Family Chalet

Why is it that the best places are always sold out when you have finally made up your mind! This week, and I know it's a little late to book, we sat down with our children to pick our holiday. At 6 and 7 the idea of a site seeing tour isn't getting their vote and including them now in the selection means it more likely to involve exotic swimming pools that curve for miles, slides, and a tennis court (yes they already enjoy their tennis - children really are growing up fast). So having looked for what seemed a lifetime, great debates, and coming to a consensus (well sort of), we call to book.  But yes you've probably guessed it, their sold out, what about our second choice, no, our third, fourth? I guess you've got the picture, even if as yet we haven't got our holiday!

So having learnt our own lesson, you may wish not to follow our last minute disappointment and start looking for that special family chalet. Otherwise you may just find that you favourite chalet has gone, and if our summer hotel list is anything to go by, there are only so many family chalets someone can take!

Ski Half Term - Why Mum Makes The Booking!

Already Dad will have probably been scouring the websites and the ski magazines to whittle down to the top three selections for the ski half term 2011 holiday. So, mum and the small children will now be faced with the choice of a a week's heli-skiing in Russia, ski touring the Haute Route between Chamonix and Zermatt, or skiing in Alaska!!!

At which point mum will of course take control, finding out about the best family ski resorts, the creche and ski school facilities, how far the chalet is from the slopes, the children's lessons, the facilities the chalet provides, children's menus, children's entertainment, ski school drop-off and collection, and of course just for dad, how many black runs and couloirs there are, even though she's fully aware that he won't ski anything more than the gentle red!

Yes Mother's, as the car industry has discovered sometime ago, you are certainly the main target audience for family focused ski holidays, and more in more as skiing becomes less male dominated, a significant decision maker overall in the ski industry full stop, probably because you choose the resorts that the boys really want to go, rather than the heli-skiing trip they tell their mates they wanted to go on!!

Ski In Ski Out

Well its been far too long since i last blogged due to various reasons but nevertheless here I am again. This 'weeks' blog focuses on ski in ski out and what makes a great family ski holiday as a consequence. Firstly however let me deal with the definition, as some chalets who use the ski in ski out label are found miles from the piste and this in my opinion is just wrong! Ski in ski out to me should mean that it is right next to the piste and that you can ski to a main lift station, ad therefore back again at the end of the day.

So definition out of the way, what makes a ski in ski out properties such great family chalets, if at all? Well I think this question is a simple one, and its total convenience. Yes it is nice to see skiers skiing by your chalet, but the real benefit is taking away the trauma of loading up the gear in to a bus, or walking down difficult paths, only to find as you put your equipment on, Jonny has forgotten a glove or two!