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Ski and snowboarding

For ski chat, join the Mumsnet Ski forum. Check out our guide to the best resorts in Europe and our family ski holiday packing list.

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Original poster

Family Ski holiday

24 replies

littledawley · 20/11/2009 14:55

I would like find a ski holiday for Jan '11 (doesn't that sound really in 'the future'???) I think that I started in the wrong place as someone recommended Scott Dunn - chalets look amazing but they have no availability in the school holidays and my quote was £16,000!!

Have just spoken to a lovely lady at Ski Famille which looks really good. I just wondered if anyone had any experience of them (I know that the owner pops up now and then!) or if there is any other company I should be considering.

I love the idea of the children being based in the chalet all day and we would like really great food and wine, not too far to transfer from the airport.

I've never been skiing before so it's like a whole new world!!

OP posts:

Original poster

littledawley · 20/11/2009 19:21

bumping for the evening

OP posts:

Original poster

littledawley · 20/11/2009 20:07

anyone??

OP posts:

Nettee · 20/11/2009 22:09

no availability in the school holidays for January 2011? really?

For 2011 I am fancying venture ski in sainte foy but they have a kids club/creche rather than a private nanny system and still not the cheapest.

Snowline/vip ski do in house nannies but are also quite expensive.

Crystal do it in certain resorts if you book the whole chalet and they are better value.

Other Mumsnet favourites to consider are snow focus, esprit, family ski, le ski, snowbizz (self catering though), ski magic and mark warner.

andiem · 20/11/2009 22:32

personally I wouldn't go with ski famille we had a very poor experience with them but we have been with mark warner and esprit and I would recommend both of them

BaconWheatCrunchies · 21/11/2009 07:41

Have just booked with Ski Famille, hopefully it will be ok. Others that my MIL looked into were Ski Beat and the Family Ski company. Both have childcare in a chalet, but you can book into that chalet. We did Courchevel 1850 with Crystal Finest this year, creche in the basement, worked well, chalet hosts not really worth the money, classic gap year students.

I feel the costs are comparable, they just charge you in different ways.

Original poster

littledawley · 21/11/2009 14:30

Thanks so much for the replies - am going to get brochures from all of the companies mentioned.
Andiem - can I ask what the problems were?
Bacon - what do you mean by chalet hosts? As I mentioned I am a ski virgin so sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. Ski Famille has a chef, is that the same.

Of all the holidays mentioned, are they all in chalets? We are going with another family and really don't want to be in a hotel.

Thanks again x

OP posts:

Nettee · 21/11/2009 16:39

Bit of a mixture of chalets and chalet/club hotels which are run like a chalet but are much bigger sleeping 20 - 200 people. Mark Warner has chalet hotel type places. If you want exclusive occupancy of a chalet with you and the other family with childcare in the chalet then I think you would be doing well to beat ski famille - having looked at their web site. Generally they have a creche either in the chalet hotel or in one of a group of smaller chalets

premiere neige might also be worth a look and snowline as I mentioned before.

The Chalet hosts are the people who make your bed, clean the chalet and cook your food. In a little chalet there would just be one and in a bigger operation there are loads of them. Most of these companies hire young british people to do this and it is a bit of pot luck how good/committed they are.

MelonCauli · 21/11/2009 16:53

We went with Family Ski to Ardent (Chalet La Grange)last January and we are also going there this coming January.

The childcare was very good, the food and wine were also above what we were expecting.

The skiing is also good for beginners and intermediates/advanced.

We took the kids to ski school and then they were taken to one chalet for lunch. They were outside sledging most afternoons and the older ones were taken skiing again for a couple of afternoons. It was quite flexible though. They took them ice skating too. The other kids in our chalet were about the same age as ours and they all got on well.

Original poster

littledawley · 21/11/2009 18:30

Nettee - you sound like an expert!! How old are your children? I think that my feeling is that a chalet is best for us at the moment as all of the children will be 6 and under. A hotel might be better when they are older and can stay up at night.
Melon - have ordered the Family Ski brochure so will check that one out. Good to know there is a range of skiing as two of us have never done it before and two are really quite good.

I want to go this season now!!!

OP posts:

andiem · 21/11/2009 19:53

little dawley the problems we had were:
our flight was delayed and when we arrived at the airport the staff were very rude and basically said you have held everyone else up get on the bus now. We had lost some of our luggage and they would not wait for my dh to fill in the form (he was still in the baggage hall) and I had to go on the coach with ds1 on my own and he arrived later. Luckily we had mobiles as I was able to ring him and tell him that was what was going to happen other wise he would have come out and found us gone with the coach! staff very rude and unfriendly
when we got to the chalet the host was doing a course all week so we had a nanny cooking and frankly some of the food was inedible. I expect at least to be able to eat the food
The childcare was a bit meh. Things like asking for money for things giving the nannies 20 euros and then when you ask for the change from a 6 euro trip them looking at you askance. The nanny forgetting ds ski record so not being able to get his badge from ski school at the end of the week until you ask for it 3 times and it emerges crumpled from a pocket
overall pretty poor hence we have never gone with them again!
But I have friends who have gone with them 3 times and had a good experience so I think we were probably unlucky
We prefer a chalethotel as well as we like our own bathroom and prefer not to share with the chalet host
esprit have some small chalets as well as larger chalet hotels mark warner are all chalet hotels

Nettee · 21/11/2009 20:04

I am not really an expert - I am just an avid searcher for the perfect family skiing holiday. In fact since my two have come along we have only been skiing twice, both times with crystal to clubhotels. The first time we went they were 3 and 6 months and last year 4 and 18 months. We were quite nervous about he idea of a creche before we went but couldn't organise a chalet party. Our two have been fine with it though and we have enjoyed the social side of that set up. We put the children to bed at night and have a baby monitor but I can see that that side of things would be much easier in a chalet.

WibblingDad · 01/12/2009 10:01

andiem, yours does sound like a bad but exceptional experience and I'm guessing (hoping?) it was a few years ago now. We're not without our faults, but feedback from the last few seasons does show we're getting very close a lot of the time.

If you think there could be a way I could tempt you back to try again do give me (Chris) a shout on the usual Ski Famille number.

Mummyinthedark · 02/12/2009 11:20

Just chipping in on Venture Ski - it IS a private nanny service, very similar to what we've had in the past on two Scott Dunn holidays. We're going with them on 20 Dec!

mumoftoomany · 02/12/2009 14:03

Have a look at Kinderhotels. We've stayed with several of them before, both for skiing and in the summer and have had a fab time. Great childcare (with children being taken to local ski school and returned back to hotel), kids club, great food and a lovely spa/pool area.

I've always found them much better value too, especially if you book your flight and hotel separately and directly.

BeachMum3 · 02/12/2009 22:45

We stayed with Family Ski in Ardent last January and are going again this year (but haven't managed to meet up with MelonCauli yet!).

We had a great time with them, the kids loved the creche and kids clubs and the chalet, food, wine & staff were all excellent.

The good thing about Family Ski is that the creche is in a separate chalet so on the afternoon that we decided to come back for a rest (with our 4 year old) our littlest one wasn't there to see us. Also the bigger ones were in a different chalet so we weren't disturbed - I guess you don't get this with a chalet creche??

Also if you've never been skiing the Portes du Soliel (Ardent) is great - loads of nice blue runs to get you stated, but also some harder stuff for your more experienced friends.

BaconWheatCrunchies · 12/12/2009 07:26

WibblingDad maybe a large discount will tempt andiem back?

LovelyDear · 12/12/2009 23:09

we've been with ski famille 3 times (kids were 3-5 and 7-9, and they couldn't be better. totally gorgeous chalets, lovely nannies and drivers, if you get the brilliant cook who's name i've forgotten you are in for a treat. they got more expensive this year, so we've moved on, but only to save money. we can't justify using the child care anymore.

LP80 · 21/12/2009 15:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

HolidayMummy · 21/12/2009 18:31

Sorry, will try again. How about trying one of the following:

Auberge sur la Montagne, La Thuile - this is a catered chalet hotel with 8 rooms, hot tub, sauna, bar and a nanny!

Apartment French Alps, Samoens - 2 bed apartment that is good value. Samoens is great as it is only 1 hour from Geneva airport and is a really family-friendly resort with kids clubs/creche etc.

La Source, Samoens - catered eco-lodge with hot tub and yoga!

Cosy Ski Chalets, Verchaix, Samoens, French Alps - 4 bedrooms, option for either catered chalet or self-catering and they do babysitting.

Hope this helps all you budding skiers out there. Lucilla

alypaly · 23/12/2009 01:47

SquashDad · 23/12/2009 13:53

Have not experienced Ski Famile, but went last January with Family Ski to Ardent and had the most memorable family holiday ever, and could not fault any element, Children 7, 4 and 1 at the time all thouroughly enjoyed and we are getting very excited about our return trip in a couple of weeks

RainRainGoAway · 23/12/2009 13:58

Don't know about ski famille, but have been with Esprit a few times and would be happy to tell you which resorts I found they did the best.

snowmummy · 23/12/2009 14:35

You might like to take a look at Snowbizz. We've booked with them for January and I'm hoping it will be fantastic

alypaly · 23/12/2009 17:39

ski france to la plagne is brilliant and you could think of taking a nannie with you.How old are your children.We took one when the children were little.Cheper than the creches and obviuosly more reliable. They were a catered chalet ,right on the slope...ski in and out of locker room. food was good,free wine all evening and the chef even left us food on his day off. his afternoon cakes were fab too. i am quite critical of food,but our chef was brilliant and catered with different food for the children when we asked. his herb omelettes in the morning were to die for.

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