Christmas week resort recommendations

A snowHead

Looking for something good value, not ridiculously busy, christmassy & suitable for young children so very convenient for slopes. So far only really seen one place in Austria anywhere near budget Zell-am-see. We went to PSV last year but not sure it ticks christmassy box but good for children & good value but not sure I want to repeat visit. We visited Orres in the summer hiking and again looks good value maybe more similar to PSV but I wasn’t convinced about the ski school & I don’t know if it’s guaranteed opening then. I had been through the forum & a lot of the recommendations elsewhere seemed surprisingly expensive eg Grindelwald or just slightly on the too big side for young kids. We will likely be driving to save on costs and need self catering.

A snowHead

Went to La Plagne for Christmas one year. I swear I've seen more decorations and lights in my mother's front room than was at the whole resort. Expensive and Soulless.

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Well we know now to avoid there then! That’s probably why Austria appeals because in my head I think it’s less tacky, but actually have no idea what makes a place really nice for Christmas other than I suspect it’s somewhere really expensive like grindelwald.

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@Rh2205, Zell am See has a nice Christmas market in the old town square, and on Xmas Eve the local town brass band played from balcony in the square. Could be a good location for a Christmas trip, and hopefully if the snow is good Zell am See is a nice area (now linked with Saalbach-Hinterglemm). If snow is poor at least you have the insurance of skiing at Kaprun with its glacier.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Rh2205,
Are you expecting village level snow on Christmas Day?

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I mean that would be ideal, stay almost on a snowy slope even it’s not snowing like at PSV 1600. But I’m just not convinced about it for Christmas though for £500 proper ski in ski out I might reconsider. Last year they didn’t open the swimming pool so ideally a place we can also go to a public pool would be a bonus as budget accommodation does not stretch to a pool!

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It's getting late for Christmas. How would you prioritise your wish-list? Les Saisies would suit many of your criteria quite well. Normally good snow at Christmas (with the usual caveats), a pretty village and plenty going on.

Here's a small apartment for 840 euros, as an example. https://fr.ski-france.com/domaine-skiable-espace-diamant/les-saisies/fermes-du-beaufortain/#booking-formCar or ski bus to get into the main village but ski in/out down a blue piste (not suitable for total beginners, obviously).

Plenty of older apartments in the main village. See the Saisies website. Good ESI ski school which does small groups.

After all it is free

Really fast access to the slopes short walk to the kids lessons so compact like PSV and ski-in ski-out not bothered about extensive skiing. I guess the Christmas thing comes later but kind of want it to feel special and some fun with the child so in reality a pool & playground, too young to be interested in much else. I didn’t realise how near Christmas was it’s a really easy time to take holidays without work going haywire and it’s looking unlikely we will get another trip later in the season this year.

I’ve been looking at valmoral area, not sure whether valmienier 1800 would suit but there’s apartments with pools at ok prices. How does that area compare to saises? Is one part better for children than another?

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There's an excellent public swimming pool. The more expensive residences have pools - the older, cheaper, ones don't. If you look at the Peak Retreats website you'll get a good idea of the more upmarket residences. Their prices include a flexible Eurotunnel crossing.

What age are your kids? Childrens ski lessons for Christmas week will be booking up fast.

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There's an excellent public swimming pool. The more expensive residences have pools - the older, cheaper, ones don't. If you look at the Peak Retreats website you'll get a good idea of the more upmarket residences. Their prices include a flexible Eurotunnel crossing.

What age are your kids? Childrens ski lessons for Christmas week will be booking up fast.

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My only concern with les Saises is whether there will be much snow as the whole resort looks to be on the lower side than anywhere we have previously skied other than Scotland. I don’t know how nervous I should be about this? With needing children’s ski lessons it seems like I can’t leave it much later to book as I hadn’t really considered that last minute reservations might not be possible that time of year…

Les Saisies has a very good snow record. |It's at the same altitude as Flaine - you must have done some very high altitude skiing in the past!

You know it makes sense.

I think we’ve just always been to resorts that have a good proportion above 2000m, it seems very mild so far this year albeit stormy which is fine for high elevation resorts, though no idea whether mild here translates to mild and rainy in the alps & I noticed the resort opening of 23 Dec is a later than elsewhere we’ve visited before. Do they have snow cannons?

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

I think "christmassy" means different things to different people. There are often threads about it.

We've been doing Christmas trips to France for 12 years or so. Driving and self catering. For us we are not big on Christmas and find being in the mountains and having a great time skiing makes us happy enough. We take a little tree with lights and a couple of pressies when the kids were young but that is as far as it goes really.

Funnily enough we've often gone to Les Coches, which is part of the La Plagne area @MajorQ denegrates so freely. As a nice ambience for us and not expensive for us - we drive and self cater.

Not sure about ski school but I don't think it's too late to get an apartment. I'm sure I've booked around about now in the past.

Snow at Christmas can be hit and miss for sure and you cannot guarantee it will be snowy at a ski station down at ~1400/1500m. On the flip side some local tree skiing is often available at that altitude which can be very handy in mid-winter - and one of the reasons we go to Les Coches.

A snowHead

A snowHead

P.M. me if an apartment in Saalbach might be of interest - virtually ski-in ski-out.

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We had a very good Christmas in Les Saisies a couple of years ago. The Les Saisies ski area gets above average snow for its altitude. We stayed at Amaya but could also look at Les cimes.

Although I think Montgenevre would be the obvious choice staying in Le Napoleon apartments. It is high and normally opens in early December. Excellent ski school. Pleasant village.

If you don’t mind a small ski area you could also look at Sainte Foy and stay at l’etoile des cimes.

Val cenis would be another possibility. It feels to me like a larger version of psv.

We’ve been to all these places self drive with peak retreats if you are looking for a TO.

I notice you also mention Les Orres. I went there on a uni ski trip 31 years ago and my recollection is that it is cheap but not as snowsure as psv or Montgenevre. I have been to psv and found it a bit limited with very basic accommodation but we liked the Snowbizz ski school/childcare set up.

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If I were renting in Saisies now I'd probably choose Chalet des Cimes because it's so brilliantly situated. Sadly, its building obliterated a really good tobogganing area which we used to enjoy a lot with the kids. The area near the (also quite new) pool/leisure centre near the entrance to the cross-country area is not as good. There has been a lot of development in Saisies since we stood on the empty mountainside that became the site for our apartment!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

This is fully booked, we’d found somewhere suitable on Airbnb last night very central & now that’s gone too! Unfortunately we are on a low budget & dealing with someone 6’6” means I can’t just book any accommodation given the size of the majority of the apartments. I do really like the sound of Austria too but the getting there seems much more expensive & the drive probably excessively long otherwise. We’d even found some pretty good accomodation going in Trysil with ok flight prices but I think it will be too cold & dark for the children. Soo much snow though but definitely not as good value as les saises.

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@pamw I do have a question about Bisanne 1500. There’s some apartments that better suit our space needs within budget, even have a pool. How is the parking at carrets over Xmas to get to the ski school and how is the actual drive time? Being a drive away from the ski school concerns me, or maybe there’s even a ski bus early enough. Does this create any logistical issues you can think of with children? We have done driving to ski school before but in off peak January! Having young children obviously means we have more time in the afternoon to kill not on the slopes entertaining them or getting buses to the other end of the village, we also have a campervan so a travelling kitchen. Never had to put chains on before as usually away in March.

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@Rh2205, Can you go the week before Christmas as it will be a lot cheaper and less busy as not yet french holidays. Although for that week you would need to aim higher so I would pick Montgenevre over Les Saisies. have you looked at Le Hameau des Airelles in Montgenevre?

After all it is free

@snowymum, I don’t think les Saisies opens till 23.12 anyway …

No we can’t go a week earlier anyway, les Saises is just convenient to get to and if I’m being super fussy about the budget it’s also less toll cost! I guess that doesn’t really work though if the snow sucks!

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@Rh2205, Hmm. The parking area at Carrets is quite big, and if you are getting there in time for kids ski school early in the morning you should get a parking space (most groups will meet in the village centre, but there are some starting at Carrets, which is a very nice beginner area though lacks the magic carpet of the centre). Having dropped kids there at ski school you could get very rapidly up the mountain, with the new lift set up which was developed a few years ago, with an under-road tunnel. Very easy to get BACK to Carrets to pick them up. Your camper van would be ideal as there are no restaurants immediately accessible there and being able to fix a hot chocolate and a snack would be invaluable.

The drive isn't difficult - 5 kms - up a hill and down again and a bit windy but nothing scary. Especially if you don't have snow tyres you can certainly not guarantee doing it without chains. The buses are reliable, generally, but not very frequent from Bisanne 1500 and might involve a change - the system has changed since I used it some years ago. I think you should reckon on driving from Bisanne 1500. The apartments there might have a covered parking space (not all in the development do) but you might be parking outside.

That development with a pool in Bisanne 1500 is within easy reach of the shopping area with ski hire, restaurants, small but reasonably stocked supermarket. There is also a "baby tow" with easy ski area there, and also of course the gondola (only one in the Espace Diamant) to the top of Mont Bisanne, with long and scenic blue run back down.

With kids you'd really be better off in the main village, logistically. Fond as I am of Bisanne 1500 having had an apartment there (not in that development) for 15 years.

Have you established which ski school/level your kids need? I would strongly recommend the ESI, Glisse Passion. They were, a while ago, advertising some lessons starting in Bisanne 1500, with the new baby tow which was established there a few years ago you'd need to check with them very specifically what would be available at Christmas. Their small group lessons are a good bet, though obviously more expensive. In one "mini team" group my granddaughter was one of only two kids, after a drop out the first day.

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I wouldn't want to drive from Bisanne 1500 to ski school in Les Saisies each day. Is there a ski school meeting point in Bisanne 1500 or could you get to the central Les saisies one in time by taking the gondola up and skiing a blue down to it? Check what time the lifts open in relation to ski school start time.

Have you looked at Val Cenis as another option? It is affordable and straightforward to drive to.

You could also look at Les Contamines and buy the Les Contamines only pass as opposed to the whole Evasion Mont Blanc. It is has a good snow record.

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So it seems with a bit of fudging of birthday by a couple of months we can get 5 day of lessons in Bisanne for the youngest so this would work very well given proximity to slope, Val Cenis doesn’t have a public pool or any cheap accommodations with pool or availability which I think is a problem given the age, just won’t spend all day skiing so need other activities. Will check les contamines.

@Rh2205, Les Alpages de Val Cenis are three star with a pool.

I wouldn't personally fudge the child's age. I also think that if you want child orientated apres ski you would be far better off basing yourselves in the main Les Saisies village rather than Bisanne 1500.

I think it is worth having a spreadsheet of all your costs as lift pass costs vary a lot between resorts and if you pay a bit more for accommodation with a pool you will be saving on the cost of the public pool etc.

Sainte Foy is cheaper all round than a lot of places and L'Etoile des cimes is reasonably priced decent accommodation with a pool. the ski area is small but all the runs are enjoyable and if you have young kids you might not want a massive ski area anyway.

You know it makes sense.

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and little or nothing which could be called "ski in/ski out". I like Les Contamines but always accessed it from the Hauteluce side. I can't think why anyone would bother to ski that home run down - gondola much preferable, especially with kids. Ski school, AFAIK, meets up at Jonction.

A snowHead

Zell am See is not a bad choice. But it will be relatively busy, for the morning lift, and around town, and fairly busy on slope too (though queues once on the mountain are small or non existent). It is also low, so snow in town will be hit or miss. On the hill, even in a poor year, it will be 90% open though, with some nice blues at altitude, and good selection of pistes. Accommodation can be distant from the lifts.
Kaprun is nearby (just short shuttlebus), but maybe a better choice. It is quieter than Zell. The local hill has a fantastic long blue run – great for kids or as a high speed blast. Direct lift access to the glacier area for an excellent selection of slopes (where the blues are a little more challenging). Accommodation tends to be cheaper – and amongst best value in Austria resorts. Same downsides of resort altitude and potential distance from lift as in Zell.
For a winter wonderland experience look at Kühtai, Obertauern, or the Gurgls.
Kühtai is very high, positioned on a high mountain pass, with skiing both sides, and parallel to the pass road, virtually all accommodation is ski in-out (or lift out) or virtually so. Feel is of a classic purpose built ski-resort. And with all runs returning to resort, its easy to meet for lunch. Snow in town is almost certain. Downside is lack of trees, and most runs are reds, so not the best for beginners.
Obertauern is very high, virtually certain of snow in town. With the feel of a ski town, the town spreads out along the valley road, with most accommodation along the road, or on a parallel street through town. The skiing is more extensive than Kühtai, but spreads both sides from the town, so return for lunch is only a lift or two away, and most accommodation is only a short walk from a slope or lift. Some accommodation spreads up and down the valley out of the town, but mostly still near a lift. Extensive choice of skiing at all standards, but stands out from other areas because of its network off blue runs. Not the cheapest of towns – but you may luck out, with lots of different accommodation.
The Gurgls are very, very high. If there is snow anywhere in resort it will be here. Great network of slopes, another standout area for its network of blues. Sölden is a short bus ride down the valley, on the same pass, for yet more variety. Hochgurgl is a custom built hotel resort half way up the hillside; Obergurgl has a village feel; Pill is just a lift base in the valley beneath Hochgurgl. All accommodation is either ski-in-out or close to a lift. Prices are mainly high – but worth a look – it’s where Austrian families go for their holidays.
Gerlos is medium-high, with reasonable chance of snow in town. A small but bustling town has two gondola bases accessing the Zillertal arena, with a string of high altitude slopes through connected high altitude sectors. Although fairly compact, it does stretch along the valley road and some accommodation may see you wanting to hop on the bus.
Tux (Lannersbach) is a modest village, but with a large punch. It is fairly high, so pretty good chance of snow in town. I have stayed here several times and twice at christmas – and have had snow fall in town every time. (Even in May!) One gondola in town takes you straight to the local Eggalm hill, provides a nice network of quieter slopes. This interconnects to the other town gondola, that takes you straight up to the Rastkogl sector (with lots of skiing over 2,000m), which is part of the Mayrhofen ski area. Because of it’s location on the edge of the pistemap the Eggalm tends to stay quiet, and even the Rastkogl sector is quieter than the connected Penken – providing a quieter, more family friendly, way of skiing the Mayrhofen ski area. Watch for distance to the closest gondola, but as long as you are close to a bus-stop on the main road, the busses are good. They are local busses and reasonably quiet; the bus to Mayrhofen is a different service. These same busses will also take you up to Hintertux glacier area in about 15 minutes – a must on a sunny day!
My top recommendation – is probably one you have not heard of. The Wildkogel arena is a hidden gem. With 75km of slopes it makes it into the medium sized area status. Intermediate adults may find it a little small and there are only a couple of black slopes (one of which is particularly great BTW!). Modest altitude town, means snow in town will be hit and miss. Most of the skiing is in a high bowl, with easy access back to the gondola top stations to meet back up. There are good nursery slopes in both base towns, plus high altitude nursery slopes right at the top of both gondolas. The slopes give excellent progression for learners, from nursery, to easy blues, right through to an excellent steep black run. The layout, and mainly beginner and intermediate customers, means there are lots of easily accessed offpiste routes paralleling the slopes – that offer fresh tracks long after the last snowfall, plus a couple of next to piste mogul runs. Two separate long valley runs take you down the opposite side to the bowl, to the base towns of Bramberg and Neukirchen. Valley runs will almost certainly be open by christmas. (You’ll need to catch the ‘landtrain’ shuttle back from the bottom of the Neukirchen valley run, 600 metres through town back to the gondola.) The Bramberg run returns directly to the lift, but the Neukirchen run is definitely worth the shuttle (or 10-15 minute walk). Neukirchen is a livelier town, but given the option, I’d look to stay in Bramberg. But the real bonus, not just for the kids, is the lift served 14 km long sledge run down to Bramberg, open all day; at night it becomes the worlds longest floodlit sledge run! Hire a sledge at one of the shops near the lift at Bramberg, the hire at the Schirmbar Platzhirsch is particularly recommended – right at the very end of the slope, you can return the sledge and have a drink to warm up. And if staying in Neukirchen you can catch the bus, but the cost of a taxi is modest and is a nice way to end the sledge day!

A snowHead

Some of the info on Austria is useful for future years so thank you for the info. Ski-in ski-out is so crucial with tag team parents though, not many of these resorts seem to offer that really. Less worried about fudging the child’s age because he’s done 3 weeks skiing before I suspect some 4.5yr olds will be fresh to it & he’ll be having 4 hour lessons when we go to serfaus later in the season, which is a massive jump in longevity (though we’ll see how that goes!!). As we don’t drink alcohol it’s also not such a difficult compromise for us to drive in to Les Saises when we want to or take a bus trip adventure there in the afternoon so hopefully we won’t miss out on the Christmas fun!

We’ve booked and are risking it with an unreviewed Airbnb reservation in Bisanne, but with late cancellation so can bail without massive cost if it’s another poor snow year like last Eh oh!

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Have you had a look at Belambra Les Embrunes? This is ski in/out and there are lessons starting there, above the main resort. It is half board but pretty cheap, with ski passes included. Might be worth a look if they have vacancies for Christmas in one of their small apartments.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hmm I will check that but again I think it was too pricey, though if it’s hard board maybe not so but I didn’t notice that. On the map les alpages looked 100m from the gondola & the ski school meet point, is there something I’m missing, I guess I assumed there would be a way to get to it if enough snow but it’s always hard to tell from satellite images.

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Hmm I will check that but again I think it was too pricey, though if it’s hard board maybe not so but I didn’t notice that. On the map les alpages looked 100m from the gondola & the ski school meet point, is there something I’m missing, I guess I assumed there would be a way to get to it if enough snow but it’s always hard to tell from satellite images.

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Les embrunes prices include ski passes. The place is fairly basic - not luxurious - but I am looking at it for a family holiday the first week of April.

Which ski school's lessons are you looking at? Most lessons start either on the "front de neige" in the centre of the village, alongside the magic carpet, or at Les Carrets. Unless you have clear confirmation from the ski school that they will be running relevant lessons at Bisanne 1500, you'd need to go into town.

You couldn't get from Les Alpages to the gondola on skis - it's across a road, and then along a road past the shops, then then past the lift pass office and up a little bank to the gondola. It's not a long or difficult walk, but it would be skis on shoulders. And repeat to get home. Some people might get back hurtling off piste over the edge of the road but....... I've never stayed in Les Alpages but although I passed it hundreds of times I couldn't be sure.

After all it is free

I guess was hoping for the latter, not for children. ESF run a 5 day course from 1500 that they let you book online, it is separate from less carrets & central ski point just no 6 day option, but as it Christmas and shouldnt really be 100% ski I’m ok with that. The pool is really the big selling point if I’m honest. But I’m now even more nervous about the decision to use Airbnb, I just thought there’d be less people that would mess around with their bookings in such a small area, it’s not like les arcs after all even if conditions are good, so they’d only get a couple of hundred extra so hardly seems worth it!!

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Christmas week resort recommendations

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