To never go skiing in France again

[YellowTulips]

Just got back home from a weeks skiing. The food (so much for French cuisine) was awful - routine evening bill was over 120 Euros for 2 adults and 2 children. The menu was the same in EVERY restaurant. I am not a fussy eater, nor is my family but how much fondue, steak or duck can you consume? Came home and had beans on toast - lovely .

The service was awful. Waiting 30/40 mins to get a hot chocolate/coffee.

The bloody pushing and shoving by the ski lifts by the French nationals was awful (the kids getting knocked over and nearly trampled in the scrum).

I appreciate being able to afford to go skiing is a lovely thing. Been to Austria, Italy, the US and Canada Is my experience of France the norm? Was a total shocker for me. Is this the norm?

[gremlindolphin]

Sorry to hear that op. We went to La Plagne last year and I had the best vegetarian meal I have ever had! It was so good I actually had tears in my eyes, extraordinary! Can't remember the name of the restaurant now. x

[Roussette]

Me and DH went to France ski-ing last winter and had exactly the same experience. Before that we'd done Switzerland and what a contrast! Budget dictated France but I'd rather save up and do Switzerland again.

[Burma]

If you were to try booking an Austrian ski holiday without using UK tour operators how easy would it be does anyone know and where would you start? If you booked directly with a hotel wouldn't it be more expensive than going through a discounted tour operator?

I love Austria and Switzerland, Italy too. France well the ski slopes are great but that's about it

[whois]

If you were to try booking an Austrian ski holiday without using UK tour operators how easy would it be does anyone know and where would you start?

It's pretty easy.

Decide on resort, google hotels and contact the tourism office for hotel information. Choose best airport to fly from. Book flights and either a car hire, train or a transfer depending on choice of resort and airport

May be cheaper than a uk TO or it maybe more expensive. Almost certainly cheaper in a peek weak and probably more expensive (but can be considerable nicer) in an off peak week.

Google is your friend as are ski websites such as snowheads. So much info on there along the lines of where to go and how to DIY a trip.

[Burma]

Thank you whois, I've spent 3 hours this afternoon getting deeper and deeper into the t'interweb and am now on some Austrian sites that compare altitude, ski lift numbers, kms of runs etc so think I will be needing a spreadsheet or some such to make comparisons!

When I think about it, I travel everywhere else in the world independently as hate package holidays but tend to do this for skiing. We never use the rep at the resort and always sort out our own ski's, ski school etc so yes a flight and hotel must be a doddle oh and transport to and from.

Will report back if I ever do do it! May take the DC's out of school as really cannot bear that dreadful half term week (I'm thinking next year now).

[elastamum]

My advice would be avoid half term - go at easter and go high. Tignes, Val Thorens and Val d'isere are all good at easter. You will have better weather, fewer people and its cheaper.

[BadRoly]

We went to Val D'Isere the week before half term with our older 2 and it was lovely and quiet. Catered chalet hotel with Inghams and the food was either ok or good!

Lunchtimes were the only meal we had to provide (except the chalet night off) and we accepted that we'd be paying over the odds but the food was good.

The other people on the chalet recommended Courchevel and Tignes as alternatives to Val D'Isere. They were older than us with grown up children and used to take their dc out of school too.

Sadly it is unlikely we'll go term time again as we're approaching the GCSE years and I know we won't take the dc out in years 10 or 11.

[Eastpoint]

One of the advantages in booking direct with children is that Austrian hotels often have family rooms. We had a suite comprising one shower/bath room with two basins, a separate loo, a bunk room with one set of bunk beds, a double room and a room with a single or double sofa bed. This worked well for us as a family of 5. This was at a hotel offered by Inghams, but they didn't have this accommodation in their brochure. The Austrian hotels seem to be offering an extra meal now as part of their standard rate, a heavy snack from 3pm. This year we were offered goulash, schnitzels, frankfurters, cream cakes, tea, coffee etc so one could skip lunch completely if desired.

[Burma]

Oooh that is interesting Eastpoint a family room would be fab. Can I ask where you went in Austria? That's the next dilemma as would prefer a higher resort to be a bit more snow sure but love the pretty Austrian villages and a fair few intermediate runs.

[CoteDAzur]

Service is atrocious everywhere in France, not just in ski resorts.

Chalets are best. You need a kitchen of your own.

[LittleBonnie]

I also vote for Austria! Fairy-tale scenery, lovely people (who seem to like Brits which is pretty rare), gorgeous food and as for the beer - wooow! Just by flicking through the ski brochures you can tell it is way nicer than French alps.

[Eastpoint]

Obertauern - Kohlmeyer. It's high & about an hour from Salzburg. The hotel has an indoor pool & spa area & is v close to the slopes (about 5 mins walk). Lots of Austrian resorts also do free ski rental for under 10s.

[Eastpoint]

Sorry Kohlmayr - on my phone I can only see the German website but I think it has an English version if you access it from a laptop/PC.

[BikeRunSki]

It's been a while since we could afford to ski anywhere, but in future I'll save for the US rather than Europe.

[BikeRunSki]

this chalet is great, fab food, but they can't do anything about the French queues or crowded mountain restaurants in half term.

[Burma]

Thank you Eastpoint - funnily enough Obertauern is on a list given to me in Canada about 20 years ago by an Austrian man recommending his top half dozen resorts in Austria!

[cluttered]

Another recommendation for Levi in Finland here, we have been in both February half term and Easter and I prefer Easter definitely, the season is until early May so lots of snow at Easter and very sunny also. Only advantage of February is you will definitely see the Northern lights, at Easter it doesn't get really dark until about 2 am. Easter not so cold, just below zero.

Really easy to DIY, we book the flights direct with Finnair, you need to look out for a connecting flight to Kittila from Helsinki so normally only one possibility per day from UK. There is a bus to Levi which meets flights at airport, you don't need to prebook just pay on board and it takes about 15 min! We book a log cottage for a week through Finland Cottages but there are plenty of hotels, some of the cottages come with discounted ski passes. We book any lessons direct throughout the ski school.

I don't think the Finns are on holiday at Easter whereas their schools do have staggered half terms over 3 weeks in February depending upon location so you are quite likely to coincide with one of those. I found it all really quiet and the village is at the bottom of the pistes so not far to go. But yes to the poster above, there are lots of T-bars but it depends upon how good skiers your DC are as there are button lifts in the learner areas and for some blue runs or on the front slopes (red) you can get to the top via chair lift or gondola and ski all the way down. But on the other side of the mountain the majority of blues and reds are Tbars from memory.

It may not be the best resort if you want lots of blacks although there is a very challenging World Cup black that DS1 went down! We are going again this Easter and also having a couple of days at another nearby resort Yllas, I can't wait!!

[Theonlyoneiknow]

trixy we had a bargainous trip to Whistler too , chalet was fab, was way back in 2008 though :-(

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Actually no, was Feb 2009!

[insomniarules]

Levi or Yllas in Funland are great

[Theonlyoneiknow]

What accommodation did you stay in, in Finland?

[insomniarules]

Inghams. Log cabins. It was a catered chalet and a short walk to local hotel for ski bus.

[Tiredemma]

My Inlaws own a house in a French Ski resort- they avoid it like the plague in half term (in fact through Feb as a whole).

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Thanks insomnia, they sound great - can't seem to find them now though :(

[YellowTulips]

Thanks everyone - some really helpful and insightful posts.

Lots of great suggestions I look forward to researching for next year

I know half term is always a difficult time, but it didn't really explain (apart from the queues) the issues I had more widely (food, attitudes etc).

I'm defiantly going to look at Italy and Austria given the feedback - would welcome suggestions on good resorts. The family is "red run" standard and happy to tackle the odd black on a good day, but (especially me - cos I'm lazy) loves a good tootle down the blues. So guess we are looking for a concentration of red/blue runs in a big ski area. All suggestions really welcome. Thank you!