights, they are cheaper than half term, especially if you work out when they are released and get up at 6am to book the first ones before the price rockets. We then hire a car.

Accommodation: Self catering apartment (often through Airbnb). It's like a home from home - lots of bedroom space and large communal area is key. Book early, as the best value for money apartments go early.

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We liked S/c so we could feed the young children what and when they wanted, not say “sorry the restaurant isn’t open for another hour”.
Driving; depends if they get car sick! At least now they can stay occupied with screens. You can also take lots of spare clothes, which get wet.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Definitely Easter for warmth and longer days. If cost is a big factor (and it usually is with 3 kids!) then driving and self-catering will be less expensive. Check out Sunweb and Snowtrex who have some crazy deals including lift passes. You won't need a huge ski area for first timers but easy access to skiing and a local swimming pool would be handy. Check out the ski schools as well for decent reviews and English speaking instructors, although most should be ok.

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I also live in the North. There is no single solution for what is best value but here are a couple of things that I have found helpful :
1. If flying in school holidays, look at flights from Edinburgh or Glasgow as Scottish school holidays can be at different dates and prices can be significantly lower.
2. If flying, look at car hire rather than transfers as it can be cheaper and easier with children and gives flexibility - which brings us to.....
3. Look at flights to airports that are not immediately associated with ski resorts. The drive to resort might be a bit longer, but it can be a lot cheaper to fly to Verona / Venice / Milan or Munich rather than Innsbruck
4. Self cater. Eat out (just a pizza) every alternate night.
5. Look at resorts that are not in the mainstream so far as Brits are concerned. Nassfeld (Cheap flights to Ljubljana and hire a car), Kronplatz (but it's a longer drive in) and some of the smaller French resorts
6. Easter. Especially for French resorts I find

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I think the package vs self organised or package plus self drive is a close balance. As all the kids are likely to be beginners some tour companies do a starters ski package with tuition etc. However, you are not sure how good and in what language that tuition will be.

Personally, for a beginner, I would rather do Easter in a higher resort for one simple reason. There can be quite a lot of hanging around, moving slowly and the better, warmer, the weather the less of an issue cold is. Also, the longer days mean one can do a bit of exploring after skiing hours - +1 for a car/hire car.

After all it is free

One issue driving with three kids is you need two hotel rooms on each stopover; you won't find a 5-berth room.

We budget £800-£900 for the drive which includes: hotel rooms for drive down (return one-leg), FlexiPlus, fuel, tolls, and resort parking. If you live up north then maybe budget an extra £80-100 for a pair of cheap rooms to break up the return.

Covid will still be with us .... let's be positive BUT self drive and self catering is probably the safe bet.
For the overnight BB hotels have rooms for 5 in some properties or could you get away with a room for 4 and take a camp bed?

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@jimmytwoburgers, take a look at Sunweb and Snowtrex if your driving, they offer accommodation plus lift deals and also use some of the lesser known resorts so if your not mile hungry and want a nice small area they may just work.
if your a tesco user you used to be able to triple the value of your clubcard points on Eurotunnel but ive not done it in a while so not sure if they still do it.
we drive from nw uk, leave 10 ish, late afternoon tunnel and Reims stopover always works well.

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As you are about to find out, the world is made for families of four. You just have to look that bit harder to accommodate 5, some place will offer an extra mattress. One of the benefits of driving is you can get an extra day skiing at either end rather than the standard six day package tour.
We used to love the drive down, although the drive back was rather depressing. It does give you more flexibility, you just need to do a bit more research

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The combined effect of Brexit and COVID means that catered chalet prices have risen dramatically. I remember booking a really nice chalet in Easter week in Val Thorens about 4 seasons ago, and it cost c. £1200 pp (inc flights). This season, the same week in an inferior chalet is more like £2400pp.

As I'm sure you know, hotels are a bit of a nightmare if you have several children, so the only reasonable option, unless you're prepared to spend more than about £15k is self-catering.

You know it makes sense.

We could afford to go to a hotel but we switched to self-drive and self-catering quite early on after a couple of years when the flight/transfer process turned out really bad. You get so much more usable space and flexibility compared to a hotel and you're not tied to the catering times if it's a group thing. Yes, it's not such a holiday for the parents doing the cooking but I think that's outweighed by the convenience and flexibility. It also means that you can go out for an evening meal and you're not writing off the hotel's/chalet meal you've already paid for. We used to stay overnight in two rooms in a Campanile or similar, but as mentioned, some places can do a larger room with a roll-out bed etc. I'd have to admit a bias that we would never in a million years want to share a chalet with people we don't know - it's just not our thing. And I think that the days of reasonably-priced, shared, catered chalets is, on the whole, over. I also appreciate that some people flatly refuse to cook on holiday, so if that's your preference, then self-catering isn't going to work, obviously.

But as mentioned, if your car is comfortable for 5 on a long drive then self-drive and self-catering can work really well and be (relatively speaking) cost-effective.

We've tried driving straight through the night to/from the Alps and our experience was that it was 50:50 OK. Trouble is, it's not like in the summer when you can take a break in an aire and get some sleep. If the weather is bad then an overnight drive can be an ordeal that detracts from the holiday.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Peak Retreats and Erna Low are the two main package operators for self-drive ski holidays.

Avoriaz, Flaine, and Saint Foy are all reasonably snow-sure and good value at Easter, and have doorstep(ish) skiing and swimming pools.

Alternatively if you're willing to take the kids on a gondola each morning, then you should find some bargain apartments in Samoens or Saint Gervais at Easter. Or look at Le Grand Bornand -- there's a new luxury apartment block below the La Joyere gondola and it's also the shortest drive to the UK.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Can't help on the nothern airports, but I can recommend either Avoriaz (loads of appartmenta to rent) or Seefeld (20 min taxi from Innsbruck airport) for families. Apart from the delay risk at Innsbruck (don't google the cockpit approach if you are a nervous flyer) that was the most convenient holiday ever, in an airbnb a short walk from the Seefeld slopes, a train up to the summit, excellent town.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@jimmytwoburgers,
Look at UK tour operators that specialize in family holidays.
Easter would probably be the cheapest time for you.

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Flying from a less obvious airport either end can be surprisingly cheap and can still work out better value than driving, even for a family. I did Bristol to Turin a few years ago for about £70 return pp at Easter and went to Cervinia which is really snowsure. Stayed in an Air B and B for £600 for the week and ate lovely pizza meals out every night! With passes, ski hire and spending money I would say the holiday cost around £700-£800 pp. It really can be done on a budget.
I have just booked flights from Birmingham to Turin for half term this year for £105 return pp!! Leaving the accommodation till last minute (might do Montgenevre, Sestriere) but so many options from Turin and most resorts have a cheap ski bus from the airport.
There are lots of cheap flights to Milan around too and resorts like Passo Tonale are extremely good value.
I also have an Easter trip booked using a sunweb booking from last year to Val Thorens and got return flights to Geneva from Luton for £77 pp. Sunweb are fab. I would try and find half board accommodation if going to 3vs (mine is 24 euros per day for breakfast and evening meal) which is so much better value than eating out in that area)
I’m a single parent and literally do not have lots to spend but skiing can be done on a budget!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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We drive and self cater. But.. we always took our own gear and didn't use ski schools... which is unusual and could alter things.

I think you are right to consider the logistics in resort - avoiding driving/buses - in fact, you probably even want to consider how much walking is involved. Many find the more convenient things are in this aspect the better.

We go at Christmas and Easter (whenever the school breaks up) usually. Both have there plus points but for sure Easter is the ideal option in terms of weather, quietness.

One aspect of the self drive is if you have a car that is up to it, size, winterised, etc. Whether the drivers are happy driving long distances. Self catering wise, have you done s/c type holidays before. If so, you will know the drill and plusses and minuses.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Wow - so much information - thanks for that!

A lot of people mentioning Car Hire? Is that a not a pain these days, as will probably have to hire car seats, snow chains etc? Although if I can get cheap flights then its probably worth the cost

When do people generally start booking for 2023? I like to be super organised and be booked early but had problems in the past trying to book too early and nothing had been released so I have then left it for a while only to realise I have left it too long and everything had gone! It seems to be a dark art knowing when everything is released from Hotels to ferry crossings etc

After all it is free

If you are bored there are links to all our family trips here at the top.

There are some people that take children skiing in campervans. If you have a campervan, this would definitely be the way to go once you winterize the van.

Take them to small resorts with no tourists while learning. Then move to somewhere like Montegenevre as you want a bigger field of play.

With older children there may be less room in a campervan for 4. (or 4.5)

This would be ideal for skiing in Scotland, perhaps starting at the Lecht which is good for beginners and children. (due to the limited runs and consequently more focus on beginner/intermediate abilities)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313751509422?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200721145842%26meid%3Da09063fb73594bab8f2941ab83246221%26pid%3D101259%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D313751509422%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26algv%3DPersonalizedTopicsV2WithMoreCoviewRecall%26brand%3DmaXpeedingrods&_trksid=p2380057.c101259.m47269&_trkparms=pageci%3A988a21d4-671b-11ec-9d73-5aae224dd4ef%7Cparentrq%3Afc25cfa317d0a7b267decbd5ffe347c8%7Ciid%3A2

These diesel heaters just get cheaper every time I look!

You might need a bigger fridge in your campervan though, as they tend to be quite small.

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Childcare. Decide what you want to do with the kids during the day and work from there. There is ski school for a few hours, nannies, all day snow club etc.

Having just had a lovely week away with 2 smalls (2&5) we went with a Nanny and ski school combo. It meant WE had a proper holiday too and they had a fantastic time. Well worth the money and without doubt the first thing i will book for future holidays.

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@jimmytwoburgers, I don't think of myself as a last minute booker since Iusually start looking about a month before departure rather than the couple of days that others do. I suppose having our own place does make a difference in that I'm not stressed about it. I am currently thinking of booking a trip for the end of January 2022 in a different resort. I'm not sure what I'll be doing in 2023 and will start planning around November 2022, or later. I find having dates inked into the diary a long time in advance stressful. I like flexibility of plans

snow reports

For s/c our lifestyle has long revolved around a large hot lunch and then a large snack at 6pm. Therefore when skiing we stop for a pasta/roast chicken leg on the hill, and no-one argues about the cooking/washing up in the evening as it will be something simple.

You might find some surprisingly cheap private transfers using www.findtransfers.com. Someone else on here recommended them a while back and I've used the service a couple of times now.

At the very budget end of things, UCPA centres offer family weeks in UK school holidays and I doubt you'd find a much cheaper way of skiing as a family. Their UK agent is Action Outdoors.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@jimmytwoburgers, as others have said, only you can know what suits your family best. but i am a big advocate for self driving/self catering family holidays, though i have to admit that me and my daughters are flying and with a hire car this feb, as the deals with easyjet booked in march 2020 was very good at the time, and have been able to carry them over.

but we are still self catering, as this gives us lots more flexibility food wise, and if we were driving like normal, you can load up the car with lots of bog standard essentials, which saves you buying in resort, and you also have the option of stopping en-route to do a largish shop in a hypermarche before hitting the mountains.

with regards to stops on the way and on the way back, others have mentioned about the need for two hotel rooms, but you can also book self catering apartments via booking.com with good cancellation policies that can give you the space you require for your family.

obviously, easter will give you longer, warmer days, but it also depends when this falls with regards to snow cover. you could opt for a higher resort, but costs tend to go up in regards to lift passes etc.

on another note, i have just returned from the 3valleys, and when i was in a restaurant picking up a take away, a British family of 7, mum and dad and 5 children ranging from about 14 down to 4 or 5, came in and requested a table. i spent the rest of the night trying to calculate the cost of that holiday, and it started to make my eyes water, i used to panic when i first took my 2 girls with lessons/lift passes and ski hire etc Shocked

the other thing i love about DIY, is the planning, in my opinion it is never too early, i will be starting now for xmas 22/23!!!

good luck with it all!!

A snowHead

A snowHead

Thanks for all the replies so far.

It looks like self drive and self catering might be the best way forward. I don't mind long drives, we drove to Majorca a few years ago! We don't particularly want to cook but to be honest I don't think we can afford any other option and often do self catering holidays anyway. The kids have had lessons already at Snozone but we would still put them in a couple of hours of group ski lessons everyday.

Budget wise is a difficult one, my other half is really not bothered about Skiing, so can't spend too much! I think it would have to be on par with a summer holiday so maybe £2-3k plus food / meals on top of that. Dare I say the cheaper the better really but not Bulgaria cheap!

A few people have mentioned Montgenèvre, we actually went prior to having kids and loved it. I know there are closer resorts for driving and self catering though? We haven't been to a ski resort for over 10years and even then we didn't really cover a lot of miles so small resorts / small ski areas are fine for us. My wife prefers bubble lifts though.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I used to take several casseroles, frozen in ice cream tubs. Used to arrive in resort 11 hours later ( driving) still frozen. Kept them on the balcony, brought them in to defrost. No one had bad tummies…

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I used to take several casseroles, frozen in ice cream tubs. Used to arrive in resort 11 hours later ( driving) still frozen. Kept them on the balcony, brought them in to defrost. No one had bad tummies…

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Puy St Vincent with https://www.snowbizz.co.uk/ .

Ticks every one of your boxes. For some reason, it’s a snow trap.

Run by an English lady and her French husband. English nannies, day and evening care whether your kids like skiing or not. French instructors with empathy and perfect English, small classes, our kids became good skiers.

So good, we went 11 times. Many other families did similar. Amazing memories for all of us, magical.

Either take their full package, self drive or hire a car from Turin, which is just a 2 hour drive away over Montgenevre/Claviere. Flight costs tend to be cheaper than the usual French airports.

Or incredibly cheap flights to non-ski Marseille, a 3 hour drive away via Sisteron.

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@jimmytwoburgers, a smaller resort would definitely suit your group given you don't need the big mileage slope wise. The lift passes are cheaper and you can usually get better value accommodation.

We went to La Norma when the kids were little. Not been but Valmeinier supposed to be good.

If driving as mentioned above you can load up in the supermarket in the last big town before heading up the mountain. You don't have to go too crazy with the cooking. After all the exercise and fresh air everyone will have an appetite. There's always a bakery to get nice pastries for breakfast and baguette for picnic/dinner.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Hi, having done this a few years ago with our kids I can pass on my thoughts. We've driven every year (Feb half term) and gone with Eurotunnel. Crossed Thursday night and bunked off school Friday with the aim to have a very chilled drive down to resort (and it has been as we've been ahead of all the traffic) and arrived around 10.30am. Whilst not able to get into the accommodation, ski rental shops were absolutely empty and we've either had a few hours on the (empty) slopes or a really nice lunch out whilst watching the hoards of arrivals afternoon onwards.

I've always rented an appartment directly from a French person - takes a bit of research (have used Abritel to look at places and then been able to track down the host directly!). Obviously helps if you can speak French but Google Translate if you don't! Found the cheapest prices are when you book with the French (if you go to France of course). We paid around 1350 Euros for a self contained bottom floor of a chalet, 2 bed, 50m walk to slope for a week.

When the kids were learning - we didn't need to go high (in Feb) so went to Chinaillon for a few years in a row. Very French, decent amount of slopes, night skiing, restaurants etc but no real night life. The kids absolutely loved it and we could get tons of mileage in while they were in ski school - lunch back at the appt and then back out together. Chinaillon forms part of Le Grand Bornand but is up the road and where the majority of lifts are for ease. The resort is also one of the quickest to drive to from the UK. As it's not one of the big Brit/high resorts, lift passes are much cheaper.

Food wise, we've always taken packet/dried/tinned food with us from the UK and just bought fresh/fridge/freezer/wine/treats when near the resort. In fact, one year we bought fridge stuff the night before arrival and just kept it in the boot (it's so cold in Feb, the boot was like a fridge!).

The kids are early teens now but still rave about going back to Chinaillon - I just know they'd be bored after 3 days. When we used to go (about 5 years ago) the whole trip cost about 3000-3500 Euros for everything (2 adults, 2 kids).

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We drive and rent an appartment, 2 kids aged 6 and 8. We always go to a resort that has lunch club with the ESF. Some resorts ski school and lunch club are cheaper than others as well as the lift passes.

Help!!

Best Value Family Ski Holiday? Package / Chalet/ Drive / Self Booking - what does everyone else do?

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