Ski holidays

[MollieO]

Having just returned from my first ski holiday as a lone parent I'd welcome some input on ways of improving our experience for next year.

I took my 4 yr old ds on a chalet holiday. He loved the skiing and the childcare and enjoyed playing with the other children but I had very mixed experiences with the other guests. Everyone in the chalet except me was part of a couple and they were very coupley couples iykwim. I ended up having to sit down first at the dinner table so the couples could sit next to each other. The two times I sat down at the same time I was asked to move to accommodate couples who wanted to sit next to each other .

The chalet wasn't large and there were only 11 adults including me but the whole experience left me wondering if there is a better alternative. I chose this type of holiday partly because of the excellent childcare but also because I knew my ds would be sleeping upstairs whilst I was having dinner and could pop downstairs to see me if he woke.

I had hoped that I'd meet people in the chalet to ski with but that didn't happen so I ended up booking group lessons for some social contact.

Has anyone had good experiences of doing a chalet holiday sharing with people they don't know and if so what made the difference?

I am going with Mark Warner as i am on my own with the kids and at least there will be plenty of other kids / adults around to amuse us. I know the resort really well but will probably ski with the guide for company or with my kids who are pretty good. I decided to avoid a chalet for the reasons you give. In a chalet hotel there must be some single parents!! Will let you know what happens

sorry you had such a bad experience MollieO. Cannot believe that couples are so co-dependent that they have to sit next to each other at the dinner table on a ski holiday surely a bit pathetic? (or is that just me as a bitter and single?)

I was considering taking DS who will be four next winter but not so keen if it will be anything like your holiday as that is what much of my social life here is like and I want to get away from that on hols!

There is a website for single parent holidays not sure if they do skiing though?

Perhaps we should set up a "holiday buddies" scheme on here?

curlygal don't be put off by my experience, I do think I was quite unlucky.

My ds is 4.5 and it was his first time skiing. He absolutely loved it so it made all the hassle worthwhile. I had given a lot of thought to the children aspects of the holiday but not really the adults. The last chalet holiday I did was pre-ds and with friends and a ski guiding service, which I realised too late was missing from this holiday.

Hadn't really expected to encounter quite such odd behaviour but certainly 2 out of the 4 couples were less than friendly (9 adults not 11!) and I realised at the end of the week that part of the reason was them wondering at how I could afford the holiday. We discussed what everyone did for a living but they didn't ask me. I think I am pretty sociable but struggled towards the end of the week and was quite glad when it was time to go home. I made friends with people in three other chalets and all of them sounded far more sociable than ours. Our chef also said that there was a bit of an odd atmosphere in our chalet and it did seem to be overly coupley to her (I didn't tell her that I thought the same so it was interesting to know that I wasn't imagining it).

I worry about doing the hotel route as I wouldn't leave my ds in the room whilst I go for dinner. He would almost certainly get up and then lock himself out of the room and probably go for a wander. I know some places do an evening creche but again I wouldn't want ds to have a late night because his mum was having dinner with the grown ups! Normally I wouldn't be concerned about late nights on holiday but he was so exhausted from skiing that I was having to wake him every morning.

elastamum I look forward to hearing how your MW holiday goes.

Will let you know what happens, but a single parents skiing group might be a great idea. Mine are a bit older 7,9, and have skied for years but is is me that will probably feel like a spare part at dinner!

The children got on very well and didn't care what their parents did for a living, how much the holiday cost etc. The only issue we had with the children was on the chef's night off. We ordered pizzas for the children (which of course we had to pay for). I ordered one pizza for my ds but the other couples with older children ordered one pizza for their two children to share. I didn't realise they had done this until the pizzas arrived but thought it a bit odd (they were only ?8 so not overly expensive). My poor ds ate all bar one slice of pizza with the other children moaning to their parents asking why they hadn't had their own one!

I might investigate the idea of single parent skiing holidays. Hadn't really occurred to me as I'm happy to go on holiday with my ds knowing he will usually find other children to play with and I enjoy my own company. I hadn't considered the social aspect for me. I think I am pretty outgoing but I also now think that I might come across as a bit too competent which it seems may have led to a bit of resentment. I've always been a single parent (from when ds was only a few days old) so never had to deal with changing from family holidays to single parent holidays and I've always taken the view that I just have to get on with things as no one is going to do it for me.

Thought I'd do some research on single parent skiing holidays. Have looked at Mango, Small Families and Single Parents On Holiday so far. None of them offer any childcare! Small Families offers 'supervised kiddies playtime each evening' but nothing during the day. Also holidays seem to be limited to Feb half term only and to only one resort per company (although Mango are offering two this year). Looks like I may have to bite the bullet and repeat the type of holiday we have just done. I'm going to try and find a company that offers both chalet holidays with childcare and a ski guiding service as I think having a guide will overcome the problem of not having anyone to ski with.

Why should it be any business of theirs how you afford your holidays - and why didnt they ask you what you do
Shock horror some of us single mums do work (not having a go at those who dont I know how hard it is)...they sound like a bunch of planks!!

Some people do seem to assume that if you are a single parent you must struggle financially.

I get all kinds of (I suppose well meaning) comments. I cope ok finacially as although I do not earn much I manage my money well and own my home and am pretty financially secure. I find it a bit irritating when people are all "poor you" "I suppose that is all y ou can afford" etc etc.

I'm saving for a holiday and I am looking at house swapping one summer. I live in Edinburgh so could try and do it over the Festival. Think that would be a good holiday!

Would like to try a skiing holiday one year, as you say MollieO I enjoy my own company and would happily just go on holiday with DS, less keen to end up in a couple hell chalet but sounds like it was luck of the draw who you ended up with (hmmm sounds like my university halls or my ante natal group all over again knowing my luck - I seem to end up with the least sociable people all the time so just as well I am good on my own!)

MollieO, I had a disasterous skiing holiday last year with my ds who is now 5. I went with 3 couples (2 of them friends of mine one I didn't know). It was awful. They all live in London and I don't so went separately.

We all had separate flats, I assumed (as did one of the couples) we'd cook, go out, ski together etc. But 2 of the couples had already prearranged that they would do everything together without us. It turned out they thought that a group of 6 kids together would be too much.

If they had said this in advance I wouldn't have gone because it meant that nearly every night I was in the flat on my own while my son slept and nobody to talk to - like being at home.

We all had ski lessons in the day including the kids but as the lessons were only 2 and a half hours long I had the rest of the day to entertain my son on my own which I love doing but hadn't imagined doing it on holiday with a group of 'friends'.

The other couple who also hadn't expected this got really stressed and upset by the situation and ended up shouting at them and at me (although I had nothing to do with it)!

The holiday cost a fortune, was difficult to get to and I was made to feel like a bullied schoolgirl and an outsider.

I won't be in touch with the other couple again who made me feel this way.

How awful susia and how utterly selfish of the others. It is hard enough doing all the travelling to get to some of these places without then having some company when you are there and what a shame for your ds not to have the others to play with. Maybe I was luckier than I realise. My ds had a lovely time playing with the other children in the chalet and the creche, I had some 'me' time and got dinner cooked for me and my ds every evening (a real treat ).

My friend, who isn't a LP but is single, is going on a ski holiday where all the other people are singles too (it's not some crazy sex holiday - she's been on these holidays before and met some lovely friends)

I wonder if there is a similar place which organises LPs?

I bet there must be...

I can get the details of who she is travelling with if you'd like?