where to ski with babies in tow!!??

A snowHead

Just wondered if anyone had any ideas as to where to go in europe for a week with an 18 month old, 2 year and 3 year old in two families? want a short transfer and somewhere not bombarded with brits!!!

A snowHead

Welcome to snowHeads adance, Hope you get the answer you need.

We had a qestion similar to this at the weekend. My answer to them, as to you would be to use a family speicialist operator as they will have a creche and nannies all sorted. There are lots to choose from. I used Ski Esprit and would thoroughly recommend them, equally, I twice used Ski Hillwood and they were also good. There are others, which people will recommend soon no doubt.

As to where to go, well that largely depends on what type of skiing you want and what time of year etc. You will will need to give more details on that.

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

adance, depends when you plan to go, you could look at La Rosiere, definitely not bombarded by Brits other than snowheads who've found this little jewel in the Alps. There is good local creche, Les Galopins who take children from the age of 18mths and can look after them all day. They do get booked up very quickly as La Rosiere is very popular with French families. You can get more information from our website www.tracksvacations.com where we have a link through to the La Rosiere Tourist Office's website, se our ad in snowShops for details of our offers. La Rosiere was voted a Top Ten family resort by the BBC's holiday programme and we're very child friendly as well.

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adance, I hate to sound agressive to a newcomer (welcome snowHead

) but don't do it. Really, don't do it. Do you honestly have so much annual leave that you want to go on the kind of holiday where you don't see your kids for a whole week?

Skiing's great, but it's not that great. Spend some time at home spreading duplo around the playroom instead. Take the kids to the park and the zoo. Heck, even spend a few days with them in Disneyland.

Let the mountains wait until the youngest one's 4 or 5. The ski slopes will still be there in three years time, but your children will never be toddlers again.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You may be interested in this thread (just click on it to activate it), where the same question was discussed over a year ago. The advice by all doesn't seem to change.

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=1257

Jonny Jones, on that thread, after a series of strongly worded arguments, very similar to the one above you said

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adance, Hi. I love skiing to bits, have done for over 25 years. I love my kids too, but contrary to Jonny Jones (each to their own) I think it is possible to have a week on the slopes with little ones 'in tow' while ensuring that they enjoy the holiday too.

My youngest son, for example is still only 3 but has been on 4 skiing holidays, all for a week. Some have been better than others. My tips:

i) do your research into the creches - if in France look for the Les P'tits Montagnards award. Check the availability of English speaking carers. For the younger ones check out the outdoor facilities as well as the indoors, e.g. at La Rosiere they have a great little roundabout that pulls kids on their sledges - you don't want kids to be indoors all day.

ii) if possible go with a family specialist, howver they are a bit pricey and as such have been out of our reach. We have had no problems at all with locally run creches in four French resorts.

iii) Don't let the longer transfers put you off - you only have to do this twice ! Instead consider the location of your accommodation, the creche, lifts/slopes and restaurants for lunch - you don't want to set off in a morning in one direction to creche, only to have to come back on yourself to get to the lifts. Ideally the creche should be at the foot of the slopes but if not then at least en route to them. Take for example La Rosiere, Les Galopins was really very good, but it was a good 5 minute walk from the slopes, assuming you collect your children at lunchtime that adds up to 20 minutes walking (in ski boots !) ( with kids !) !! Compare this to say the Hotel Cachette at Arc 1600 where the creche was onsite right at the foot of the slopes.

iv) Avoid hotels. We've done hotels, chalets and self catering with the kids. I really like chalet holidays but found that self catering also worked surprisingly well. Hotels don't have the same levels of flexibility for meals and general relaxation where you can always keep an eye on the little ones.

v) Don't ski all day every day. Before the kids I used to ski for 8 hours a day, now it's more like 4. We have a long lunch and an early(ish) finish. If there's swimming or other activities available take time out to do them. Whereas we used to go on "a skiing holiday" we now go on "a holiday with skiing". Think of it that way and I'm sure you'll all have a ball.

vi) If you want a few days serious skiing, go for a weekend with your mates and leave the kids at home with your missus !!!

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Jonny Jones, ARE YOU MAD?!? Let the parents do something they enjoy aswell. When the kiddies are that age theyre happy enough anywhere as long as they have lots to do and arent clingy whingers.

adance, Esprit are meant to be really good, and theres quite a few other companies that have private Nannies etc. Check and see if theyre qualified/ experienced as it does vary from place to place.

After all it is free

adance, Don't think you should tow babies whilst skiing....

we're going over new year and want good intermediate skiing

in reply to a couple of you, I don't intend to leave my kids in a creche at all. it was only to find out what resorts would be child friendly, infact I may not ski much at all...i'm not that selfish and couldn't imagine not seeing my child on a holiday.

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Jonny Jones, i won't be abondoning my kids on the holiday, I mearly wanted some ideas of child friendly resorts to go to so I can enjoy my time with my children. i won't be leaving them in a creche all day

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ski, love it!!!! maybe swing from the rafters with them instead Very Happy

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adance,

masmith, each to their own, I just didn't like the assumption made for me. Did you have a good time partying as well as skiing, that I can relate to!

You know it makes sense.

adance,

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

Ray Zorro, I believe the things that I've said, and I live by them myself. We had a 7 year gap when we didn't ski, and now they're older we take them whenever we can.

What I meant by the 'half believe' thing that you quoted from me is that I don't criticise or (except for sport Twisted Evil

) or look down on those people who disagree with me.

So let the sport begin. Is there anyone out there who seriously believes that any 2 year old kid on earth would prefer to be in a creche for a week rather than with its mum and dad?

A snowHead

An option that worked well for us was to a very nice 4* hotel in Switzerland that was a real children's playground (Maerchen hotel in Braunwald - a small resort 2hrs by train from Zurich). There was a swimming pool with monkey bars over the top + slide into it, a huge games room (for kids of all ages), another room with bouncy castles, if you did want to ski, there is a nanny to look after the hotel kids in the mornings, my children loved the fact that there was a slide from 1st to ground so they didn't have to go down the stairs, there was a storytime (by the hotel owner - in English and French), and the thing my kids really loved was that at breakfast you got your milk by twisting the udders of a full-size wooden cow in the dining room. They used to take the kids the 500m to the ski slopes by horse and cart (there and back). The details are here , in case you or any others are interested. There was lots for the adults too, including a wellness centre and excellent food.

Of course, these places get booked up early because they are so popular and you are going at the most busy period so you will probably have to work hard to find something this late in the year.

A snowHead

adance, I'm glad you don't plan to desert your kids. Sorry that I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

A holiday with in the snow mum and dad will be fantastic. But I'm afraid that there are many parents who see their kids as a great big obstacle between them and the moguls. And they must remove all obstacles...

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

I would like to put a slightly different contrary view toJonny Jones, , partly to be controversial but also partly meant.
One of my feelings about taking young (and by that I probably mean under 5 but it depends on the child) children is that you have to pay a tidy some of money (esp if flying and child over 2 yrs old) to bring a potential holiday-wrecker with you.
This is not my personal experience, but I have been with people whose young child has hated the creche and then at some point has got very cold and so learnt to hate the snow too. The concerned parents have ended up taking turn-about to look after the child in the small apartment or hotel room and have not even had the pleasure of skiing together.
I feel that if there is any possibility for leaving young children back home with someone you trust and they love, that is by far the best solution.
Bring them when they are old enough to put up with a bit of cold for the thrill of skiing (possibly 18yrs old wink

). We took our sons skiing first when each was between 6 and 8yrs old. We were fortunate to have a pair of grandparents who were happy to help out in the UK. They could probably have coped a year or two earlier but circumstances did not allow. We are still skiing together this season tho the eldest (now 20) is off in Decmber too with the University (lucky sw*&^).

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I agree with Jonny Jones in that I doubt very much that

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

adance, what do you mean when you ask for a child-friendly resort? In my experience Europeans are much more child friendly than the British, and far more welcoming of them (e.g. in restaurants etc.)

What specifically are you looking for?

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adance, sorry, forgot to say "Welcome to Snowheads".
BTW skiing together when the family is a bit older is a thoroughly rewarding experience and highly valued by all five of us. (I felt I should say that after my earlier negatives!)

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

Jonny Jones, oh yes, me and my bundles of joy intend to have a great time together

After all it is free

adance, I personally like Wengen, it's car free and pretty and you can take the kids on tobbogan runs or up in the train or cablecar, it's not too high so the kids won't suffer with the altitude and if you do want a day or two off you can use the nursery on the top of the Mannlichen or hire a nanny in the village. You won't get bombarded with Brits though there will be a few arround.

I'd suggest somewhere like the **** Sunstar hotel as they seem well set up for kids, I believe they even have a playroom there, they also have an indoor pool.

Generally I'd class the whole resort as child friendly but then I first went there age 3months Laughing

Lots of intermediate skiing in the area and if you are near one of the airports flying into Bern you can be in the area within an hour

OK, some more practical advice. If you plan to spend some your time with the kids rather than skiing, I'd take some of these factors into consideration.

1. Weather. Maybe go in March when it's not quite so cold.
2. Distance to the slopes. Kids and ski gear don't mix with walking and buses
3. Non skiing activities, like swimming pools and play areas. You probably won't be on the slopes for much more than an hour and a half each day.
4. Spacious accommodation so the kids can run round inside when the weather's bad. Some chalets are ideally laid out for kids, some aren't
5. Freedom from traffic on the way to the slopes, shops, entertainment and restaurants. Crossing busy icy roads with kids is scary
6. Child friendly meals, and especially meal times. That might mean self catering or a specialist family tour operator. On a skiing holiday, most adults eat much too late for childrens' comfort
7. Accommodation that lets you get some space when the children are asleep. You need somewhere comfortable to grab a glass of wine when they doze.
8. A very gentle slope that's not too busy and not restricted to ski-school use only - as are most magic carpet lifts.

None of these point to a particular resort. In my view, it's more important to get the right combination of success factors than to worry too much about the specific resort.

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D G Orf, and we all thought you were BORN there Very Happy

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Frosty, Sadly not Born there, on the other hand considering my parents went there each year and I went there first at 3 months old .......... wink

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Elizabeth B, Yes really Confused

You know it makes sense.

D G Orf, That explains EVERYTHING nicely wink

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

adance,
Have skied with the kids every year since before they were born, so I fully agree with taking them. Smile

Back to your original question of where. Flims is somewhere you may like to consider. It has great skiing in a big area is fairly close to Zurich for transfers. It does not attract many Brits, I don't know if it does anything special for children but ours enjoyed themselves over there at New Year aged about 5&7. The slopes go reasonably high and there is a small glacier at the top so there is a decent chance of good snow but there is also quite a lot below the treeline if the weather is poor.

Hope you enjoy wherever you end up.

A snowHead

adance, To ski and be selfish, or not to ski and spend quality time with your little babes. That is the question.

51 weeks a year we had the little bugs, what on earth is wrong with 8 hrs off for 6 days. We went 3 times with Mark Warner and very good with little kids they were. No complaints about the staff or facilities, but do be prapared for a lot of tossy , up their own back bottoms, "professional" knobhead parents. (rant over) . Mrs FTS & I thought it hilarious though when there would be hordes of overbearing parent unable to leave from outside the creche until little Gemima Bubbykins had stopped screaming.

Be prepared to sell the wife to pay for a new yr holiday with Mark Warner though. Kid and baby care is just that. Bit of attention, watchful eye and Bobs yer uncle. Save the real thought for when they start to learn skiing.

A snowHead

adance, You started a good rant line today...

Love my two kids to bits, but a few hours of them playing with new found friends, or having their first ski-ing lessons (as was last season) has always worked well for us. Mt two have gone to nursery from an early age (6 months) so know the routine. We certainly don't ski all day and ignore them (like some I suppose) and in the past have seemed to get the balance reasonably right. To be honest the best childcare we have had is when there is an evening club so you can eat your dinner in peace as the kids have had an early tea. This kind of arrangement is often in Club Hotels (Crystal but also Ski Hillwood), and the kids get excited about staying up late etc. My two year old and a fondue just don't mix!

Short transfers often mean lots of Brits. We are fans of Les Gets but will be full of half of Surrey most of the time and GB number plates. La Rosiere is a good choice, not taken the kids there, but when I did ski there it had a nice feel to the place.

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

Interesting that so many of these responses are about how best to have the children "taken care of". It seems that adance is not planning to leave kids in a creche at all, so quality, and cost, of child care is not an issue. With two families with little ones a winter family holiday in the snow sounds great. Ski-ing is an afterthought....

If you want to go somewhere child friendly with practically no Brits in sight and are not looking for English nannies to dump the kids on, go to Les Saisies. Lots of French families, often three generations. New lifts will link to Notre Dame de Bellecombe this year, opening up plenty of intermediate ski-ing (the Les Saisies slopes are mostly gentle, but snow-sure and very pretty). From my own experience of kids of varying ages I agree strongly with masmith that self-catering is best, especially if you can get a big, good quality, apartment which two families can share, for relaxed evenings. A pool would be an asset. Erna Low has some good MGM apartments in Les Saisies (and elsewhere). The 4* Swiss hotel sounds wonderful, but was never in our price bracket!

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pam w, thanks for those suggestions, it's great to hear others views on resorts as it's such a task to organise a holiday and cross you fingers you've chosen right for everyone

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ray Zorro, dont know really just things for us to do with the kids that doesn't involve skiing

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There is an assumption by many that adance is a chap. My money would be on her being a lady - or am I doing a Jonpim?

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

adance, if you try here http://www.ifyouski.com/Resorts/Resortfinder/ there is an option to select some criteria that are important to you. I guess for you it would be more the facilities in resort than on the mountain. It may help get a shortlist.

After all it is free

Ray Zorro, yes i'm a lady!!!! how funny that everyone assumes i'm a bloke Very Happy

yes, must admit I fell into that trap - very sorry !

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adance, I'd guessed from your responsible attitude to looking after your kids wink

Help!!

where to ski with babies in tow!!??

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