About ski chaletswhat to expect on your ski vacationsOne thing about ski chalets is that they come in all shapes and sizes. Gaze out over an alpine village at those traditional buildings topped with a layer of snow and you’ll find quite a number run by companies offering chalet holidays.The main things to know about ski chaletsThey're popular with UK skiers so you'll find the vast majority of British companies operate in neighouring France - ski vacation destination choice for many British skiers. They’re often marketed as a ‘home from home’ and have a far more relaxed atmosphere than hotels. You might be staying with a group you already know, or you might meet new people. You’ll have your own room, and do make sure yours has en-suite facilities. There’ll be communal areas for everyone to use such as a dining room and lounge.Two top tips:
If you’ve got young children, think about a family chalet ski holiday with a specialist independent tour operator. Who are chalet hosts?These are the people who’ll look after you on your ski vacations. They might work for a large holiday company, or they might own or rent the property themselves. It’s quite usual for them to live-in. Some of our best ski holidays were spent in a wonderfully rustic converted barn near the French resort of Peisey-Nancroix that the owners had renovated themselves.How many guests will there be?There might be room for anywhere between four to twenty-plus guests. Anything more than that and you’re in the ‘chalet-hotel’ category – a hybrid of the two forms of accommodation.Somewhere that takes around sixteen guests is a good number. That way there should be plenty of people to chat with over dinner. And if conversation lulls, asking your fellow guests how their skiing was that day is guaranteed to get everyone talking. Food a real selling point about ski chaletsFood is a huge attraction, and one that chalet owners promote heavily. On a week-long holiday, the usual arrangement is breakfast every morning plus evening meals on six out of seven of the days. The chalet hosts will have one day off in the middle of the week. On that day you simply visit a local restaurant.Breakfast is informal with plenty of choice from breakfast cereals, bread and jams to a cooked breakfast. Perhaps it could be porridge or bacon and eggs. Or maybe scrambled eggs and smoked salmon – now that’s a good breakfast to set you up for the day ahead. Afternoon tea is usually left ready for you to help yourselves when you return from skiing. There are usually delicious homemade cakes to look forward to, as well as bread and jams. But the main food event of the day is dinner. Typically they’ll be three or four courses with wine. Dinner is the main opportunity of the day to gather around the table and socialise with other guests. You can meet wonderfully interesting people who you probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to speak with had you stayed in a hotel. Do all ski chalets offer the same level of serviceNo, definitely not. As with all services, they’ll be marketed and priced to appeal to different guests with different budgets. Some companies offer two-tiered service with some chalets offering a premium service – for a price, of course.Is there anything else I should know about ski chalets?It is probably true to say that you won’t find two ski chalets to be the same. It is also true to say that you must enjoy other people’s company to get the best from this type of accommodation. But if you’re looking for an informal holiday, this might just be for you.Return from about ski chalets to family skiing accommodation. Return to the family ski vacations home page. |
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Thanks for the great website - very handy. We are planning our first ski trip for us and our 5 kids!Chrisna
Skiing tips for families. Written by an English couple who love to ski and play in the snow with their children.
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