 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, I had been about to book Chamonix but having spend the last couple of days reading this forum I see that Avoriaz, Morzine or Les Gets might be a better choice. I'd prefer accommodation with a pool as I suspect my youngest (5) won't enjoy the skiing as much as my eldest ( and probably a hotel so that they can make breakfast and it's one less thing to do in the morning - but not adverse to an apartment just no idea which sites are the reputable places to book one.
Any accommodation recommendations ? and when is the best time to book for a new year trip 2020 (27th dec for 7 nights) ? The flights are already booked to Geneva but the only reason I hadn't booked accommodation is that most doesn't seem available yet (it surely can't be booked up already ??) a couple of places that I have e-mailed said wait till summer which seems way to late !
My husband and I used to ski a lot pre-kids but haven't been for about 7 years so we need somewhere that they can learn and we can find our ski legs again. thanks 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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@janed9388, most places, hotels and apartments won’t list next year’s prices until mid to late summer.
(We have some repeats who assume they’ll have the same apartment for the same week next year as this year. And we just tell them the price a few weeks before they arrive).
Not an unreasonable assumption as they’ve had it for the same weeks for 13 years...
New Year is not a very snow sure time of year ... Chamonix wouldn’t be a bad choice but you would want a car. Of the others you mention, Avoriaz would be best, IMHO, and has the aqua park for non-skiing kids.
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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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I wouldn’t recommend Chamonix with young kids as the ski area is disjointed and it may be difficult with the ski school drop off and pick ups. We made the mistake to go there for our first trip with kids. The following years we went to Tignes and La Plagne which both worked much better and are a safe bet in early season . A couple of years we went to Clubmed and it was really good for kids and also us ( they have just published next season’s prices and have early booking discounts, although still expensive but all inclusive all food and including lessons for kids and adults)
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thanks for the thoughts so far... mid to late summer for prices - that's given me a shiver of dread, I couldn't possibly leave it that late I'd have a breakdown before then checking the prices on a daily basis just in case they'd released them ! I did like the idea of club med but had assumed they did packages only and we got a great deal on the flights (Avios so basically free).
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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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I stayed in central Morzine and walked to SuperMorzine gondola each morning to get to good snow in Avoriaz. Might take 20 minutes. I rented from the shop beside the gondola so I left kit there each night and didn’t struggle back to the hotel with it.
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Avoriaz sounds good to me. Personally I'd prefer a good quality apartment to a hotel any day. You can always get breakfast, lunch or supper out but also have kids favourite cereals and snacks in the fridge. But the key thing is to book kids into the best ski lessons which will be busy at New Year - and to have accommodation VERY near the ski school meeting place. I've not been to Club Med but it does sound a good option.
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@janed9388, you could lalways target accommodation and give them a call. Even without prices published they're unlikely to turn down an early deposit, I'd have thought.
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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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Thanks all, lots of very helpful tips. I think another slight hiccup is that I have booked Sunday to Sunday flights and a lot of places insist on Saturday to Saturday - but I guess I just need to be patient and wait a little longer. I shall definitely be e-mailing those places that look tempting but don't have dates yet. We'll definitely be skipping club med this year as they want £8K - OK it has a lot included... but still !
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| Quote: |
I have booked Sunday to Sunday flights
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Oh dear. That will hugely restrict your choice in France, for one of the key weeks of the year. You might need to look at Switzerland, where there might be more flexibility. Another possibility will be to look at AirBnB. But I would reiterate the importance of being near the ski school meeting place. Having to walk 10 minutes to a gondola with small kids and meet instructors at the top would not be my top choice. When little kids finish their ski lessons (especially if they're not very happy and conditions are tough) they often they need to be whisked straight off for something to eat, and often for a rest, too - get out of their ski boots etc. Buying them lunch on the slopes, at the most crowded time of the day (and the most crowded week of the year) is expensive and unrestful. Being able to go straight to your apartment, feed them something they'll enjoy and plonk them on a comfy chair in front of something soothing on the telly can be a godsend.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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I stayed in these apartments in Les Gets last year, round about the same time https://www.alpine-residences.fr/en/rental-apartments/annapurna-12
The building will now be around two years old but the spec was pretty good in terms of space, comfort and amenities and there's a decent swimming pool on the ground floor. The complex is on the main road through Les Gets but there was very little traffic noise, and it's far enough from the main bars and clubs that there is no noise from those. There's a bakery within two minutes walk and the main ski school meeting area is about five minutes walk.
IMO Les Gets is a great place to learn, with the kids areas right at village level. There are also wide open post-beginner pistes at the top of the gondola out of the village, and you can come back down by gondola to avoid the run back to resort. There's some great facilities for kids in terms of fun runs once they get their confidence up. The village itself is very pretty and there are plenty of decent places to eat, including snack stops for crepes and pizza. There's a reasonable sized supermarket in the middle of the village as well, for stocking up on the basics.
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Les Gets is indeed a good place, with some excellent ski schools, though maybe not the most reliable for village-level snow as early as New Year. Avoriaz would be better from that point of view. But you are still stuck with your Sunday/Sunday problem.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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these recommendations are great - many thanks all. I can find some apartments on home-away and air BnB for Sunday to Sunday but they don't look quite so nice as the ones being recommended. I guess I need to fire off some e-mails. many thanks, if anyone has more suggestions keep them coming 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Having started family ski hols 9 yrs ago when my youngest was four, my only absolute advice is make sure wherever you book the kids do NOT have to walk far in ski gear and boots. It will likely wear thin on your patience and energy very quickly. Early years skiing with kids has to be all about them in order to make your life easier and more enjoyable later down the line. Consider it an investment for great times ahead.
If they are happy, you’re happy and they will get the bug and look forward to returning.
Next priority is that they have a great start with instruction and fun lessons.
I know it’s not particularly near Geneva like PDS or Grand Massif but we did our first two family trips at La Plagne staying in the Terra Nova hôtel which is ski in out onto the gentlest and widest of green runs, close to ski school and used Oxygène for half day lessons. Kids loved it and 9 yrs on they still talk about how great those two trips were.
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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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Jirac18 - sounds like you have met my kids !! and as close as possible to minimise the complaining would be ideal.
Cheesie168, yes, we could always book Saturday to Saturday accommodation and arrive late and leave early and stay near Geneva. We were never really supposed to book a ski holiday, just a winter city weekend break that we could take the kids up to see the mountains and perhaps go sledging.... then we got carried away !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Flaine.
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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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@janed9388, ha ha that is fantastic. For us it is the best kind of family holiday. They talk to you and you can have a laugh...can you tell I am the parent of teens now 
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| jirac18 wrote: |
| Having started family ski hols 9 yrs ago when my youngest was four, my only absolute advice is make sure wherever you book the kids do NOT have to walk far in ski gear and boots. It will likely wear thin on your patience and energy very quickly. Early years skiing with kids has to be all about them in order to make your life easier and more enjoyable later down the line. Consider it an investment for great times ahead. |
Yup. And I'd extend that to say, do not expect or plan to do much skiing yourself during that holiday, consider it as dedicated to them and if you get a couple of hours skiing each day that's a bonus. Because if you think you're going to get 6 hours a day 5 days a week, pay money for passes and rental accordingly, you will be so furious when that keeps getting interrupted by them. It's a mentality adjustment. Ask me how I know...
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@Orange200 - this far out we are fairly chilled about not doing too much skiing - currently leaning towards Avoriaz and not even getting the PDS pass for ourselves... gone our the days when we chose the resort based on how many runs it had and what percentage were red / black. Whether that calmness remains when we get to the mountains or not remains to be seen 
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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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@janed9388, As a Mum, when my kids were small, I detested Avoriaz. However thats a long time ago, but having been back there several times, most recently 3 years ago I still don`t rate it for small children and skiing. The accommodation tends to be small even by French standards and the ski runs are exposed, busy and often icy due to use (at New Year in many years everyone will be heading up to Avoriaz from Morzine and Lest Gets etc) and exposure. Now I could just have been unfortunate and others may have had better experiences but I would not choose to take my grandchildren there. Both Morzine and Les Gets are better but not good for the New Year because unless you are lucky there will not be much snow that low and end up at Avoriaz.
Perhaps look at Les Arc 2000, or Val D'Isere (though VDI is likely to be even more pricey than most places at New Year) if you want to stay in resort. Also consider putting a request in the solutions room at Chalets direct and see what is offered. https://www.chaletsdirect.com/forum/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=1
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@janed9388, we always go Sunday to Sunday and never had issues finding accommodation including self catering. Lots of places offer that to avoid the big rush of changeover day and it is much better for transfers as less traffic. Also you can still check Clubmed as they have offers with or without transport and are always Sunday to Sunday
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Another vote for Flaine. We had apartment last Easter with pool and ski-in-small-hike-out, and put the youngest ones in Rabbit Club (ESF + lunch + nursery).
We stayed at Le Centaure and booked through Erna Low. Happy to recommend both!
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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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Definitely Flaine - hour transfer great green slopes for beginner kids plus some nice 5 star places with great pool facilities
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Snow reliability in Flaine early season...is it good?
I’m not a fan of Avoriaz but if you want close to GVA then a better chance of decent snow I think. Morzine and especially Les Gets more attractive towns but riskier first snow conditions.
I’d favour Les Arcs or La Plagne if you can face the 2.5-3 hour transfers.
Arcs 1950 in particular has good apartments. 1800 more central to area and with more facilities, eg pool and sports centre. There are reasonably priced child friendly hotels in Arcs 1600 and 2000 I’ve stayed in.
Belle Plagne has plenty of apartments, 2000m altitude and
lots of cruisy blue and red pistes.
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You know it makes sense.
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There are several good quality self catering chains in France with pools in the residence. Eg. CGH, MGM and Chalet des Neiges. Generally you can get croissants delivered to reception in the mornings. However I doubt you will get CGH or MGM apartments on a Sunday to Sunday basis in New year week as my experience has always been that they are Saturday to Saturday in peak weeks. You could try a search on Pierre et Vacances in case they are more flexible with dates but most of their apartments are more basic.
We have always booked CGH etc through Peak Retreats and you could get a discount of £200 due to not needing the Eurotunnel flexiplus. I would suggest giving them a ring and seeing if they have anything available Sunday to Sunday that week.
In terms of resorts I would recommend La Rosiere for that week.
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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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When the kids were little we avoided the "big" resorts as you just don't get the use out of the lift passes.
Grand Bornand & La Touissiere were good for beginners - the problem is if you want to book a long time in advance you need to go "snow sure" Flaine/Les Carroz might be an option?
The best advice though is if you can get them to a ski slope in the UK so that they aren't beginners. My kids started about 12 years ago and there weren't so many snowdomes - they had lessons on a dry slope so by the time they went they were already able to do linked snow plough turns, and use a drag lift! Definitely helped I think.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| final patsy wrote: |
| Definitely Flaine - hour transfer great green slopes for beginner kids plus some nice 5 star places with great pool facilities |
I reckon Flaine is a good choice but I wouldn't get in a car with someone who said they could drive it in an hour from GVA! Google maps says 1:21 and those hairpins don't make squeezing 25% of that time a responsible idea!!!
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