Ski repost at Xmas

[2kids1Hubby]

We are looking to go to a ski resort for next Xmas

Can anyone recommend any places ? We live in south east right near the tunnel and would like to drive

11 yr old
17 Month old by then

Husband can ski, I can't but I'm not even fussed about skiing to be honest. If he can do off for a little ski in the mornings whilst I have the kids and maybe some activities for them I'm fine with that. Then lessons for the eldest maybe.

Our criteria
Closest drive from Calais possible
( we are def driving don't wanna fly )
Child friendly resort
Nice pool area
Food onsite either all in or can purchase
Definitely not wanting self catering

Plan is to stop over somewhere on way down so not too long in the car

Thanks ! This is all completely new for us and it's over whelming when you look online
X

@ChimneyPot yeah that was I'm now considering.....but hubby still wants to drive to France to ski !!

No it would mean flying like you say but don't wanna rule it out x

He likes the idea of driving...... x

Very sorry if my use of language has irritated or offended you because it really wasn’t my intention.
Funny how MN can get so irritated it's strange. Never got that. 😝

But genuinely I wish you the best of luck finding a trip you all enjoy and hope wherever you go it’s amazing :)

Hmmmm Val D'Isere usually has snow at Xmas but that's a long drive from Calais. The thing is you need to be high up, obviously, for the snow so you need to be in the Mont Blanc range and near the glaciers. Val is lovely for non-skiers as there's lots to do without hitting the slopes.

We live 40 minutes from a ski resort so here are my suggestions/thoughts. Have smoked each season for the past 11 years
Hopefully they help
Ski passes are expensive. If your DH likes to ski then it’s a waste to buy the week pass and then just use it for a few hours in the morning
Put the 11 year old in morning ski school. It breaks for lunch - you all meet for lunch and then 11 yo and DH ski in the afternoon . Or if 11 year has had enough you do something else - walk/swim/tobogganing
There will be very little for 17 month old to do. They can’t ski, they get cold quickly. Would they go to childcare for the mornings? There is usually lots of child care options - from the French crèches to some places that offer a nanny as part of the hotel/shared chalet. I would be looking at child friendly ski holidays and make your choice from that.
Skiing definitely got easier as my DC got older a we started when the youngest was 4. At that age they can learn to ski. By the end of the week they should be able to ski easy blue and green slopes with DH - and you it you decide to learn to ski too.

Skied not smoked!!

@Blondlashes thank you that's helpful
What are we talking for a ski pass? He keeps saying he doesn't mind as he just wants to ski for the time he wants which is the morning so doesn't care about the price if that makes sense ?
We also only looking at 3/4 nights in the ski place
I'm happy not having things to do exactly for a 17m old
Maybe Lapland would be the better option
And I wouldn't want to put her in childcare / nanny she would stay with me
I'm keen on the ski school for her but only for half days - surely they do half days ?
Yeah Where we looked before was 9hrs
It is a long old way

Our idea would be to be away Xmas and then drive back stopping off some places in France on return so make a longer holiday of it

X

This is the link to price up ski pass for Avorriaz for example. It’s a purpose built resort. Has a lovely swimming pool www.skipass-avoriaz.com/en/
It is possible to buy a 5 hour ski pass there. Usually people buy for the entire duration they are there. Also don’t discount queuing to get onto life’s. If your DH is only going to ski mornings it could be a lot of queuing and not much skiing and also confined to a small area due to not being able to ski to far away as he has to get back from his morning ski. Also ski hire is usually per week not hourly. You keep it at your holiday accommodation for the week and then being it back before you leave
Really really not trying to rain on your parade! I promise.

I know thank you it helps as I've never been and can't picture hence why I've asked her so thank you. He's been but im just conscious of what everyone is saying x

i think that sounds like a lovely holiday and one that we have done many times.

If your definitely not going to ski and you have little ones, I personally would not go to a high altitude resort as it could be incredibly cold for non skiers outside. It sounds like you want a lower, more family friendly, relaxed resort. We often ski at a small French resort called Le Grand Bornand. We stay in the top part of the resort which is called Le Chinallion. There is a little town, plenty of restaurants, lovely food shops, a small supermarket and most importantly, nice restaurants on the edge of the slopes, so you could meet the skiers easily for coffee or lunch. It is a very French resort and there are a lot of families (French and English) holidaying in the way you describe. It is 1 hour from Geneva, or about 9 hours from Calais.
We have used Aravis Holidays to book accommodation, they have a mix of chalets and apartments, speak excellent English and understand family holidays. There is also a MGM development of apartments which has an indoor pool. You can either book ski school or private lessons. If you hire skis, boots etc, look at Le Tremplin, ski shop, who have ski lockers, so you don’t need to carry any of your ski stuff in resort. They are at the side of the green (easiest) slope.

There is always a balance to be had with skiing and it is not as simple as one resort is best. It really does depend on what you want from your holiday. Some people want to ski from when the lifts open in the morning, til they close, they are excellent skiers and can ski all the runs in resort. However, if your all beginners/ less confident a smaller resort with less people could suit you better.

Finally, if you do drive, remember that the last bit of the drive is going to be up a mountain road to get to resort, if it’s snowing you may have to stop and put on snow chains. All of that is much easier in the light when your not too tired, so if you can do the outward drive over 2 days it does make sense.

@ChateauMargaux les gets 2019 was great snow (well I couldn't comment on the off piste) and last year was good too. Obviously no-one could travel 2020 so I'm not sure about that.

I've been on ski holidays since my eldest was 6mo. Iam a keen skier but with little ones I don't get much opportunity. I'm with you on not wanting to use childcare options, I'm on holiday to spend time with my family.

A couple of things to mention. December time is cold, short daylight hours, so I prefer taking small kids at Easter. Warmer for little ones to play outside. But christmas in a ski resort can be great.

Avoriaz/Morzine, Grand Bornard/La Clusaz, Les Arcs or a satellite of Tignes are all worth a look. Drivable and fair chance of snow, and pool etc for not skiers.

If you're willing to drive further or fly, take a look at Austria. Serfaus muight suit, with soft play, swimming pool and lots of other things for kids, amazing ski school. Kinderhotels would offer you space but catered food.

Little one will be happy to sledge and play in the snow for a short time, plus swim each day. Otherwise, take plenty of their usual toys.

We prefer SC apartment so we have a living room with lots of space. We then just get take out food. Bakery breakfast delivered to reception, pizza/rotisserie chicken hot lunch or lunch out, then make sandwiches in the evening.

Older child will do great in morning ski lessons. France do offer morning only lessons, although you may find your eldest want to ski in the afternoon too. They'll also enjoy easing sore muscles in the swimming pool in the late afternoon.

@2kids1Hubby some resorts have a whole programme of non skiing Christmas events including craft workshops, films and so on so there are things to do other than ski. You can also get the cable car up to do some sledging. But I would have thought the 11 year old would enjoy ski school?

@2kids1Hubby I should also add

Mind you, a lot of the activities won't be for the 17 mo though. We took my youngest when they were a baby and went with wider family who looked after them in the apartment whilst I skied in the morning then I had the baby in the afternoon. It was lovely spending time playing but we were in a big chalet as in a bigger family group. With a fire and plenty of sofas and floor space for playing. Some apartments are really tiny and if it is just you that could be a bit lonely.

We also had a buggy I could push on snow and a proper winter suit and winter buggy wrap thing and then we were about to take the baby out some afternoons with us all for the older kids to sledge or make snowman etc.

I actually disagree with you floundering.

My ski seasons o worked were in a crèche and we had children from 6 months to 8 years.

We took them out everyday. The older children we took and collected from ski school everyday.

Some children just did mornings with us and afternoons with this parents or just a parent.

So far nobody has mentioned Austria, which I know is a bit further away from Calais/Dunkirk but actually not much further in terms of time, as most of the driving is on autobahns. If the driving is being split over 2 days, then some Austrian resorts are really not much further than many of the French resorts.

Austria has Kinderhotels (children's hotels) with facilities aimed totally at families with children. An example is the Ellmauhof in Hinterglemm, but there are many others that are marketed under the banner of Kinderhotels but which are all individually owned and operated, often by a family. These hotels have a creche, a daily kids' programme, some are actually next to working farms so the kids can go and see the animals and often there is a petting farm with rabbits, cats, goats etc. and there are usually pools, saunas, playrooms etc. Even "normal" hotels are usually very child-friendly.

I'm currently in a resort - there is snow, just as there has been every Christmas for the last 18 years. Austrian resorts are totally different to French ones in terms of altitude and snow-making, and accommodation tends to be in cosy villages in the valley rather than in concrete blocks on the mountain. The resort does half-day tickets as well as pedestrian tickets, so you could ride up the gondola with the little one and meet the others for lunch, and if they went skiing in the afternoon, you could play in the snow, snooze in the sun, admire the spectacular views etc. Hotels or shops have toboggans for rent, so rather than a pram or buggy, parents put the small ones on a toboggan and pull them along the streets (which are mainly car-free here). Ski school is always available in English.

As for the driving - in France or Italy the final part of the drive is likely to be up a winding mountain road, but in most Austrian resorts this is not the case because the accommodation is in the valley in real, working villages, from where the lifts go up to the ski areas on the mountains.

Another vote for Austria here. Absolutely for everything @Havanananana has said.

You have had lots of great input on here. We took our (then) 18month to Samoens in French Alps as they had a community nursery. Our 5yr old had ski lessons booked. It didn’t go to plan as the 18mth got ill (as they do A lot! At that age), so she couldn’t go in the nursery and DH & I had to ski separately whilst our eldest had fab time in lessons. It was at times a miserable hard holiday the toddler was just very hard work, cold quickly outside grumpy in a non-child proof apt. We didn’t attempt to go skiing again until she was 4yrs.
However if you want a catered chalet I have seen Ski Famille operating in the French Alps and they have in house childcare as part of the package and looked well organised.

Forgot to add my 4yr preferred Austrian ski school even if it was a longer day it may just have been luck of draw with instructors and the group but he was an English guy and brilliant with them. In France after a crap year we avoided ESF and did small group or private for less time but more quality lesson. ESF had 12-14 kids in a group snaking down mtn very little “instruction” my 8yr learnt far more with 3x2hr private instructor sessions than a week of ski school at similar price. Then she skied with us in the afternoon.