 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys.
After skiing with a couple of other guys for the last few years and staying in apartments, this year we have a group of at least 8 and were thinking that a chalet is the way to go.
We're keen on Val Thorens (never been before but looks ace!) but I don't have a clue where to start looking for chalets other than the tour operators. Prices from the usual uk operators seem quite expensive compared to the prices we're used to paying for an apartment so was thinking of booking it all up separately - chalet, flights, transfers etc.
We're looking for something pretty basic and close to the piste so would welcome any advice on where to look. A quick google search has brought back lots of options but I'm a bit wary of who to trust based on some of reviews I've read.
Any advice much welcomed!
Cheers,
Dean
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Prices from the usual uk operators seem quite expensive compared to the prices we're used to paying for an apartment so was thinking of booking it all up separately - chalet, flights, transfers etc.
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That's unlikely to be cheaper, unless you're going in one of the peak UK school holiday weeks, when the TO do load their prices a bit. But if it's "8 guys" then unless you are all teachers you won't be doing that, will you?
Some of the chalets operated by the TOs are about as basic as they come. Independent chalets range from very reasonable to impossibly and madly expensive, but by the time you've costed in flights and transfers I doubt you'll beat the TOs on price - though you might well do so on quality.
Of course they're expensive compared to sharing a cheap apartment! But you're getting lots of food and drink and probably more comfort, too.
Presumably you're OK with sharing a chalet?
Have a look at igluski.com (that's what you get if you google "catered chalets Val Thorens"  )
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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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If you're happy with catered, have a look at Ski Amis - http://www.skiamis.com/
They don't have anything in Val Thorens itself, but we stayed with them last Jan in Les Menuires, and I'd stay with them again in a heartbeat, great chalet! They can sort out transfer for you as well if you want (though we drove ourselves) and will give advice on flights/ferry etc, though don't book it.
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Dlevans22, look at the tourist office website and that of the lift company. I disagree with pamw on this one - I have friends who do private chalet/budget flights/independent transfers and they find it competitive. Transfer will be the bit which is hard to source/expensive, I predict.
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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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Dlevans22, in about 10 tour operator chalet holidays in the last 8 years, often as part of a group around your size, my consideration now, above all else, is location, location, location. No matter what it says on the tin, an operator's high rated, high book price chalet can be a bit 'meh' and a bargain basement deal with low brochure expectations can turn out to be a gem. We book within 2-3 weeks of travel so I'm usually pretty confident about snow conditions and therefore the resorts to favour or avoid but features I always look for are short walks to lifts and bars or at the very least, a bus stop with a 10-15 minute max wait just outside the front door,. Relying on a mini-bus ride into town etc just doesn't do it for us. Lastly, we never worry about 'transfer times'. An hour and a half or 3 hours from airport to village by coach is really neither here nor there in the context of 6 or 6.5 days skiing, but very early airport check-in times are best avoided.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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very early airport check-in times are best avoided
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Good advice. Both going out and coming back it can really add to the overall stress of the holiday.
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Hi Dlevans22,
You are unlikely to get rock-bottom price on a DIY holiday but it is certainly possible to get a good, upmaket DIY chalet for the price of a tour operator budget option. A couple of suggestions would be:
- choose the week carefully. As pam w, says school holidays are expensive whilst January or March are cheaper. For a real bargain consider pre-Christmas which is often the cheapest week of the season, but in Val Thorens will still have good snow.
- look at what is included in the chalet. Most offer food, wine etc etc so your in-resort costs will be a lot cheaper than they are when you are staying in an appartment but some offer different things such as free wifi or a complimentary bar which, depending on your group, can make a good saving.
- Organise yourselves before you book. Make sure that you have prices for flights, transfers and chalet and know that they are all available before you book. Travelling as a group of 8 a private transfer will usually be the cheapest option as you'll fill a minibus.
Happy planning!
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Catered chalets are not the only option as you can find a chalet being rented out as is - at least in Switzerland it's quite common that people owning property in ski resorts rent it out through real estate agents both for week- and season - long stays, and thankfully "chalet operators" haven't been able yet to corner this market and hopefully never will. Lot cheaper will be to buy your own food in the local supermarket than having your cupboards stuffed by "chalet hosts" and food cooked. Plus it gives you a freedom of choice as you can opt to eat out and won't feel obliged to have your dinner in the chalet "because it's included". You may want to check resort website, as there will be usually a section dedicated to accommodation and list of estate agents. There are also appartments that can accommodate 8 or even more people.
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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 skied in Val Thorens a few times and have never been disappointed with SkiWorld. Yes, catered chalet's do seem expensive when compared with apartments but don't forget they come with food and alcohol! We always tell the chalet host we don't want coffee so he wine keeps flowing....
If you have a party of 8, don't forget that most tour operators will offer you a group discount. Amount will depend on when in the season you are travelling.
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Try www.chaletfinder.co.uk They have a great selection of chalets that you rent directly from the owners, thus cutting out TO's. As said previously, they can seem more expensive, but for what you get from a catered chalet actually works out good value, is often cheaper than a hotel, with much better food and wine, plus you don't end up with loads of hidden extras that add up (cups of tea etc) and are more homely and comfortable. Simply Alpine is also a good site for chalets.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have used peak retreats several times customer service and Chalets have always been excellent - if you are a large group some of their chalets can work out quite reasonable - you need to take about 130 off the quoted prices for accommodation only - not sure if they do Val Thorens.
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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 DIY for short trips and TO for 7 days, generally find that TO is cheaper provided you work hard to find the discounts. In off peak weeks Skiworld seem to offer very good deals although finding 4 rooms in one chalet might be a challenge (although they had quite a lot of rooms available when i looked at Easter last year).
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at least in Switzerland it's quite common that people owning property in ski resorts rent it out through real estate agents
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very common in France, too, but I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that the OP was meaning he wanted a catered chalet, having always self-catered before.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm still looking at both TO's and DIY options. There seems to be quite a price gap between apartments and chalets even taking the food and alcohol part included part into consideration! Obviously you pay more for the added comfort too. If anyone has any chalets or apartments in Val Thorens that they recommend or conversely wouldn't touch with a ski pole please do let me know!
Thanks, 
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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The difference between appartments and chalets is that in apartments you will often have a few people sleeping in the living room on sofa beds or bunk beds and a very small kitchen with very little space to eat.. if you don't mind this then apartments are a great budget option. In chalets you will have alot more room per person and proper beds for everyone  hence they are more expensive.
Chalets direct and Chalet Finder are the best websites to look at for DIY accom.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dlevans22, I've picked up chalet deals including flights, accommodation, transfers and food for £325 before now.
For a group of your size, I'd budget around £450 for the cheap weeks (early Dec, Jan 6th to 20th, and after Easter) in most of the big TO chalets which should include flight, transfer, accommodation and food.
If you are looking at peak weeks, the TOs do tend to load the prices a bit more than independent operators in my experience. This might be because of the cost of flights, what they can sell it for (as they will often sell out for peak weeks regardless of the higher prices) and also because if they double the price they don't need to fill every single bed in resort.
Choose the week you want to go, and if you are set on VT we can help you out with decent reccommendations. Pretty much all the chalets in VT are very close to the skiing, so it is really down to your budget and expectations to find something good.
Personally the idea of trying to co-ordinate several different people to book flights, transfers, and getting payments etc is outweighed by being able to give them the number of the TO or travel agent and tell them to ring up and pay X amount on Y date and the whole thing is sorted once they have got themselves to the airport.
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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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Dlevans22, I organise a group chalet hol every year for 8-14 people - have found both DIY and TO can work. For convenience we always do catered chalet as once all paid for, its just beer money when there - saves time dealing with where to eat out and how much to spend etc - and it is liberating having a week where you don't have to think about much apart from the skiing.
If you would consider Meribel, try Ski Basics for DIY - very competetive prices and great chalets. You can get the train straight to Moutiers then its a short taxi ride (they do pickups) this option is genuinley very straightforward - and you have great nightlife in Meribel for 8 guys and access to the whole 3V ski area.
Otherwise for TO - as Pam has suggested, igluski (an agent) are pretty good and will discount well. Have been with SkiTotal a few times and find the value hard to beat. We usually pay £600 - £650 PP for a peak season week in a well positioned catered chalet, always a major resort and generally good accom standard - i.e. all ensuite twins, good living areas.
Also - check out Val d'Isere and Tignes - Val in particular has an unusually large number of well positioned chalets offering entire party holidays for your group size.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Dlevans22, if you are getting such a big price difference then why not just book a self catered apartment if price is your main consideration? Chalets are expensive because they are about a million times better than staying in a cramped apartment and having to bother with food every night!
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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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Self catered chalets are not very much more expensive then apartments but much more comfortable and you can cook in, eat out, take away whatever. Cheaper than catered which can sometimes be food you wouldn't choose to eat but you've prepaid so feel you have to. Try holiday-rentals.co.uk. We've used this site for last six years or so. Not been disappointed. Chale Sophie in courcheval catered was memorable but have stayed in some fab selfcatered chalets ski in- out also fab.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Obviously you pay more for the added comfort too.
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Self catered chalets are not very much more expensive then apartments but much more comfortable
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some generalisations here..... apartments don't have to have people sleeping in sofa beds in the lounge. And some chalets - both catered and self-catered - are pretty basic, and not particularly comfortable. In many of the lower and mid range catered chalets you will share bathrooms, and some of the bedrooms can be very small, and public areas a bit tatty. Personally, none of that bothers me, but it's just misleading to suggest that a catered chalet holiday will always provide more comfortable accommodation than an apartment.
Some apartments are more expensive than some chalets. In France there is an infinite variety of apartments for all budgets - some are expensive and swish, some aren't.
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I'd budget around £450 for the cheap weeks
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that's fairly rock bottom for advance booking. Ski Olympic in La Rosiere (good mid-range operator, not an expensive resort) is £100 more. Leaving booking till the last minute can reap bargains, obviously, but carries some risks if people aren't flexible about resort, airport, etc etc
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Try Skibound. They have 2 chalet-hotesl in Les Menuires. We have stayed in Piolet which opens onto the piste. They have some good prices for packages which would be hard to beat DIY.
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