Morzine at 1/2 term?

Hi Frostbite,

Morzine is pretty busy at half-term, but nowhere near as bad as many French resorts. Because half of the Morzine clientelle go up to Avoriaz via the cable-car in the village, this leaves the Morzine/Les Gets side reasonably quiet. We ski Les Gets most half term weeks and rarely queue. Snow has always been good in February. So if you can still get a deal, either places would be excellent for a mixed family group.

If you want to go cheap at half-term, do the following.

1. Drive. Use Tesco vouchers to go under the Tunnel (free!). Petrol and tolls will be about £300.
2. Rent an apartment. You should get one for £600-£900.
3. Don't go for a big ski area - Les Gets/Morzine was about £450 for the family booking on-line this year. The Notre-Dame/Praz sur Arly area is cheap too and is lovely.
4. Take your own food. Ready prepared meals/pizzas/tins of chilli/pasta sauces etc aren't too hard to knock together in the evening. Not too much of a chore over a bottle of wine whilst the kids chill in front of a DVD. Also, take cereal etc. £150 at most.
5. If you don't have your own gear, rent on-line from the UK and pick up in resort. However, it's much cheaper in the long run to buy your own stuff, particularly if you drive as it's a piece of cake to take. £400 max
6. Do not give your money to a Tour Operator. It's them that take the profit at half term. Resort prices don't go up that much (ski passes etc don't go up at all). It's just the TOs that bang up prices as they know they'll sell out regardless.
7. Take it easy at lunch time - sandwiches aren't that bad in the reasonable French resorts discussed in this thread (4-5 euros) and if you take some choccy snacks up (buy in England) it doesn't have to cost a fortune. £200.
8. Don't go out and get ratted every night. Once or twice is plenty! £200 spends.

Altogether, way less than your target spend of £3000.

Simple. You'll save enough to have two holidays! Trust me. It's the way to go with a family at half term without bankrupting yourself.

Any more advice, just ask.

Mark

I agree with all Mark (above) says.
The only disadvantage (for me) going at half term is the queues. Went once to the Grand Massif and it was very busy. That was 2007 though and the snow was poor, so the slopes that had snow were obviously more crowded. (because the snow cover was poor people used the ones with better snow cover)

The apartment will be more - but not massively if you look around.
Try owners direct, holiday rentals..

Everything else costs the same - lift passes etc, as any other time. It's mostly the tour operators who hike the prices.

Because we were on a budget this year we took most of our food, meals cooked in advance stayed frozen on the journey (to Samoens) and we used frozen milk as ice blocks.
Make sure that's there's a freezer where you're staying and you won't need to buy much all week really.

I know it's a holiday, but if it's a choice between going and not going it's worth self catering to save a few quid.

oh also use "the solutions room"-just google it to get your chalet, you post what you want and where you want it and the chalet people (private and companies) get back to you
i used it last year in la plagne and was fantastic and dead easy

Dare I ask the question as to why you have to go at half term? If its because of having kids, surely part of their rich education in life is learning about the mountains and how to get around them? Dont be afraid to take them out of school, assuming its not GCSE year of course.
If its because you are teachers, then I guess you don't have a choice. But looking for well priced package holidays out of half term, I would expect you to be able to find a 5 star catered chalet with flights and transfers for £750 each easily.

Frostbite, My info is a few years out of date (2003), but in case it's of use...

If you can drive or minibus to the Ardent area and get a gondola up this will save on queuing in Morzine and Avoriaz. There's also a ski school meet at the top of this lift. We stayed in a chalet where they didn't bump up the prices for 1/2 term (different story with the travel costs I guess).. we didn't go at 1/2 term so don't know first hand about how busy it might get, had no issues with snow cover (luck of the draw ?) and personally I thought it an excellent ski area.

Tony H,
Eldest boy is in 5th year ( next year) & dont want to compromise his exam chances in any way + school wont give permission either.
Was looking for close'ish resort to drive from Calais as package trips are way to expensive on the 1/2 term week.
Cheers
FB

Have your schools switched to the fixed Easter break yet ? Have skii'd the last 2 years in Easter break (1st week April) and have found the weather / conditions very pleasant..and significantly cheaper than the weeks around 1/2 term.

I went to Cervinia in February half term week a couple of years ago, and it was nice and quiet on all slopes!

Perhaps something to do with a lack of large hotels, so doesn't attract school groups!

Tony H, would you give the same advice about going outside of half term to teachers???