 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, Im looking for advice on booking a ski holiday with a 3 & 4 year old, the main concern we have is the child care. We want to make life as easy as possible for all of us. Could anyone suggest some good travel co. or hotels etc they have on site child care facilities so that we aren't walking half way across the ski resort every morning to take them to ski lessons or a creche. Or a company that send the child minders to collect the children from our accommodation. We are looking at resorts that aren't further than 2 hr transfer away, many thanks for you help x
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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loopymorgan, welcome to snowheads. There are a few companies you could look at - Ski Esprit gets mostly very good reports on snowheads. I've never used them - when our kids were little we couldn't afford to pay anyone else to look after them.  Now I have small grandchildren I look after them - free! there are some other companies too, which I'm sure people will come up with.
Depending on the child, 3 is a bit young for anything like "proper" lessons.
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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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loopymorgan, welcome to  s
Can I direct you to this recent thread http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=73303 Save me typing it all again. Snowbizz will meet all the requirements you describe perfectly and they will get the kids skiing too. Short transfer and everything on the doorstep.
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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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If you are happy with chalet, then look at Le Ski in La Tania. Their Chalet Marmau has the creche in the basement which is really handy. The nursery slope is a short walk (2 mins) down the hill, and then the creche staff collect them after the lesson, give them lunch and entertain them in the afternoon. We went twice when daughter was 4.25 and 5 and she was really happy. The first year we went we, and quite a few of the other parents, used to meet up with the creche staff as they were about to take the kids out for the afternoon to go bum boarding or to take them up the mountain on the bubble. On the way back down, the kids loved watching their parents racing against the bubbles to see who would get to the bottom first. The second time we went we would collect daughter from the creche in the afternoon and go skiing with her on the nursery runs for an hour or two.
The Chalet is modern, built over 4 floors, the rooms are en suite and a decent size. You will need a monitor though as the doors are fire safety doors and daughter found them too heavy to open so wouldn't have been able to come and get us if she needed to once she was in bed and we were downstairs having dinner.
Le Ski are a small, independent operator and we were more than happy with them. Unfortunately they only have a creche facility in La Tania and we wanted to try somewhere else this year so we are trying Esprit for the first time and off to Austria.
For us, childcare/creche is not just about the childcare aspect: it is also for daughter to have some company and fun with people of her own age. We love spending time as a family but, whilst husband and I appreciate some adult time, she also appreciates some kid time. It is not just our holiday, it is hers too, so why shouldn't she get to do things that she enjoys as well.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 8-02-11 12:23; edited 3 times in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Vaujany, cascade apts, next door to play group and 30 m to lifts. my 2 grandkids had a great week in there having not taken to skiing as they were only 3.
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loopymorgan & andyg9053, Welcome to
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| leeacarroll wrote: |
However Austria ski schools limit skiing to older children and i think you might have to place the kids in a snow garden nursey. I might be wrong and they might be exceptions ...
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Our experience, rather more recent than yours is the total opposite. When eldest son was 3.5, he was kicked of ski school in Chatel, France for being too good: "he's too good for us, needs to go up the mountain, but we can't take him there until he's five!". Yet the following week in Solden, Austria, he was skiing around the whole mountain with the ski school, and even won the end-of-week race.
But, for the OP, if you want the easiest life, then Ski Esprit or Snowbizz are the most family-friendly operators.
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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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we have had 8 holidays so far with ski esprit, and crystal
if you go with crystal look out for the three places that have the pyjama clubs, as usually they have all facilities in the hotel
we have stayed ni flaine at the totam, bit jaded on the decoration , but excellent food, prime location for the slopes for the little ones
we have just come back from claviere, great skiing, great for the kids - again the main hotel ( grand claviere had every thing onsite)
without the pyjamaclub we have done
alp d hueze ( both companies - no problems with either of them )
Peisy - esprit - no problems hermione i think it was that we stayed in
la rosiere stayed in the shatzi - right ontop of the begginners run down the hill ( although at the end of season its a tad difficult)
tend to find the chalet hotels a better bet as every one staying in them is in the same boat regarding kids etc,
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loopymorgan, Hi,, Why ask for childcare? Its ok to put them for skilesson, but for me it seems not ok with childcare, if its not are wih grandparents, I can promise , If U go on holyday with the kids and spend so much time with them as possible, you will be happy for that in the future. I have spend alot of time with my kids in skiresorts since they was born, they are now 21 and 19 year, I have also a extrason, in a new ralation, that I now learn to ski, and its fantastic, so try to spend your time with your kids now, the year passed very quickly, and enyoy your skiing trip TOGETHER with your kids
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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family friendly, does not mena you have to put them in care for the full week. It just means you'll not get looked at funny when your kids play up, the ski area is right by the door, the lessons are well set up for the nippers, and you can then ski WITH your children all afternoon. Of course there are those that pack their kids off at 8.00am, see them at 5.30 for an hour, and that's it, but that's not for me. Still booking with a family friendly company, though.
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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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If U go on holyday with the kids and spend so much time with them as possible, you will be happy for that in the future.
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I do rather agree with that, actually, though maybe if we could ever have afforded the sort of set up where other people take your kids to ski lessons and pick them up afterwards we might have given it a go. Because I worked when my kids were young (OH looked after them) the last thing I wanted to do was leave them with somebody else on holidays. We do have some fantastic memories of family holidays - and I now enjoy looking after my grandchildren.
I have a happy memory of coming across a woman playing with a little boy - about 2.5 - in the snow beside a path I was walking along. Looked like a grandmother and grandson. They had made a sort of roadway out of snow, with underpasses and bridges, and he was pushing all his little cars and trucks around. They were packing up, as the sun fell, when i walked back. In our resort there's little childcare available - it seems, just watching and looking around, that many French families do come with multi generations - plenty of grandparents (often very competent skiers) to help and share the burden.
Looking back, those years with little kids are so fleeting; treasure them!
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Thanks for all info. We dont want the kids to be in all day everyday, we would just would like to have the flexibility and the ease, so that if we want to go out early and get a good mornings skiing in before doing activities with the kids in the afternoon, we can do it easily. I have read that Esprit is very good, and most parents feel very comfortable leaving the children with them. Unfortunately we dont have grandparents that could get involved with the holiday. Im going to look through the links now, and check out a few of the ski resorts mentioned. This is the first time i have used snowheads, and its been brilliant, exactly all the information i needed, so thanks to everyone for contributing 
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You know it makes sense.
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I would also recommend snow bizz for your family. We were in the same position as you a few years go. We do not have grandparents who would want to come skiing. We like to have some time to ski as a couple in the morning and then spend the rest of the day with the children. When ours were 3 (just) and 5 we went with snow bizz and I would heartily recommend them. both your children would be able to do their 1 hour totons ski class followed by creche..the creche has very good facilities and staff are lovely. You would have the option of using the creche for one or two afternoons if you wanted a longer days skiing. If your children are in the creche together they will be happy to be with a sibling and probably make new friends too. The snow bizz set up is great. Appartments, creche, nursery slope all within 2 mins walk of each other. You can self cater or use the half board option.
The snowbizz set up is good value if you can avoid peak dates and more flexible than some other companies in that you can book the childcare you need rather than having to pay for a whole week of afternoon creche or none.
the snow bizz nannies also offer a babysitting service so you could treat yourselves to a meal out one night.
We hardly ever use babysitters and find it very hard to leave our children but the snowbizz nannies were so lovely that after a few days we felt happy to have a rare meal out and the children were very well looked after.
There are other UK companies who seem to offer a very good service for families with young children such as family ski company and ski famille. However their holidays are chalet based so more expensive than snow bizz and I am not so keen on chalet holidays personally. however for those that like chalets I'm sure they would be worth considering.
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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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thanks, they sound perfect, Ill look into them right away
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Poster: A snowHead
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I can again recommend Esprit. We went with them in December Crystal 2000, in Courchevel 1850. My 4 and 1yr old had a great time. With yours being 3 and 4 they will be together in Spritelets if that is what you want. When Ellie was with them she was 1 of 3 in the spritelets class with an ESF ski instructor. I would highly recommend them and we will definitely go with them again. My 4yr old, loved it so much that by 8am she was asking to go to Snow club and it didn't start until 8:30. I picked her up straight after her lesson the day they didn't do food in the chalet, and she had a right trantrum - "I don't want to go with you, I want to stay with my friends!". As I said she loved it, and has been talking about it ever since.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My 4yr old, loved it so much that by 8am she was asking to go to Snow club and it didn't start until 8:30.
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that's brilliant. So much luck of the draw, isn't it, whether they settle in happily and find a new "friend" or two in the first session.
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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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just got back from a snowbizz holiday (our second time) and they were again fantastic, cannot recommend them enough. we are booking for next year.
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FAQ
Extensive child care operation when we were there too (all day ski creche for the little ones, even night time baby sitting in the resort hotels.
