Skiing

[Woody]

So the wife and I have a week booked off from 22nd Mar to 31st Mar. A skiing holiday is required from the wife, I'm not too fussed (quite liked the sound of Paza's Nurburgring trip!) but looks like we're going skiing for 7 days...

Having seen quite a few of you discussing ski holidays on here previously, I thought you'd be some good people to ask!

We're both intermediate skiers and want something half board but not too expensive. We've only ever skied in Val d'Isere and several resorts in Italy. So I was thinking Tignes would be good as lift pass gets you access to both resorts and is high up so good snow and is a cheaper resort than Val. Plus we both know the runs a bit so that's an added bonus.

Does anyone have any opinions on this? Any other resort recommendations? Any good places/websites to book with? Is it best to book something soon or wait until the week before to keep costs down? I don't normally book holidays, wife's parents usually do it and we go camping in the summer!

So is £300 - £500 unrealistic for a half board ski holiday in the Alps for 7 days?! Any tips/tricks to get it all a bit cheaper?

Thanks

 

[ZermattV]

Hi woody- we tracked our skiing holiday this year we booked four weeks before and it actually went more expensive closer to departure dates . I believe crystal fly from Bristol which might work for you. We went to the Skiwelt Austria this year after 18 years of skiing french resorts on and off.

Tignes is good for snow not my favourite I prefer the 3 Vallees - and it can be reasonable if you go to la tania - although lift pass is expensive this year I believe.

We enjoyed Austria I would say the area we went to is for confirmed red skiers due to there being little or no blue links across the domain. It's also a lot lower so you need to check snow reports.

I have skied at Flaine in france which has a great ski area and was pretty cheap- but is perhaps not the prettiest.

Hope this gives some ideas- I think you'll be looking like around 500 each with ski pass on top- its getting towards european half term .

 

[DR-Z]

Yes, 3 valleys is great, but can be expensive, especially the Russian resort of Courchevel. La Tania is a good location, but not very lively if you do night life.

Flaine great skiing, ugly. Portes du Soleil (Morzine, Avoriaz) can be good, but is a little low down, so not good late season. Should be fine in March.

Sauze d'Oulx in Italy can be cheap, and has interesting skiing.

Vald'Isere is great skiing, but expensive and can be crowded. Personally I'm not too keen on it. Tignes, as you say, can cover some of the same area, but again expensive.

There's loads of snow this season, so wherever you go will be good. I suspect the good snowfall may keep prices high.

£500 half board may be a big ask, unless you go for a last-minute deal. I'm off the first week of March, and have yet to book anything. This is more because my wife can;t make her mind up if she wants to go, though, so I may end up going on my own at this rate!

 

[StevenH72]

Sauze d'Oulx would be a decent suggestion, especially if you get an are ski pass, which would give you access to to Sestriere, Claviere, Montgenevre, and a couple of others I believe.

I went to Alp D'Huez a couple of seasons ago and had a great time and is a relatively cheap resort (I booked with Crystal I think)

 

[Woody]

Guys thanks very much for the suggestions and opinions so far, really great reading.

So I'm thinking now that French Alps will be too expensive, even Tignes. So I've been to Sestriere and Sauze d'oux before and enjoyed it very much. Not as glitzy as Val but still decent.

I've found this deal, what do you think?

http://www.thomsonski.co.uk/search/ac.2

So £439 all inclusive...

 

[DR-Z]

Your link doesn't seem to lead to anything specific. By all inclusive, does it include lift passes? and half board? In which case it's pretty good. I've stayed there a couple of times in the past - which hotel is it?

 

[Woody]

Your link doesn't seem to lead to anything specific. By all inclusive, does it include lift passes? and half board? In which case it's pretty good. I've stayed there a couple of times in the past - which hotel is it?

Oops, sorry the link must've timed out!

I've taken a screen shot:



Doesn't include lift passes or ski hire but free drinks and a packed lunch which would save us spending €30 on the slopes!

I've just spotted this though...

http://www.alpineelements.co.uk/ski-holidays/all-inclusive-ski.html

 

[Woody]

Just as a closure, we booked our ski holiday with Crystal. It's 7 nights at Hotel Miravalle in Sauze d'Oulx which is an all inclusive hotel and ranked #8 of 32 hotels in the resort (on good ole Trip Advisor).

So we get a double room with views, cooked and continental breakfast, a packed lunch to take on the slopes and 3 course dinner. Also we get unlimited drinks, be it hot/cold alcoholic/soft from 4pm-11pm.

Flying from Manchester on Sun 24th (7am flight!) to Turin with transfers (90mins) included. Total price for all of this was £395 in the end, so with ski pass and ski hire came to £612 all in! Hopefully being all inclusive that'll be the total spend apart from a few drinkies on the mountain

So not too bad I think, in the past I've normally spent circa £1k on a ski holiday so this feels a good deal. Could've gone to Bulgaria/Slovenia I suppose but we're going to a resort we know and have really enjoyed in the past so that made our decision really, France was just so much more expensive!

Thanks for your help and advice guys, can't wait now! Hopefully the snow will still be good in 6 weeks, I'm hoping it'll be warmer too considering it's the end of March so that'll be a bonus! Shame about missing the ring trip but I need to keep the wife sweet (I'm sure a lot of us know that feeling!)