OMG has anyone seen the prices for 2017/2018???

[juneau]

Just got back from a week HB in a hotel in Austria. We did the exact same holiday last year at the end of the season and got a good price both years for a family room for four of us. Just checked the price for the same thing again next year and it's almost double the price! I know that the £ is weaker now that it was a year ago (when we booked for this year), but it's not that bloody weak .

[HotelEuphoria]

What price are you talking?

[juneau]

Well specifically I was looking at packages with Crystal and Inghams, which are considerably more expensive than this time last year. I know prices fluctuate, but I think we may have to go independent in 2018. It's lucky our DC are old enough for that to be reasonably painless.

[massistar]

Don't know about packages but we've just booked an independent chalet and it's pretty much in line with what we normally pay thankfully!

[ohgoshIdontknow]

Yep I just googled our holiday and it's ten grand! Never skiing again at this rate!

[NorthernLurker]

Is that a post brexit thing? Why s expensive?

[juneau]

I'm not sure Northern. I called Crystal to ask them why the price hike and they said it could just be that they've renegotiated their contract with that particular hotel. I suspect though that it also has something to do with £ tanking since we booked our last trip a year ago though. So we were expecting it to be a bit more expensive, to take the currency value change into account, but it's almost double the price for the exact same holiday, same week, next year.

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

Ours hasn't changed. Off to Canada, which despite what you might think is cheaper than the cost per next get in Europe.

[littleoldladywho]

Where are you going call? We are getting 20-50cms fresh powder daily at the mo. It is a freaking awesome spring season...

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

• Cost per night!
  
  We are going to Whistler Creekside.
  
  Air transact into Vancouver 4 @ £1437 total cost
  Legends Creekside from £1700 - fantastic facilities, pool, hot tub.
  
  OK the ski hire and passes will add to the cost, but we will be there for 11 days skiing.
  
  .... my biggest concern is that the snow for next year has all fallen this season!

[msrisotto]

I have been looking into booking our first ski holiday since we were teenagers ourselves. Maybe i'm lucky not knowing the differential between next year and last because all I know is that it is expensive! If I was going for more than a week, i'd definitely go to Canada but for 7 days minus travel and jet lag time, it isn't worth it.

I'd love to know if there is a cheaper way to do it than Crystal.

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

Definitely cheaper to book DIY. I've booked many trips in the last 20 years and sorting stuff yourself from ski hire (good savings), to lift passes (sometimes buy one get one free) is cheaper. The one area that can be costly is transfers if you fly.

[massistar]

Our chalet worked out at £570 pp fully catered and just got easyJet flights for 4 of us for £300 total! Transfers are £85 pp so with lessons for 1 child and ski hire for the kids we should come in at just under £4K which is what we normally aim for.

[juneau]

We definitely don't want to go to Canada for a week! I'm sure it's lovely but an 8-hour time difference? No thanks.

I think independent will be what we'll have to do. We've found a hotel in a great location in the resort we want, we can get Easyjet flights from our local airport, transfers will be quite pricey, but ski hire and lift passes are both cheaper booked independently and if we budget 100 euros a day for food I think we'll be okay.

[msrisotto]

I was getting crazy expensive quotes for transfers (£400+++) and car hire was £120 with free parking at the hotel. Just in case you hadn't thought of it

[littleoldladywho]

It's only 7 hours here. I've done it for the weekend twice. Not worth it if your kids are young enough not to understand jet lag though!
I think we did it for ten days when the kids were pretty small though. Flights and time difference is just one of those things. When you get bigger slopes and no queues at lifts, it makes it worth it. We treat the flight like a night's sleep which helps.
The first time I went to Whistler, they were handing out free hot chocolate at the gondola station, mind, as it was so cold. It's not for the faint of heart.

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

Mine are OK with the time difference, we too treat the flight either as a nights sleep or a long day, depending on times. Seems to work, but it's not for everyone. ... and clearly I try and swing some extra time!

[juneau]

Ah - that's an idea msrisotto! Thanks for the tip!

[Buttercupsandaisies]

We do Andorra Feb half term for £3.5k family of four, half board, crystal hotel (booked direct) and Ryanair flights

It's so easy I really don't know why anyone books a package!

This inc all passed and ski hire etc

[msrisotto]

I'm probably going with crystal as they have a really good discount on the specific hotel I want. I looked into booking all parts separately and it would cost me a lot more.

[Buttercupsandaisies]

Where are you going msrisotto?

We got flights, hotel and transfers for £2.5k separately. Same hotel with crystal was almost 4K!

[msrisotto]

Selva van gardinia (?), Italy. There's a 4*that I've been recommended and looks perfect. The sport gran Baita. It's 2.5k for one standard room for a week (half board) in the first week of March! With Crystal, the whole trip comes to £3k Inc lift passes, ski rental etc

[juneau]

Most of us can't go the first week of March msrisotto. We have school age kids, which restricts us to Christmas, New Year, Feb half-term and the two weeks in the Easter hols.

[msrisotto]

I wasn't suggesting it! I have no idea of your collective commitments . I was just pointing out the discount Crystal must get as I couldn't do better than booking the package with them, for this specific hotel.

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

I used crystal when we went to Finland and they definitely used their purchasing power to provide something we couldn't source any other way. It shows it does pay to research both options

[fencote]

Feb HT 2018. Ryanair flights x 4 = £500. Transfers x 4 = £240
Chalet HB (2 bed duplex) = £3300. (Same price as 2017 if booked early so we did!) This is a 30 metre walk to the ski hire shop (where you store your boots & skis) which is in turn, 5 metres from the first ski lift of the day which is what I'm prepared to pay a premium for. Makes life so much easier especially with children. So, a total of £4040 for a family of 4 in a 2 bedroom duplex on a chalet board basis. Excludes ski hire, ski passes & lessons. Best of all - crowd free slopes, a real luxury compared to the French Alps. Baqueira Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees. We preferred it to PSV so we've booked it again literally on our return from this year's trip.