Family Ski Holidays - Family Friendly Ski Resorts

As we know, short legs tire easily - compact family ski resorts where all resort amenities are close at hand, will minimise the walking you need to do and ensure little ones have the energy to enjoy the important part of the holiday - the skiing. If you have beginners/improvers in the family, choosing a family ski resort with gentle runs will be important i.e. a high proportion of blue runs. Whilst the main activity on family ski holidays is of course skiing, choosing a family ski resort with other activities available both indoor (swimming etc) and outdoor (ice-skating, tobogganing etc) is often a wise move, in case you or the children want to take a break from the slopes.

Here are just a few of our recommendations for Family friendly ski resorts:
 

Family Ski Holidays Andorra:

• Arinsal
• Soldeu
   

Family Ski Holidays Austria:

• Ellmau
• Mayrhofen
• Obergurgl
• Niederau
• Scheffau
• Soll
   

Family Ski Holidays Bulgaria:

• Borovets
• Pamporovo

Family Ski Holidays Canada:

• Mt Tremblant
• Lake Louise
   

Family Ski Holidays France:

• Avoriaz
• Courchevel 1650
• Flaine
• La Plagne
• La Tania
• Les Arcs
• Morzine
• La Rosiere
• Valmorel
   

Family Ski Holidays Italy:

• Bardonecchia
• Cervinia
• La Thuile
• Passo Tonale
• Pila
• Selva
• Sauze D'oulx
• Sestriere

Family Ski Holidays Lapland:

• Levi
• Pyha
• Ruka

Family Ski Holidays - Accommodation Options

You may well be having ski school for the kids so accommodation near the nursery slopes/ski school meeting place is a good idea. Also, accommodation near the lift system avoids having to tackle the ski bus or more walking in ski boots. Ski-in, Ski-out accommodation means less walking but these properties tend to book up early and are not surprisingly more expensive than comparable properties further from the slopes.

It's possible, with younger children that you will require child care of some kind so it may be useful to find a hotel which has in-house kids clubs. Our family ski holiday expert advisors will be able to recommend suitable family hotels and advise on any related costs.

Board Basis

You may want the flexibility of cooking in an apartment yourself or the service of a half board hotel. A family friendly ski chalet, which offers more than half board (see http://www.co-operativeski.co.uk/chalets) may be an attractive option as they are usually small residences with a maximum of 20 guests. As the rooms in the chalets are usually on one or two floors, you can put the kids to bed, and relax in the living area for a drink or two, safe in the knowledge that you’re close by.

Family Ski Holidays - Essentials

Airport Transfers

Transfers are usually included in a family ski package. Transfer times can vary greatly from resort to resort but it often takes 2 to 3 hours to drive to the mountain resorts. You will usually get a stop on route so a fairly long transfer will still be comfortable and family-friendly especially if you take reserves of drinks and snacks to last the journey.

Childcare

Most operators have a Kids club and crèche with a variety of cute names. They are usually for 3/4 to 10 year olds and 6 month to 3/4 year olds respectively. In house crèches are hard to come by and should be booked well in advance (we can take care of this part of your family holiday for you). Childcare offered by the operator is either morning, afternoon or full day (including lunch) and the price often varies between high and low season.

In addition, there are ‘Resort kindergartens’. Of course you could always take your own nanny/granny or travel with another family in order to share the burden, we always recommend you take the option that works best for your family. Most operator run clubs will be predominantly English speaking.

Family Skiing in School Holidays

Of course, most families will travel in school holiday time. Not surprisingly, these dates book up earlier than most so booking early is recommended in order to give you a wide choice. Unfortunately, due to demand, the prices are higher in school holidays (especially February Half term) but our sales team will search all the available options to find you the family best ski deal.

Family Skiwear

Setting yourself up with all the necessary ski clothing and equipment can be an expensive business, but we don’t recommend that you skimp on the quality of the clothing you take – particularly gloves, as a cold child is grumpy child Therefore hiring essential items like Jackets, Trousers/Pants, Fleeces and Helmets, even Hats, Goggles, Gloves & Socks can be a good idea, Many people pick up bargains on e-bay for growing kids.

Ski Holiday Discounts for Children

When you share a 3 or 4 bedded room with your children, they will be eligible for a reduction (subject to 2 full paying passengers occupying the room). However, some operators give a small child reduction even if they have their own room or a small reduction for children sharing with 1 adult, again our expert team will advise you on all aspects of your booking, so don't worry if this sounds a little complicated.

Children are usually classed as 2-11 (or 12, depending on the ski operator) year olds in family ski hotels and family ski chalets and 2-15 (or 16) years in apartments. There are sometimes Free Child Places but these need booking early. Our family ski consultants will search for the large family rooms and free places to ensure that you will be offered the best price for your family.

Family Ski Holidays - Exclusive Offers

We have a range of exclusive offers specifically for families - talk to one of the team about the offers that are available on your family ski holiday. In general they are:

• FREE CHILD PLACES : on selected routes and accommodations.
• CHILD CARE: We have reduced priced offers on Child especially if booked early.
• PRE-BOOKABLE SKI PACKS : Children will get a discount on skis and boots.
• FREE LIFT PASS FOR KIDS : Some resorts will give free passes for the youngsters.
• FLEXIBLE FLYING: if you are a group of Families, we can fly you from different UK airports.
• HASSLE FREE BOOKING: We will help you all the way from selecting the holiday to the time you return.