Booking Feb Half term (not an Oligarch)

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Blimey, the cost. I want to rent a chalet for a week not buy one.
The flights from my two nearest airports have gone so will have to trek up to LG/LHR.
Is anyone else forking out?

I know what you mean- believe it or not- its late to be booking now. The flight are only affordable when they first come out but even so, it's all gone up this year.

Last year we flew bristol to grenoble for £150 each... this year it was going to be over £350.
We are driving all the way from cornwall to stansted this year as it will save £1000. We are also going on the Friday (one day off school). Air bnb is surprisingly good for places to stay.

This is what we are doing this year...

3 bed apartment in Sauze d'oulx booked through air bnb- sleeps 6 -£800
5 x easyjet flights to turin on the Friday -£800
Of course there are all the extras as well. And I've just found out the kids lift tickets will be full price in Italy- Grrr.

So worth it!

Last year we stayed at la perle d'oisans in vaujany. Its worth a try- It wasnt too expensive and was lovely. Good luck.

Sadly not.
We did our first family trip last year and even doing a DIY buy your own flights, rent your own car ( fail miserably to get your own snow chains on wheels over snowy overpass), stay in v.basic apartment with one toilet ( no sink) for 3 bedrooms ( we only used 2 but it's the principal of the thing) it was still blinking expensive.

Would still do it again if DH had enjoyed it.

My tip would be that if you look at the ski deals some of them work out around the same price as trying to organise it all yourself as car hire can be expensive at that time of year from ski destinations and hair raising driving in snow, plus lots of French extras with the apartment that I hadn't anticipated like cleaning, sheets and towels.

The prices are horrific. I found a very ordinary chalet in Tignes but with flights. transfers, lift passes etc it came to £9K with 2 teens.

Love Vaujany Flash, it's a real hidden gem.

we loved vaujany too! The perle was brilliant value and the whole place was so quiet at half term. Scuppered by flights this year.
The whole family love skiing so much- we are already excited so its worth it.
I've been trying to persuade a rich banker friend to rent one of those fancy chalets in val d'isere for us all. Funnily enough he hasnt gone for it!

I know it, we stayed in one once (not half term)the downside is you have to ski La Face to get home. Not easy when it was the Down Hill race the the week before I may have gone up & then come straight back down on the chair lift.

We saved it for the last day and then it was closed!- I wasnt that gutted tbh.

Flash have you been to St Anton? I'm thinking of biting the bullet & booking.

Unfortunately, the nearest I've come to st Anton is endless viewings of chalet girl in the week before we go skiing...
I really wanted to go to austria this year but I turned down the oligarch job and became a teacher instead...This half term is the same week as flasching apparently?
I'd say go for it- the memories last forever...

I turned that job down too to work for the NHS.
Blame Bridget Jones for my St Anton idea.

We are going DIY to a small hotel in Italy. Not quite as expensive as France. We are paying just over £2500 for flights and accommodation, 7 nights half board. Pretty good compared to what else is out there!

Italy is SO much cheaper than France or Switzerland for ski hire, lessons, lift passes, food etc. We went to Pila a couple of years ago and stayed in a hotel on the piste (we could ski to our balcony and leave skis on it!) and it cost less than £2k for 3 of us.

And, dare I say it, much friendlier. People working on the lifts and in the cafés and stuff are just nicer than the French!

You've done well massistar! which resort are you going to? It shows it can be done.

I found the problem with some of italy is long transfers. We have a long transfer this end so it puts me off a bit. Also no child/teen discount on lift tickets is just mean!
Looking forward to the pizza and general ambience though.

We're going to Canazei in the Dolomites. Helps that DH is Italian and knows the smaller resorts in the area. It's about a 2.5 hour transfer which is a pain because we've got it this side as well but hey ho!

Dolomiti super ski passes are discounted for children and under 8s are free where we are going.

Pila pretty quick from GVA, you just get a car and drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel and down to Aosta

We did andorra for just over 2.5k for a family of four at Feb half term two years ago. I booked everything separately though. Cheap flights to spain, driving over the border, separate hotel booking (5* half board). It took quite some planning though.

Love this thread title!
Last year ( well, earlier this year in calendar terms...) in Feb half term, similarly wanted to ski, not paying £££
Found a last minute hotel booking in Austria, so not competing with the Parisian half-term in France.
Went to Lech, not the best skiing in the world, but good and had the challenge of the 'WeisseRing' which was good enough for me (intermediate ) and DS (more than intermediate).
We drove, so no flights issue.
Will do same next year- so save dosh...

I would seriously consider somewhere you can self-drive. We did the return journey to saas fee last feb on under £200 in fuel in a diesel estate, around 100 euro each way in tolls on the motorways in france/switzerland and paid for the eurotunnel in tesco vouchers. Including leaving the school gates and hitting the M25 in rush hour, we drove through the night and did door to door in around the 15 hour mark, including the tunnel and a couple of stops. Its pretty easy to go Friday night if you are based in the south and stop somewhere near Troyes in a Formule 1 type hotel if you dont want to do the full drive with kids.

The flights with easyjet for the 4 of us would have been getting on for £1500, the drive was around a quarter of that.