[Closed] Budget ideas as I a don't know where to start...Ski Holiday content!

Dunno if this is much help, but last time I went it cost me and a couple of mates £600 each for a week in France and we didn't feel we could have done it much cheaper. That was with a pretty good deal on flights, accommodation, gear hire, and lift pass for Meribel. We stayed in self-catering in the valley rather than the resort, cooked nearly all our meals and had a few beers in the evenings. Oh, and a hire car to get there. That's without lessons too.

I'm just about to head off to Saariselka in Finland.

It's pretty cheap (<£400 for a week of 1/2 board in a hotel pp) but we booked late and that doesn't include any kit hire. Saariselka is not like France for skiing. The slopes are pretty mild (ideal for beginners) and it gets cold - down to -35 Celsius but it is 250km approx' inside the Arctic circle.

There are also lot's of other things to do; dog sled rides, Reindeer sledge rides and Snowmobiling as well as skiing and snowboarding.

When my sister in law leart to ski her requirements were:
Ski in, ski out - When you're tired at the end of the day you don't want to have to get onto a crowd bus or walk for 20 mins
Be "pretty" - because it makes a difference to overall impressions
Blue/green slopes that are low - For some reason she got spooked on runs higher in the mountain even though she skied harder ones int he valley
Nice bars and restaurants just off the piste - A break for a vin chaud or a hot choc is always nice
Good food and wine in the evening - There is nothing better after a tiring day on the slopes than a vat of tartiflette and a bottle of red.
Take this info to snowheads.com and see what they suggest. We liked Ruka in Finland as a beginners destination but it was very cold. It also felt like a winter holiday with skiing rather than a full blown ski holiday which may well appeal.

Take a look at Austria, it is generally cheaper than France and very pretty. Oh, and avoid Bulgaria, it's a horrible place to ski for anyone even though it is very cheap.

Grandvalira (Soldeu, El-Tarter, Pas Del La Casa, Canillo) Andorra is cheap and has good faclities for learners, however it is suffering this year from lack of snow. No queues really even at half term, you should be looking at £500 - £600 per week per person 4* HB with ski passes, ski hire, flights and transfers.

But Andorra does suffer from Ski snobbery i'm afarid!

And in more useful information, those prices are very optimistic for half term. A more useful suggestion would be to have a look here

http://folgarida.co.uk/

I can recommend the place as a good resort for beginners - a bit of everything, and it's in Italy so the food will be great. You can of course get cheaper, but half term is the killer

Look here as an example: -

[url= http://www.directski.com/ski/andorra/soldeu_and_el_tarter/hotel_euro_esqui?data_filter_airport=LGW&select_week=12_12U&data_filter_travcount=4 ]Andorra 4*[/url]

I phoned up to discuss further discounts for the Christmas / New Year week and had the all inclusive pack thrown in for free 🙂

[url= http://www.snowheads.co.uk/ ]Snowheads[/url]

Have had 4 holidays in last four years to Flaine in France , stayed at residence de foret apartments flaine (100 mtr to ski), and terrasses de veret( 50 mtrs to ski)last year and again this year, always go at easter so cost will be similar, always used crystal, know its not the cheapest but its always been silky smooth which is a must for a family holiday, residence has bigger rooms, terrasses has swimming pool and outdoor jacuzzi, i always base it on £750 per person self catering ,ski hire and lessons , eat out every night and most lunches spend about £250 per person.Our party of 16 ranges from 4 to 50 yrs and everyone loves it.Good luck with whatever you choose, but i`ll guarantee its the start of many!!!