Last minute family ski holiday

boomdocker

Maybe i'm looking for the impossible...

I'm looking to get away to somewhere at the mid term, weekend 14th Feb for a week or so(2 adults + 4 kids). We are all beginners - the kids haven't been skiing before.

Problem is most places are booked up or flights are expensive.

Don't mind doing self catering if neccessary

Any suggestions??

flikflak

I think you may be right about it being mission impossible!

then again.................

Just searched on homelidays.com and there are more than 9 pages of available properties sleeping 6+ for the week you want in the Haute Savoie area of France.

Get a flight to Geneva or Grenoble if you can or maybe try Turin (approx 3 hour drive). Hire a car and you are sorted.

Flight with Ryanair to Grenoble leaving Dublin at 17.15 on the 14th and then returning on the 21st is €115.54 including airport check in and one bag but excluding c/card charges per person.

If you dont fancy France then check out Austria/Italy/Andorra on that website for accomm. Then check if you can get flights.

gaffmaster

Unfortunately the dates your kids are off school are the dates that all kids are off school. including the UK. This means that the resorts put up their prices, and it's usually a busy week.

If you can afford to take your kids out of school for a week, you could get a cheaper deal either the week after or the week before the mid term break.

olaola

I find the thing to do first is pick a resort and then start looking for bargains... or else you'll just start pulling your hair out!!

Maybe ring/email a travel agent and let them do the hard work?

moorele

If you dont want the hassle of trying to organise it all yourself i just did a quick search on directski.com & they have a good bit of availabilty... There's a mix of hotels & self catering & a good choice of places too - Andorra, Italy, France, Austria. I travelled to Andorra with them last year & I'm going again Feb 1st. They were absolutely brilliant so i'd have no probs recommending them! Andorra is also a great place for beginners! Again i would highly recommend... we're heading back to Soldeu again in Feb!

keezer

We are just back from our 1st one in samoens and it was brill all we had to do was book the flights the lads at coveyski.com orgainesd the rest

EileenG

I'd get onto the websites and see if you can find cheap flights to anywhere within a couple of hours of the Alps. Paris is a possibility too, as you can get high speed trains to ski towns. Then look for accommodation. If you get anywhere near Les Arcs, then Hotel Malgovert in Seez usually has room and doesn't cost a fortune, There's a free ski shuttle takes you directly to the Les Arcs funi, and Les Arcs is great for children and learning to ski.

Also worth checking out the youth hostels (www.fuaj.org) and ethic etapes (www.ethic-etapes.com) as they do family rooms and full board and will organise your lift pass and ski hire etc.

lazyboypops

How about skiing in the Czech Republic. Its cheap, great for beginners and convenient to Prague or Wroclaw in Poland. Have a look at www.skicernydul.com for more info. Iv'e been there a few times and it was great for the kids, lots of easy slopes and no big crowds anywhere. Ryanair fle to both Wroclaw and Prague and Aerlingus fly to Prague.