 Poster: A snowHead
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Like it says...
Normally I wouldn't dream of paying somebody else to cook my food (some nights, go out others), or to book my flights or to add 25% profit to my holiday.
But with some of the half-price late booking deals around, £350 for chalet board in a decent resort looks too cheap to ignore.
Anybody else agree?
The biggest killer on a DIY trip is getting to the resort. With the euro the price it is, driving has become a very expensive hobby for two of us - and it's a heck of a long way, too. (£250 petrol, guess £100 tolls, a night in a hotel £100, ferry, what £100-£200) Hiring a car at the airport is similarly expensive, and alternative transfers to the resort pretty miserable. And self catering without a car for a decent trip to a decent hypermarché isn't that much fun either.
So, anybody else who would normally DIY thinking of a TO? (Other than Admin who I note has booked through Neilson for his 5th birthday.)
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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 I've done both over the years. And at GBP 229 HB in an hotel (3*), F & T for a week in mid-March, the TO is welcome to my custom this time around.
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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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James the Last,
Currently a TO Package can be excellent value when they are discounting as they are on late availability deals. The deals can be particularly good if it's H/B because of the weak £ anything spent outside of your accommodation is going to cost so much more compared to a year ago.
However the standards can vary greatly when it comes to the service they provide and therefore it helps if you know the company. Personally I avoid the big TOs if I'm going to a chalet. In a hotel deal the TO can only get the flight, transfer and rep services wrong, the food should be OK because the hotel should have a proper chef not some young British kid doing their gap year in a chalet.
There are some very good specialist chalet companies, I've already used 2 of them this season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| James the Last wrote: |
| Hiring a car at the airport is similarly expensive, and alternative transfers to the resort pretty miserable. |
Ski Switzerland and get the train from the airport to the resort. A very pleasant way to travel.
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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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| Quote: |
alternative transfers to the resort pretty miserable.
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or take a taxi.
I think TO deals look good at the moment, too. There are some VAST discounts on top end chalets, some of which are struggling mightily this season. Still expensive, but no doubt a super holiday.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Traveling as a solo, I usually find that TO prices are around the same or better than I can DIY - provided I go for late deals.
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pamw>>or take a taxi -
Well, yes, you can. But at a - what? - a couple of hundred Euros? each way, GVA to Tignes... Had so much fun there last year just as the season started, I want to ski the rest of it! You could arrange a helicopter transfer if money is no object... I'm astonished that there aren't better transfer options around, surely a massive gap in the market.
Can you, welshflyer - or anybody else, please point me in the direction of some of the specialist chalet operators? I was looking at ifuski or crystal.
Thought a chalet might be more fun than a hotel as won't be going as a loved-up couple!
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James the Last, SilverSki and Ski Olympic have always done us proud and I have booked approx 150 person/weeks between them.
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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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Do you hope alex_heney, not to be stung for single supplement? And if so, who do you go through?
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I've been looking at holidays for the 31st Jan recently and there are a lot of half board/catered deals for around £350 like you say. I don't think the flights, transfers and accommodation are much of a problem to find cheaply but its the food which is going to cost a lot more if you go self catering. No doubt you can cook yourself and not go out as many nights but I don't think the food will be to the same sort of 3 course dinners with wine and buffet breakfasts as you would get going half board in a hotel.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I went DIY this year as the deals offered by TOs were pretty rubbish.. then again we don't get great deals from up here.
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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 always do TO. Every year I price up a DIY equivalent but I fall down on the transfer bit and it ends up much more expensive. Plus I don't like to self cater, a holiday for me means being waited on... 
I'm sure DIY makes sense for a group of people but for an individual, I'm not convinced. Plus there's the added ABTA/ATOL security aspect of buying a package holiday...
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If you can get TO flights and catered accomodation for £350.... haven't looked myself...for a hol in the next week or 2 then I would bit their hand off.
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You know it makes sense.
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This year you'd be foolish to try and beat the TO's prices with a DIY jobbie. DIY is great and all that because it's fun but TO holidays (good ones with great food) are worth they're weight in gold.
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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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| James the Last wrote: |
| Do you hope alex_heney, not to be stung for single supplement? And if so, who do you go through? |
Most often recently I have been through Crystal.
Sometimes I've had to pay a single supplement, sometimes I find a hotel without any. The worst one I've paid added £84 to a 7 day holiday, although I've seen a lot worse but haven't chosen those trips.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've been with Crystal the last three times too. This year I've had to pay a sole occupancy supplement for a twin room as there were no single rooms available (an extra £80), but the two times before that I booked single rooms with no additional supplements...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Specialman, I am clearly ridiculous. If you can find me a week out of Glasgow airport at a decent price (to a 'decent') on the 24th of Jan then I would be pretty impressed. I came in at £500 DIY including flights, transfers and full chalet board.
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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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We're DIY'ing to Samoens in March - £500 for chalet, £49 return ferry, Formula 1 on way back. I don't know how much fuel, food and tolls are going to cost us but I don't think we'd get it anywhere near as cheap from a TO for 3 adults and 2 kids. 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Two other specialist chalet companies are SkiWorld and Total Ski. I have used them both and am going with Total for the fourth time in a couple of weeks. I did an early bird booking for 11 of us leaving a couple of rooms free in the chalet. I have just noticed that Total have now chopped £270 off the price, one room has been snapped up.
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| kev360 wrote: |
This year from Glasgow to Val d'Isere D.I.Y (2 bedroom apartment, flights, car hire & parking) £1180. 
Package deal was nearly topping £3k. |
Whereas package for two can be done for under 1k - and food included too. No doubt that the more of you there are, the better value DIY is.
On a slightly different point, when booking a chalet, how can you tell whether you can book single rooms, or whether you have to take the whole chalet? And if the former, presumably there is a risk that you end up sharing the place with a stag party... And how do they allow for the fact that some rooms are clearly much better than others?
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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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James the Last,
As a solo I use Mark Warner and YSE. You can book as a single sharer but you may be sharing a twin room with a stranger. MW operate Chalet Hotels in a number of ski resorts. YSE only operate in Val D'Isere and have chalets of varying budgets.
These are two comapnies I would recommend for their consistency of service. I wrote a long PM for you but it got lost somehow.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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James the Last,
I forgot to say that ifyouski, igluski etc are agents not the tour operator. I always ask who the TO is before deciding if I want to book the holiday.
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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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Specialman,
Was that one of my recommendations?
I think you were looking when I told Jonathan B about the deal in early December
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You know it makes sense.
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| welshflyer wrote: |
James the Last,
I forgot to say that ifyouski, igluski etc are agents not the tour operator. I always ask who the TO is before deciding if I want to book the holiday. |
I didn't think they passed on that info until you'd booked? Primarily to avoid the punter going direct.
As a case in point, the SO and I were looking at a 'deal' with Bookable and Fastrack for what was obviously the same place. Neither would say who the TO was, until the SO heard the mention of the TO in a background conversation. We managed to get the agent's price of GBP300 for GBP71 less by contacting the TO direct.
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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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THREAD HIJACK
St Anton seems overrun with 5***** hotels/chalets for £400 or thereabouts a person catered including flights and transfers. Problem is, I'm taking my wife (competent but unconfident blue/red skier) and son (18 months old). Anyone know whether the skiing and childcare angle is so badly out of whack with our needs that the ridiculously good deal isn't so good after all?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Sorry to say Fast Eddie St Anton is not a family ski resort.
You will struggle for 1 to find childcare & 2 it's not a place to ski if your not too good.
If i were you i would be looking @ France/Italy on a SC basis.
Most resorts don't offer childcare locally for under 3year olds. You need to hire a private nanny. (mucho $$$$$)
Brittish TO do offer childcare in some resorts. Have a look @ First Choice Ski, Crystal and Thomson to decide what you like.
They also seem to be in resorts that cater for all abilities.
Hope this helps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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FastEddie,
Mark Warner supplies child care for an additiional cost in it's chalet hotels but won't go down to your budget.
Kev360 is correct St Anton wouldn't suit the skiing's a bit tougher than most places.
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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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FastEddie,
Hi
We had the same problem so looked specifically at family friendly companies. In the end after much searching we decided to go with Snowbizz to Puy St Vincent (small resort in France) in March, All in (flights, Accomdodation, hire, lift passes and child care) approx £1500.
We are going S/C but there is the option to add on H/B at the adjacent restaurant if you wish. Our little one is booked into the crech which is next door to the apartments, which are ski in/ski out.
We are flying from Manchester but they also fly from Gatwick ( i think?)
May be worth a look.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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welshflyer, think it might have been. I went with YSE.co.uk - brilliant company and I'd deffo go back with them if we can get a similar deal.
arv, Hetahrow - my brother has a fondness for that place after his and 6 other mates' £2,000 mountain bikes all ended up in Copenhagen instead of Alpe d'huez!!!
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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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Specialman,
Yes YSE is a great little company. I've used them many times and as you see I keep recommending them.
Their brochure wins awards for it's honesty. You should subscribe to receive his daily photo, his captions always make me smile.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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welshflyer, from the moment we got to Geneva they were stars. John helped us retrieve a lost bag and from the moment the bus pulled off, he was cracking jokes like nobody's business. Safe to say, he had a few pops at snowboarders in his wry style - top bloke. And that brochure - classic. Yeah, his notes on the photo of the day are brilliant
I'm seriously leaning towards small TOs like YSE, although I travelled with Alpine Elements in March to Les Gets and although good, weren't a patch on YSE.
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Similar to YSE is Finalys - family run firm with chalets in Val D'Isere, courcheval and la plagne. Stayed with them end of season last year and service was really personal even in the last week of opening.
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| Quote: |
how can you tell whether you can book single rooms, or whether you have to take the whole chalet? A
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you read their brochure or website. Usually it's only with the high-end chalets that you rent the whole thing. There's sometimes a discount if you take the whole chalet - but obviously that needs a group.
If there are two of you (as you mentioned above) you might get a really good last minute deal, especially if you're flexible about destination. What dates are you looking at?
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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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arv, How funny, I was passing through T5 on my way to Glasgow that very day as well. Luckily, I was only on a boring LHR-GLA trip, so not much luggage. I did miss being without it for a month, though! Still, looking on the bright side, I got to spend a night in the Windsor (i.e. Slough) Marriot, what fun.
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ct1, I arrived at the airport early.. changed flights to one that was cancelled then had to change back to the other flight which consequently left even later than the earlier flight which ran (in the end) 
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FAQ
