Chalet holidays have been something of a British institution for many years. Few other nationalities even consider booking themselves into a catered chalet, especially with strangers, as may be the case if you don’t rent a full chalet, and yet we Brits have been doing so for more than a century.
And far from tailing off in popularity in the 21st century, chalet holidays have proved ever more popular, particularly since the economic downturn in 2008, after which the fixed price catering model became ever more popular again.
We asked chalet ski holiday expert Richard Sinclair of sno.co.uk to give his top tips for getting the most out of a chalet holiday for the smallest spend:
- Fill the chalet:
Ensure you take every bed in the chalet for maximum value. Work out your chalet party in advance and ensure you take a deposit from everyone who says they’d like to go before you start searching, otherwise you’ll find people drop out when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are. If there is doubt about group size, opt for a “chalet hotel” which allows people to join later (assuming the whole hotel isn’t full).
2. If you must do peak dates, drive:
Much of the hiked-up prices during the school holiday dates are down to the scarcity of flights. It’s not always wise to wait for a late deal on peak dates as they might never come, but, if you can drive and you don’t mind where you stay, there are often some great last-minute ski deals to be had, which include the ferry or Chunnel for your car. On search engines look at chalet prices in school holidays with flights then switch to self-drive and you should see the price plummet. Top tip: sort by “Star Rating” to see the 5 and 4.5 chalets first.
3. Take your own chalet girl/boy:
Self-catering chalets can be unbelievably cheap, so become your own tour operator by taking your own chalet host along for the trip. If anyone in your group knows someone who’s done a season, they’ll be able to easily put together a week’s menu and shopping list. For the price of a spare bed and seat in the car down to the Alps, they can be given a free ski holiday by you guys, in return for doing the cooking. Fill up on food stocks in the cheap French supermarkets en route. Failing that, simply take it in turns to each cater for the rest of the group for one day in the week.
4. Go lux, but low-season.
You can get the lux bargain of the century if your dates are totally flexible. For example, Chalet Marco Polo in Val-d’Isère (pictured) competes among the very finest, and while the price is an eye-watering £5k per person during half-term week (yes, £80k for one week!), arrive a few weeks earlier and you can have the same holiday but for “only” £1k per person at the end of January. That’s very “affordable” by lux chalet standards.
5. Upgrade yourself!
Book a cheap ski chalet but keep the extra budget aside and spend it on your favourite treats. Each party member could have a basket from Fortnums (fortnumandmason.com) delivered before you arrive, for example (they offer European delivery), so you’re stocked up with your favourite lux treats. It’s amazing how high-end your catered chalet experience feels when you breakfast like a king and lunch like a lord!