Just how compatible are children and après-ski? Linda Fox enjoys a surprisingly stress-free family ski holiday in the French resort of Tignes
The nightlife beckoned as we arrived at our hotel in Tignes Val Claret, but reality hit as we carried our sleeping children inside. There would be no break for freedom for us.
Yet there was a glimmer of hope: the Crystal Ski brochure had promised a night’s free babysitting – an opportunity not to be passed up.
As the week got under way we realised there was the potential for more après-ski than previously imagined. Our hotel, the Diva, had a live band every night, which brought its own atmosphere, happy hour with pre-dinner canapés and a nightly themed buffet in the restaurant.
Also included was the chance to give Freddy, six, and Elena, three, a taste of après-ski at the hotel’s second restaurant, Le Chaudron, one night when the main restaurant was closed.
Meanwhile, Crystal has a kids’ club in the hotel with a crèche for kids too young to ski, ski school drop-off and pick-up, after ski school care for older children and a pyjama club until 9pm every night.
The latter meant we could linger over dinner and a glass of wine with other grown-ups while the kids enjoyed games and videos. We also cashed in our one-night’s babysitting to go for a walk about town and to try another local restaurant.
The Diva is a friendly hotel catering for French and English families. It’s in a great location just minutes from some of the main ski lifts leading to a vast area of high-altitude skiing.
There are little things that make the Diva and Tignes Val Claret ideal for families. Hotel staff and the Crystal staff running the kids’ clubs and in-resort rep service were friendly and helpful – they remembered what wine we liked, helped the children find what they liked and helped carry their food.
The hotel ski and boot room is accessible from the side of the building and is right opposite one of the recommended and well-equipped ski hire shops, Deep Snow.
There is a supermarket on the same street as well as a lift to take people up to the main shopping street. Tignes Val Claret is compact, lively and easy to get around, with a handful of sandwich bars near the hotel, as well as self and full-service restaurants on the slopes.
Venture a little further and you’ll find Le Lagon spa and swimming pools, as well as ice-diving, dog-sledding on the frozen lake and ice skating.
All this meant our social life, both day and night, was probably better over the course of the week’s holiday than it usually is at home in London.
Dynamic packaging and ski bookings
The dynamic packaging of ski holidays could benefit from the downturn if experts are to be believed. A skiing holiday tends to be a second holiday and is often viewed as a luxury, so a lot of people will be forced to cross it off their list this year.
That said, with reports of the best snow for decades, accommodation providers, usually loath to step out of seven-night durations, may have to be more flexible this year. On Holiday Group chief executive Steve Endacott is predicting the company will double its ski dynamic package volumes this year.
“The snow is good, demand is weak, lift passes are up 25% and, in a year when demand is weak, you can get the beds,” said Endacott.
He adds that these factors, combined with the Holiday Taxis deal to provide a ski resort shuttle service to easyJet’s passengers, will make it much easier for consumers
to package up their own trips.
Holiday Taxis sales and marketing director Russell Parr is also seeing more flexibility among accommodation providers at the moment.
“Because of the global crisis people are looking for flexible durations so they can still take their ski holiday. Accommodation providers are beginning to recognise that need and it’s a snowball that is going to gather speed,” said Parr.
Sample product
Inghams offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Pension S’Hoamatl in Obergurgl, Austria from £686 per person for departures on April 4. Price includes transfers and flights from Gatwick, Stansted (+£19), Cardiff (+£38), Birmingham (+£39), Manchester (+£40), Newcastle (+£47) or Edinburgh (+£55). (020 8780 4447 or go to inghams.co.uk/agents)
Club Med offers seven nights in a four-star property in La Plagne 2100 from £4,006 for a family of four, departing April 12. The price includes flights, transfers, an inter-connecting Club Room, ski passes, adult lessons, open bar and snacks during the day. (0845 367 6767)
Esprit offers seven nights at the Chalet Hotel Annahof, Saas Fee, Switzerland for a family of four from £2,864 including flights, departing April 12. Prices includes transfers, catered accommodation plus free baby listening/child patrol one night a week and two days’ ski escorting. (01252 618 300 or go to esprit-holidays.co.uk)
Crystal Ski offers seven nights’ half-board at the four-star Hotel Diva in Tignes from £1,948 for a family of four. Price includes flights from Gatwick to Geneva and transfers. Save £50 per adult on departures before April 11 by booking online. (0871 231 2256)
