Ski holiday accommodation

Skiing holidays

prices start from: £183

There is unsurprisingly, a vast range of accommodation offered by ski resorts all over the world in which to spend your ski holiday; with different types of accommodation dominant in different countries. There are also some fun and unusual choices to consider.

Of course the actual location of your accommodation – both in terms of the resort you choose and its proximity to ski lifts and other facilities in that resort may be more important to you than where you stay, but nonetheless it is worth being aware of the possibilities.

Apartments

Usually the best value, a self-catering apartment can offer accommodation for anything from 2 to 12 people. Although found all over the ski world, apartments are particularly common in France, where the smallest (sleeping two or three people) are referred to as studios and in the US, where they are known as condominiums or 'condos.'

Many apartments are purpose-built close to the ski slopes so offer maximum convenience. Traditional French apartments in altitude resorts are known for being cramped and for having fairly basic facilities beyond the kitchenette, but in recent decades these have been largely phased out and replaced by superior, more spacious versions with better facilities.

Be wary of what you actually get with your apartments. You may be asked to pay a deposit and you may be asked to queue at some central office to collect sheets and blankets to make up your beds. If your flight is late and that central point is closed, you could spend your first night on sheetless beds!

You may also find you need to purchase items like toilet roll, dishwasher tablets and other essentials at minimarts in resort on arrival. And you may need to clean your apartment before you leave or pay extra to have this done.

But more and more operators now ensure your beds are made up on arrival, you have a welcome pack with essentials and that cleaning is included.

None of these items are likely to be an issue in a US condo where you're more likely to have too much space, too much bedding, and too many TVs and bathrooms!

Best value for money

Generally, the more efficiently you fill the apartment the better value, for example; four people in a four bed apartment means everyone pays the minimum price, five people in a six person apartment usually means everyone pays a small supplement for the non-use of that sixth bed.

Variants on the theme include ApartHotels which are apartment complexes with optional hotel facilities and services. In some more rustic resorts, particularly in Scandinavia, you may be able to rent a log cabin or wooden cottage, which operates in essentially the same way as an apartment, but is a single unit.

Another version, largely restricted to North America, is the incongruously named 'town house' which usually means you are renting a house shaped, multi-storey apartment, probably with an integral garage for your hire car, but essentially operating in the same way as any apartment or condominium.

Chalets

Catered chalets are a largely British phenomenon and are generally run by Brits across the Alps, particularly in Switzerland, Austria and France. Others do exist in North America and Italy however.

Groups of Brits fill a chalet which generally provides a more than full-board experience with three good meals a day, plus high tea when the lifts close and often with local beers and wines included. Staff usually get a day off a week when you will eat out.

The more up-market the chalet, the more generous and luxurious what's on offer, with facilities such as hot tubs, private guiding and in larger facilities private nanny services all available.

Chalets are a great choice for group ski holidays as you holiday together and are well looked after collectively by knowledgeable local staff. You can also join a chalet if you are travelling alone, as a couple or in a small group. The main issue is that you will be with the same fellow guests all week, which in the best case can lead to life long friendships, or in the worst case can get a bit tense if you don't get on! Usually it's somewhere in between.

Club Hotels

Variants on the theme include Chalet Hotels, also known as Club Hotels, which are hotels run in a chalet style.

Catered chalet ski holidays

Hotels

Hotels are available in all skiing nations. They are perhaps least common in France but more are now opening there too. In most cases you have the option of a bed and breakfast stay, half board or full board and there is the full range from no-star to five star deluxe in Switzerland (the highest rating in France is four star).

Luxury resorts like Courchevel and St Moritz offer some of the world's best hotels with superb facilities and service. You can also find hotels with just a dozen rooms, to giant complexes with more than 750 rooms and dozens of restaurants and other facilities under one roof at resorts in Japan.

Fairly basic ski hotels are commonly offered by British tour operators in most mid-range resorts in the Alps and the Pyrenees. However an increasing number of newer luxury establishments with pools and other facilities like nurseries and playrooms as well as good bars and restaurants are also to be found.

Most hotels cater for couples and it may be more difficult to find a family room or a fairly priced room for singles. Traditional hotels may also be less convenient for the slopes.

Hotel prices are typically much higher than apartments in French ski resorts, but in some locations in countries like Austria and Switzerland, resorts and their hotels are actually busier in the summer than the winter, so much of the winter is low season for them with prices reflecting this.

Innsbruck for example has very well priced four star hotels. Resorts in Eastern Europe, particularly Bansko in Bulgaria, also have new, high quality hotels at comparatively low prices.

Variants on the theme include Chalet Hotels and Club Hotels, which are hotels run to a chalet style, and ApartHotels which are apartment complexes with optional hotel facilities and services. Some North American hotels call themselves Inns or Guest Houses

Pensions

Pensions or "bed and breakfast" are particularly common in Austria and to a lesser extent Italy and even North America. Expect a friendly, traditional home, often wooden chalet style, with homely, comfortably rooms and proud owners keen to treat you well, with a hearty breakfast each morning and lots of useful local knowledge.

Pensions are usually a very good value choice with accommodation frequently of a higher standard than other options below the more luxurious level hotel.