Everybody will tell you that skiing holidays are expensive. It needn’t be at all and there are many ways to get excellent value for money and enjoy a first class skiing holiday in good accommodation.

Driving yourself (from the UK), and booking a self-catering apartment in the French Alps is straightforward. There are apartment buildings in every French ski resort offering comfortable and practical accommodation at a reasonable price.  The style and quality of these apartments has improved dramatically over the years. Here are some of the best:

The Radisson SAS, Arc 1950, Paradiski Paradiski is a new jumbo-sized ski area created by joining together two smaller resorts, La Plagne and Les Arcs. ARC 1950 is an entirely pedestrian resort,  built by Canadian developer Intrawest and offers high-quality skiing and accommodation. The apartments are cosy, using lots of wood and warm colours and there are plenty of ski-runs, bars and restaurants within easy reach.  A word of advice, prices in some of the shops can be steep so stock up on your essentials, and hire your skis in the neighbouring valley town of Bourg St Maurice.

If you decide to travel to Bourg St Maurice by train,  Eurostar run a service that departs from London Waterloo and Ashford International between November to April. Eurostar Bourg St Maurice ski trains depart on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. ARC 1950 resort is approximately 20 minutes coach transfer from Bourg St Maurice and offers an unlimited range of winter and summer activities which make the resort a great all year round destination.

Erna Low arrange self-catering holidays to Arc 1950, from £160 pp (based on six-sharing) not including Channel crossing. Telephone: 0870 750 6820.

Chalets Les Montagnettes, Courchevel 1650 -  The ski chalets in Courchevel 1650 offer good value for money and provide a quieter option for holidaymakers who wish to avoid the large crowds. Covering a range of budgets from cheap to deluxe, this is one of the best places in the Alps to learn to ski. It is a quiet satellite of the main resort and home not just to gentle, confidence-boosting pistes but an award winning British ski-school New Generation - Telephone 0844 484 3663.

The chalets Les Montagnettes make an ideal base.  Although the development is about 500m from the lifts and shops, you get the benefit of a more secluded location, good accommodation, decked in traditional Savoyard style and boasting open fires in every apartment.  There is also a catering service for those who also want a holiday away from the kitchen! Ski Independence offer good value breaks from £170 pp Telephone: 0845 310 3030

La Cascade, Vaujany offers visitors first-class skiing, swimming, skating and trekking facilities amongst an unspoilt environment in beautiful mountain landscapes. Its rare to find a ski resort with a village atmosphere but Vaujany definately has it!  Linked to the extensive slopes of Alpe d’Huez by its own private cable car, here you can get the convenience of a large ski resort with much less of the hassle. The self-catering apartments here are excellent value for money and every apartment in this building has a south-facing balcony. 

La Ferme du Val Claret, Tignes - opened in 2006, it has a perfect location right in the centre of Tignes. Predominately built of wood these apartments are located at the foot of the ski slopes close to the shops and the Rondpoint des Pistes. Tignes shares its lift system with Val d’Isere and is home to the better intermediate and beginner pistes.  Holding on to its snow far longer that the lower resorts, it is one of the safest bets in the Apls.  Apartment facilities here include a lounge with open fireplace, ski lockers, bakery delivery service, use of hotel indoor heated swimming pool, sauna, hammam and fitness centre.  Booking available through Leisure Direction  Tel:0871 423 8955

Les Chalets du Gype, St Martin de Belleville offer beautiful new accommodation ideally located next to the slopes providing ski-in ski-out accommodation whilst the village centre with all the resort amenities is only a few minutes walk away. Linked into the very popular Three Valleys, the thirty new apartments are spacious and well-appointed have the added benefit of an indoor heated swimming pool and fitness centre with its saunas, spa, Turkish baths, massages and aerobic classes. There are some great cruising runs down into the village and rapid access to the Three Valleys ski area via a new cable car. In the resort, plenty of shops provide all the essential products and services.  Available through CGH 

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 14th, 2007 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Ski Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.