Two weeks instead of one

A snowHead

Due to the cost of a half term hot holiday being over priced, I am now looking at 2 weeks at Christmas. I would normally go to the 3 Valleys, and rent an apartment, but eat out of an evening. I would like any opinions on going to a cheaper resort for two weeks instead, with cheaper passes etc and doing a bit more self catering. I am still tied to the school holidays, but will compromise a bit on accommodation , which previously was ski in ski out with bedrooms for the whole party. Any thoughts? has anyone done 2 weeks with kids? or am I being unrealistic?
When I say compromise on the accommodation, I mean a bit, my wife will not stay in a prison camp type place.

Also is there a thread with lift prices anywhere? I cannot see one.

Thanks for any advice, like wise any snowheads who dont use their apartments in the busy periods and rent out please mention as well.

A snowHead

blahblahblah, how big is your party? New Year is often just as expensive as half-term though, so you may not get as much of a bargain as you thought. Serre Chevalier is a bit cheaper than the 3V.

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

Even Christmas week is not cheap in many resorts this year and New Year decidedly expensive. A rough idea on costs might suggest for a family of four for one week comparing expensive resort and cheap resort

Travel 800 800
Accommodation 2000 1000
Lift passes 1500 1000
Food 500 400
Ski hire, etc 300 250
Total 5100 3450

You can play around with the costs here and there for different types of accommodation, etc., but these are relatively minimal.
A cheap resort may not have enough skiing for two weeks - depending on abilities, etc. I would also not generally take two weeks with kids unless they are really keen and you can find some alternative activities for one or two days.
Table a little distorted, but I hope it is clear enough.

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blahblahblah, New year is just as expensive and crowded as half term but likely to have worse snow and/or colder, darker, days. You might be better looking at April. Low season accommodation prices, long days.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

blahblahblah, Easter

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Easter is late this year!
I have skied Xman/NY lots but it does have its downsides. Short days, high season prices, cold, and crowds. The up sides are also considerable, Christmas in the snow, and being away from all the madness.

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I did 2 weeks in 2008 at Easter (which was very early that year) with my daughter who was 12 at the time. However we had one week in Alpe D'Huez and then drove over to Les Deux Alpes for the 2nd. She was fine, I was knackered Very Happy

After all it is free

Depends on where you go as to how much you pay. I spend Christmas and New Year in a very nice 3* hotel on Half Board. Last year I was there for 16 nights and my total bill came to just under 1200 Euro including my bar bill. Even when I was still based in the UK I would spend all the school holidays in a resort, often buying a season ticket as I knew I would be back later in the season. Travelling by car always gives me the option to find accommodation in my price range as well as load up on supplies in nearby towns when I was self-catering.

I've skied at Christmas and New Year for more years now than I care to remember and can only remember 2 periods where I had poor snow - once in Leysin and once in Les Carroz on both these occasions the snow came while I was there in the resort (by the way these were well before the days of artificial snow and snow cannons!). The length of the days is no bother as you cannot often ski much beyond the closing of the last lift due to the ski patrol slinging you off the mountains these days. Nor are the temperatures that cold, January and February can be and often are, much colder.

blahblahblah, look east towards Austria you may find it cheaper all round - depending on how old the children are you may have free passes for under 6 year olds or at least youth passes which go up to 17 or 18 years old. Lots of good value self-catering places as well but they do book up fast with the mainland Europeans (Dutch particularly like self catering as do Danes and Swedes). snowHead

Thank you everyone for your replies, I did not explain.

I was going to get a late summer break in October ( half term) for it of sun, but £4000 for a week in Tenerife ( all inclusive ) did not float my boat, as the same holiday was £1800 two weeks earlier.

I was basing my choice on the Christmas and New year weeks, I went last year and paid 2400 Euros for an apartment in Reberty, and it was very nice. I want to go over Christmas/ New Year anyway, so thought of doubling up, having a smaller apartment, maybe using the "sleeps two in living room" option, and driving down, thus saving on the flights and hire car. So I accept it will not be cheap, but want to jump on my wife saying "why not go for two weeks?"

I will have my children with me, so do not use the whole of the 3 valleys anyway, just want some where near the slopes, some mixed terrain and probably somewhere a bit higher due to being early season. I know the downsides of December skiing, but also aware of Christmas with family being a ball ache.

So 2 weeks , over Christmas and NY, can live without hots tubs etc.

I had not looked at Austria, as I have no experience of it. So thank you Sue.

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Easter is late - but lots of schools are breaking up early in April. It's worth considering - with careful choice of resort, obviously. I've had fairly seriously dodgy snow early in the season all over including the 3 Valleys, the PDS and Alpbach (warm and sunny in all cases - really pleasant weather in fact, but not good for snow and too warm to make it, even at night) - but then it can be dodgy late in the season too. Which is why, I suppose, the optimum time for snow/weather is also the peak holiday time when places are expensive and crowded!

Christmas seems to be pretty busy this year, as someone already noted. I am currently trying to find an extra apartment in addition to my own, and another which we rented some months ago, to accommodate some further family members who have decided just now that they want to ski at Christmas. The best places are all rented already. We might need to squash in, and spend the money saved on more meals out.

So choice of good self-catering places (or even OK self-catering places) might now be a bit limited for Christmas/New Year.

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Oh, and flights were £1600 last year. Car hire was about 400 Euros. I am happy driving down, should get 50 to the gallon ( yeah right)

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As others have pointed out New Year is the most expensive week of the season, but by driving down and making all your own arrangements you can save a lot of money (after all they do not put fuel prices up specifically over that week). Also by driving you do not have to stay exactly 2 weeks, but say go on the Monday and return on a Friday (or overnight on the Saturday)

Not sure what you mean

blahblahblah, We reccon on £400 for ferry, fuel and tolls, but that is with a diesel and not using the roof rack. Due to the recent hike in fuel prices it may be a bit more this year, but could be less if you live near the channel.

See you have already saved more than a weeks apartment rental. And you have to buy food wherever you are, but it doesn't have to be so lavish as traditional Christmas in the UK.

You know it makes sense.

johnE, yes, thats the core of my argument. I thought if I went to a lesser resort, the lift passes would be less than 3 Valleys, and as I am with a 6 and 8 year old do not need gnarly, I need wide open reds.

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

I'm sure Samerberg Sue will be along soon to recommend some options in Austria

A snowHead

peanuthead, Puzzled

Have you not read the thread? See SS's helpful post above.

A snowHead

blahblahblah, lift passes in what you call "lesser resorts" are not necessarily hugely cheaper than single-valley 3V passes, but accommodation and meals out should be. But if you decide to do this option, don't delay - I am really struggling to find some nice Christmas accommodation in my (lesser) part of the Alps.

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

pam w, I believe his user name is an indication to the size of the intelligence! wink

blahblahblah, Depending on the date of birth, the 6 year old may well get a free pass in many of the Austrian ski areas. Good places for children's ski schools are all over the place to be honest. For the price you paid last year you could get a 2-bedroom apartment on the side of the piste at Flachau for example. I have details of a really nice one but whether it is still free for both weeks I do not know as the owners availability page is not working right now. Driving to Flachau could not be easier as it is motorway the whole way from Calais!

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pam w, no offence was inferred, but I paid 832 Euros last year for 6 days, I was hoping someone would say XYZ resort is 300 euros per head for 13 days, I am obviously looking now.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

pam w, I missed Samerberg Sue' post

Did she plug Austria again?

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blahblahblah, no offence taken. wink

You could get 13 days in the Espace Diamant for €378 for an adult. Under 5s free. Plenty of skiing for 2 weeks unless you are one of those people who objects to skiing the same run twice. 185 kms. But busy at New Year!! I have just sent 3 emails off in search of accommodation for Christmas.

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

peanuthead, read it, and judge for yourself. I thought it was a helpful contribution, personally.

After all it is free

blahblahblah, and for only €425 you could get a season pass, if you buy it before 3 November! That's what I shall be doing, except my OAP status will mean mine will be even cheaper! snowHead

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pam w, Most of the apartments in Les Arcs, 239 out of about 300, are still available for the Christmas week on the Alps horizons web site. This is not suprising. In general there are few bookings before October. It appears that different resorts have different booking patterns. We rarely get any bookings before November.

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You know it makes sense.

Thornyhill, He used to be a kernel in the Army I believe. Wink

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

A snowHead

I for one do not need Samerbery Sue to sell me Austria which I found more affordable than other countries in the Alps for my kind of skiing, typically two weeks, self drive and go anywhere I want. For the same money I find Austria accommodations are always among the best. Perhaps the most relevant to a two-week skier with own car is in Austria free parking is guaranteed in every resort. One can tell the popularity of an Austrian resort just by the size and number of its car parks. Only once I had to pay to park in a village underground car park in Saalbah but the ticket office there offset the parking fee as part of my ski pass cost.

Also in Austria accommodation owners are less bother guests staying for a full week. I normally book about 3 locations for a 2-week trip.

My comments may not applicable to other SHs but they are personal experience after skiing 33 and 31 facilities in Austria and France respectively. I also prefer Italy and Switzerland (to France) which I have tried over 20 resorts in each of them. The more resorts I sample the less desire I have for going back to France which I still ski when it suits me. I don't ask much, just clean accommodation, plenty of snow, not having to compete with others for queues, space, food, tickets and able to park close to a chairlift. For such needs I have been consistently getting a better deal in Austria than in France after trying all sorts of self catering, B&B, pensions, hotels, half board etc,

A snowHead

blahblahblah, now obviously I fear slightly becoming labelled like Samerberg Sue, but ours is still available for xmas and new year. It may be too far from the slopes for what you are after (10mins by car to STJD'A, 15 to PDS) but if still interested you can check the link in my sig.

Compromise is distance from slopes, certainly not the quality you are used to.

PM me if interested.

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

dennisp, Thank you Dennis, I think your place looks great, it is the short drive that might be an issue for MRS.bbb. but I will show her later and see what she thinks.

I dont see the problem recommending places, I would always be happy to offer an opinion to people, and if you love a place you will recommend it.

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We get booked up quicker at xmas / new year than we do at half term. Easter is the one to go for. Never as busy as the other holidays.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

dennisp, it is just one rather ignorant idiot! People who know me also know that I have few favourite places in other areas including your neck of the woods. I love Les Gets when I was based there but it was many years ago before the use of snow canons helped to keep the base.

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

Try the Grand Massif, you could stay in Les Carroz or Flaine or maybe the PDS. Both close to Geneva so you save money on transfers and accommodation prices should be more reasonable.

After all it is free

Dia_FindTransfers, thanks, was planning on driving down.

blahblahblah, contact Marcellus via PM as he seems to have his finger on the pluse there! We drove down several times before Les Carroz became "famous". Lots of really nice apartments then and not at all rabbit hutch like either.

There are some nice developments a bit further over the Grand Massif towards Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval and Samoens as well which are great locations for families with young children as you do not get so much weekend traffic.

Help!!

Two weeks instead of one

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