PLease help..so very naive about this whole skiing holiday..where do I begin???

[winniewoo]

OK..here;s the sketch. Myself, DH and 3 DS 8,6,3. Nover been on ski before! Keen to book a holiday but not for a whole week, just perhaps 4 or 5 nights max. Not sure that we want to share a chalet and do the socilising bit..think we will be exhausted so therefore is the answer a chalet sleeping five/six on our own..catered?? or a chalet hotel?
No clue as to what resort country or anything. Def need the whole childcare package. Would be good to have a night or two out without the kids and keen to have a lively place with other things to see and do maybe...sorry for all this but any answers pointing me in right direction would be gratefully received. Thank you.

You'd probably either have to book each element individually ie transport, transfer, accommodation, skischool, hire etc or find a tailor made company who will charge you £££. Kuoni, for one, use scheduled airlines so can be more flexible on length of stay or you could choose a resort and contact the tourist office for availability. It is unlikely to be much cheaper than a week long package atm(due to exchange rates and most accommodation would prefer week long, Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun bookings so charge you similar regardless).

Ski school also tends to run on a 5 or 6-day basis, starting Sunday or Monday, unless you are off peak and can pay by the day if classes not already full or go for private lessons. Your 3yr old probably won't get to ski much if at all so you'd need to factor in childcare, again a little less straightforward but not impossible to sort out locally when you are on your own without a rep.

Thanks Lizs..think that is that decided then..one week it is!! which is fine really. I suppose I had no idea really how easy or difficult things are to book but you have made it clear. thanks. what next? Will I need to put the childcare aspect first, then go by company and then resort etc..
TIA!

good place to start would be to look at the ski holiday reviews on Mumsnet. There are a large number of family friendly ski operators inc. Esprit, Mark Warner, Ski Famille, Ski Beat, Snowline, Powder Byrne, Family Ski, Venture Ski, Premiere Neige, Ski Hillwood , Snow Focus and Ski 2 all offer Chalets or Hotels with childcare for every budget.

If you are all beginners you may wish to go to a resort that have slopes more suited to that and ones that are known as being more family friendly than others. Austria has a reputation for being v. family friendly, and some French resorts i.e. Les Gets but everyone will have their own opinion.

But i think the positives trip reports and reviews from other Mumsnetters are a good place to start.

I was in a similiar position to you picking our first xmas away skiing last yr and I put together a big spreadsheet off all the co's i thought would suit us and narrowed it down from there after I could compare them all.

Thanks Kiwinyc...I will look at reviews and try and suss out...never thought it would be such a huge planning operation!!

Are you in a position to go this Easter school holidays? If you can hang on for a last minute deal you might just get yourself a bargain. Have a look at the Ski Esprit late offers for Mar for example. This article highlights the current situation re last minute bargains this year and the fact there will be less on offer next year www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article5823293.ece

Hi winniewoo.

I have just come back from a week's hol with ski esprit.

We weren't keen on the whole socialising thing either but it's actually really nice having other children around for the DCs and everyone in the chalet was really nice.

If you really don't want to socialise you could try going to a larger chalet hotel instead. As verylapsedrunner has just said, it looks like there are going to be some really good deals shortly. Have a look on some of the websites that have been mentioned. They usually all have a special offer section.

I've just posted a review of La Bracconnier, La Rosiere. It should be in the review section shortly. Think it has to get checked by MNHQ first! It will give you an idea of what to expect from a smaller chalet.

Good luck with your search. Keep posting if you have more questions!

Thank you s and s. Glad you had a great time! Was Esprit generally good for the whole childcare/kids lessons etc..? Will look for your review. Thanks for replying. Tried to persuade my husband to go in Easter but no..got to be next February which I know is ages away but planning seems to be the key!! TA

Just a brief comment winniewoo re timing - if you are going next Feb half term, you will find things busy - probably a lot busier than Easter. This Easter the snow should be good still given the fantastic season we've had, but other than persuading your DH to go then, you also have less time to plan things.

good luck what ever you decide.

I would also recommend looking up snowbizz..we went with them last year and had a great time. They have their own ski school, creche and babysitting options. The accommodation is self catering right next to the lifts, ski school, shops. The resort Puy St Vincent is good for beginners. There are a couple of good restaurants so you can eat out some of the time. Snow bizz offer ski lessons for ages 3 and up and the 3 yr old would be able to spend the afternoon in the creche. Their prices compare well with other companies and the child care is flexible so you don't have to book the creche every afternoon.

I would recommend going for a week as the time goes so quickly...by the time you've made the journey to the alps you want to make the most of it.

if you want to go next season with esprit, for example, in half term - you should try and book early (ie by end Sept) as they give good child discounts - for example we had 2 kids, 1 was free and one was 80% off adults price. That was for their flights, accomodation and food (not lunch) so pretty good - that was in own (interconnecting) room too.
Childcare also will get booked up for half term so worth booking it at same time.

If you can manage to persuade your hubby to go this Easter and want your own catered chalet it's worth checking out Ski Famille website. I have recently returned from one of their holidays (have just posted my commenbts on another thread) and I had such a lovely time I have been checking their website wistfully since returning and noticed they have some whole catered chalets available on discount. Works out really well financially as the nanny comes to your chalet and is included in the price. Plus you could probably just do the 4/5 days instead of the whole week if you wanted as you book your own flights.

As others have said - if you want the whole childcare/ski lessons package for next spring half term then you'll probably need to book early. Next Easter is quite late so most people will probably want to go away halfterm to get the good snow.

You could arrange things yourself - it is qute easy to book lessons/ski hire etc on line but if you've never been before you may find it less stressful to go with a TO - in which case realistically you are going for a week!

Have a read on here about some of the more family oriented TO's and have a look at what they offer and the resorts they go to. Then check out the WTSS website and have a read about the resorts - they will tell you the pros and cons of each area.

If you aren't keen to do the socialising thing then you may find a chalethotel gives you better options - you can socialise (or the kids can) if you want to or just have some time to yourselves.