Brief: A sporty family of four want to go skiing over February half term. They’ve never skied before and want to learn at a ski school.
Budget: £3,000, with as much as possible included in the price.
Verdict: Loughborough agents know their ski holidays, but the winner showed real expertise plus great customer service.
Ilkeston Co-Op Travel
10 Market Place
Score: 54%
When I told the agent I was looking for a ski holiday for four beginners she immediately asked me where I wanted to go. When I asked for her recommendations she told me there were so many resorts that I needed to choose for myself.
She wanted me to take brochures and leave to do more research, but when pressed did price me up a holiday with First Choice in a four-bedded room at Hotel Gran Baita in Sauze d’Oulx, Italy, with a ski pack, for £3,336.
I was given a printed quote but felt she really wasn’t interested.
Midlands Co-Op Travel
72 Market Street
Score: 68%
This agent was quick to identify my needs, checking details and recommending Bulgaria and Andorra for beginners, with the former usually cheaper. She was very friendly and professional, and would have scored higher had technology not let her down.
She could not check the prices with Balkan Holidays as the system was down, but she took my details and sent a detailed email the following morning, including details and prices of four hotels in Bulgaria and three in Andorra, all on a half-board basis including full ski packs, flights from the East Midlands and transfers.
The prices were the most competitive across the four shops, from £1,899 to £2,360.
Thomas Cook
31/32 Cattle Market
Score: 80%
This agent asked plenty of questions, and her responses to ours seemed very knowledgeable. She suggested centrally-located hotels near the slopes and went through brochures from Crystal, Balkan Holidays, Neilson and Inghams, showing me how to use their ski guides.
She used a personal recommendation from a friend to identify a good hotel, but wanted me to browse some more before booking so that I made the correct decision.
She offered to email me a quote for a Neilson holiday to Turin flying from Birmingham, for £3,260. It was waiting for me when I returned home.
Thomson
60 Market Street
Score: 92%
This smiling agent made me feel nothing was too much trouble and that she was delighted to help me.
She made excellent eye contact, asked thorough questions and made notes of my answers, and displayed vast amounts of knowledge on skiing for beginners without referring to brochures. She used a close friend’s holiday to Bulgaria last year to illustrate her points.
She found an exceptionally good-value package with Balkan Holidays staying at the Hotel Perelik in Pamporova and flying from the East Midlands from £2,384, including ski packs. She priced up a similar package with Crystal, which cost £2,752 to stay at the Hotel Amelie in Brides les Bains, France, flying from Manchester to Grenoble.
She covered all my requirements well, pointed out the insurance I would need and advised me that Thomson were ABTA affiliated. She gave me two quotes and three brochures to take away, and made me feel like a valued customer.
Winner: Eleanor O’Connor, Assistant Retail Manager
“I’ve never actually been skiing myself – the closest was a visit to the SnowDome in Tamworth! However I’ve done training in the past, and used my own experiences of travelling with a family coupled with tips from close friends who ski regularly.”
Tips
- First-time families want good nursery slopes and easy longer runs (look for lots of Blue runs), and good childcare facilities and ski schools. Recommend low season (January to March) for less crowded slopes and lower prices.
- Bulgaria’s ski resorts of Bankso, Borovets and Pamporovo are renowned for good value skiing. English is widely spoken, and ski schools have a good reputation.
- Finnish Lapland offers skiing coupled with Santa. Ruka is newly developed, with 31 gentle slopes and lots of other winter activities from reindeer safaris to saunas, plus, Father Christmas’ house is close by.
- In Austria, Seefeld has gentle beginners slopes with no nasty surprises. Serfaus and Fiss in the Tyrol are brilliant for kids; the former’s ‘Kinderschneealm’ is just for children and has its own cable car, restaurant, bouncy castle, igloo, mini skidoo and toboggan run.
- For more details on ski holidays visit Gazetteers.com