A senior manager at one of the UK’s leading ski holiday travel agencies is advising that there are currently good deals on December and Christmas week holidays, but warns that it won’t last long and that deals will be harder to find after the clocks go back at the end of the month.
“Now is the time to book a ski trip departing in December. Offers and availability are good, but things will change after the ski shows and once the clocks go back and the season turns, when choice will become more limited. Now is a great time to secure a catered chalet holiday for example, to take advantage of generous lift pass offers, and there are even some great deals for the family at Christmas,” said Philip Wright, Head of Sales and Service at Iglu Ski, pictured below.
Richard Sinclair of ski travel agency SNO.co.uk notes that another thing that will lead to deals disappearing is the first big dump in the Alps, which is currently looking more promising with forecasters expecting temperatures to drop imminently.
“With some resorts seeing late snow last year, many families have moved their school-holiday ski trip to half-term and Easter. Therefore, book a Christmas ski holiday now as prices will rebound as soon as the big snowfalls come. However pick a high resort like Val d’Isère, St. Anton or Zermatt, to be certain of great snow conditions,” advises Richard.
© TVB St. Anton am Arlberg
Meanwhile chalet holiday company Ski Beat argue that a week in the Alps could actually cost less than some estimates of the cost of Christmas at home, plus you get all the trimmings, someone else doing the cooking and cleaning up and a white Christmas.
The company’s Laura Hazell (below) says “A 7 night fully catered, ski chalet holiday costs around £180 / day over the Christmas week, including six, three course evening meals, with free-flowing wine, a four course Christmas dinner, cooked or continental breakfast each morning, and someone to cook, clean and cater, put up the tree, provide the crackers, and clear it all away again. Also included, are return flights from Gatwick or Manchester, airport to resort transfers, seven nights in a warm and cosy, traditional Alpine chalet, cooked breakfasts and home-made cakes with afternoon tea each day, which all add up to excellent value.”
Christmas Deals:
Departing on 23rd December, Ski Beat (01273 855100) has a week’s ski chalet holiday in the high altitude resort of La Rosiere 1850 for £1276pp from Gatwick (£1286 from Manchester) including cosy, homely accommodation in Chalet Papillon, 50m from the slopes, with private en-suite rooms, and spacious shared living areas, with a log burner and snowy mountain views. The price includes cooked and continental breakfasts, three course evening meals with wine (and festive Christmas Day dinner), home cooked cakes with afternoon tea, return flights from Gatwick and Manchester, and airport to resort transfers.
Or enjoy a convivial family Christmas in the pretty and welcoming St. Johann in Tirol. Iglu Ski offer 7 nights at the 3* Hotel Fischer, St. Johann in Tirol, Austria, from £746 per person, was £1,185, based on two sharing, on half board, flying from London Gatwick or Birmingham (Manchester + £7; Bristol +£84, East Midlands +£12) on December 23, 2023 and including transfers. The same holiday is available on January 6, 2024 from Glasgow -£47. Austrian Christmas
Or Pierre & Vacances (0870 0267 145) Premium Residence L’Hévana, located near the centre of Méribel in the French Alps, is set amongst pine trees and within easy access of the ski slopes. Blending Alpine tradition with modern comfort, the property features 95 apartments, each with two to four rooms with state-of-the-art facilities and stylish fixtures and fittings. Every accommodation has its own large wooden balcony, and the 17 bigger apartments also feature their own fireplace and sauna. In addition, the residence benefits from an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, and a contemporary well-being area. At the centre of the property is the Deep Nature® spa, where guests can relax and unwind after a day on the slopes. A seven-night self-catered stay at the Premium residence L’Hévana, in a one-bedroom apartment sleeping up to four, arriving 23 December 2023, is priced from £3,384 total / £846 pp (was £4,230 total – saving 20%).
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