Any experienced skier knows that the best way to keep your ski holiday accommodation costs down is to book a self-catering apartment.
So long as there are enough of you to fill – or nearly fill- an apartment the economies of scale kick in and you can end up paying very little indeed per-person, per night for your holiday.
Self-drive down with 4 of you in the car along with all the food and drink you need, or bag some of those very cheap low-season off-peak air fares, and you can start to look at a holiday that can cost a fraction of the price of a conventional ski package holiday.
There are pit falls to avoid however.
The first most common mistake is to book an apartment with the traditional rigid French rules of check-in and check-out. You need to be there during a few hours’ time window on a Saturday afternoon. Arrive too early or too late and you might miss out on key collection.
The second mistake is to book through a large, impersonal and/or non-British-run holiday rental company. Of course this rarely is a problem, usually they deliver a good service, but occasionally you find yourself stranded in resort trying to deal with a company that suddenly isn’t so keen to talk English and answer the phone as they were when you were paying them in advance.
The third is to book a pretty basic, spartan and sometimes down right grim apartment in a big anonymous complex so whilst your holiday may be cheap, it also feels sub-standard so you don’t really get that smug, “I got a bargain” feeling and instead get that worst-of-all-world “I just want this misery to end” feeling.
Fortunately, there is a way to avoid those pit falls and bag a bargain. Quite simply, book your self-catering accommodation through a British-run business who are based in the resort you want to visit.
There aren’t many of these companies but if you know where to look, there are a few, and they tend to score top marks on customer satisfaction reviews.
Not only are they on hand 24-7 in resort to offer every help, assistance or simple bit of local advice you need for every aspect of your ski holiday; and for that matter to answer queries and pre-book services before you arrive, they also have a wealth of local knowledge that no travel agent or ski company call centre staff can match.
Best of all, all this dedication to help and support you as much or as little as you need doesn’t cost any more than the low costs they charge to rent you your self-catering accommodation.
The French resorts of Les Gets is one of the best in the Alps. Part of the huge Portes du Soleil ski region which links a dozen ski resorts with some 650km of runs on each side of the French-Swiss border it’s also one of the closest resorts to Geneva, for those arriving by plane, and to the Chunnel for those driving south. It’s also a village with a great ambience, strong community spirit. Excellent off—slope and apres ski facilities and a particularly strong reputation for its family friendliness.
Chalets1066 have been based in Les Gets for almost a decade and the British family who run the business and now live year-round in the resort have gradually got to know everyone and everything in the village.
They keep expanding their portfolio of accommodation on offer which includes affordable self-catered apartments and chalets, the latter sleeping anywhere from six to 14 people and with prices as low as 115 Euros per person per week based on full-occupancy (but without needing to make up the sofa beds) in low season.
Unlike the picture many of us have of the cramped French concrete apartment complex, most of their chalets are just that, beautiful, traditional chalets, well located for easy access to the slopes and boasting much better facilities than your usual apartment.
Chalet Intime for example is a very large 6 bedroom chalet, comfortably within 200 metres of the Les Perriers and La Turche ski lift and a similar distance from the village. Costing from €1400 a week to rent in its entirety it provides great value for those on a budget seeking to be within walking distance of the lifts.
Or Chalet Raccard, with 4 Bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, sleeping up to 10-12, has a large kitchen, and offers stunning views. There’s free WI-FI, a games room, TV with Freeview/DVD/Video and a wood burning stove. It’s 3 to 4 minutes walk to the free ski bus stop in your ski boots and you can even bring your pets. Price from €1450 per week for the whole place (€145 per person per week).
Or for real convenience for smaller groups, Marais, a 2 bedroom maisonette in the centre of village and very close to ski lifts, shops, bars and restaurants sleeps six (and can in fact sleep up to 8 with bed settee in the living room) costs from €750 a week for the whole place, so less than 100€ a week per person low season if filled.
All this with the full back up and support of Chalet 1066 before, during and if required after your stay. It’s definitely the smarty way to book high quality, low cost accommodation in the alps with maximum security on top.
Current availability and pricing is available via: https://www.chalets1066.com/index.php
