What is a chalet holiday?

Last Updated 9th January 2020 at 11:26 am

With so many return guests and 30 years of providing chalet holidays, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the chalet holiday concept is new to some families.

The key thing about a chalet holiday, as opposed to a hotel, is that the environment is a relaxed one. If you want to sit and have your afternoon tea and cake on the sofa in slightly damp salopettes and a clashing polo neck you should feel comfortable doing just that!

Travel writer Mark Hodson summed the idea up well in a piece in The Times a few years ago:

“Chalets provide a comfortable, self-contained environment, friendly hosts and a house-party atmosphere. There are fridges and microwaves for midnight milk runs and you can put the kids to bed or let them watch DVDs while you sit down to dinner … standards have improved enormously: no more spag bol knocked up by gap year sloanes. Now you can expect three-course gourmet dinners prepared by trained chefs”

The emphasis is on creating a relaxing atmosphere in what is your home for the week. A few years ago I had to sell the concept to my wife as, despite my long involvement in the ski industry, she had never had a week staying in a ski chalet. It’s fair to say that she didn’t immediately warm to the idea of a domestic environment where there were staff running about.

When I explained that those staff were a professional bunch who ensured that we were all watered and fed and cleaned up after us all week the penny dropped. This was to be a holiday completely free of all domestic chores. To quote a guest staying in our chalets a few seasons ago

“Fantastic holiday, had so many “my life is perfect” moments that it became a family joke!! Really enjoyed having no “mummy responsible chores” i.e. meals, tidying, organising kids etc … Didn’t need to lift a finger all week. FANTASTIC!!”

… and that’s the whole point!

When looking at family ski chalets there is often the misconception that you have to book the whole property out. This is not the case. Around 50% of Ski Famille bookings are parties who take over a chalet, but the remainder are individual families who book the rooms they need and will then share the chalet with other families in a similar situation.

As all of our guests are families and we are happy to try and match you up with people with similarly aged children, most groups find they have a lot in common and quickly get on. In fact we have a number of families who have met on a chalet holiday one year and book together to return again the following winter.

If you need more information on how a chalet might work for your family skiing holiday do give the Ski Famille team a shout on 01252 365 495.

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