Last minute booking experiences

A snowHead

I was wondering what sort of deals people have got by booking a last minute package ski holiday and how late have preple left it to book?

A snowHead

A while ago now, but we booked two last minute Easter trips, one self-catering (our first trip to Serre Chevalier), and one catered chalet. As far as I remember, an apartment for 4 with flights transfers and an upgraded apartment on arrival, was £850, and the catered chalet in Les Arcs was around £1200. we booked both times about two weeks before departure.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? · I once booked at 11AM for a 4:30PM departure

I once booked at 11AM for a 4:30PM departure Toofy Grin

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Now that, admin, is impressive Laughing

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I usually go for the 'buy one get one free' or similar deals that pop up from time to time. Done as cheap as 165 half board (pas), £235 catered chalet (meribel mottaret). Last year £310 I think for cc in la plagne? aj xx

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A couple of years ago we booked a week off work -0 2nd week of Jan, normally the cheapest week in the year. We paid half brochure priuce for a week in a four star hotel, ski-in ski-out, seven days before departure. Waitin can have benefits but not always, as between finding the deal, checking with Mrs NBT and then booking, all the remaining doubles had sold out and we ended up in a twin.

Some bonuses, then Razz

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After all it is free

€199 pp Bed and Breakfast, flights and transfers with ski in ski out in Tignes is the best I ever got - booked on a tuesday for a Saturday Departure - Didn't have the nerve to hold out any longer

Renry, I fly frequently . Mainly GVA, LON, NCE .... I frequently pay a small fortune when I pay-on-the - day. LM packages ( done with the REAL provider = property owner/contracted beds-seats) , then name your own price ...

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Book accom only 2 years ago with esprit in tignes about 1 week before for £429, 3 of us, week before xmas, was quite pleased with that. (didn't tell the people we shared tables with who had booked earlier in the year and paid that each). Food was a bit grim however.

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£299 each for a catered chalet in Zermatt, booked three days before departure with Crystal Select. Champagne each night, fantastic food, only problem being that we were quite a way from the lifts.

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My wife and I booked in mid to late March this year on a Wednesday, went on the Saturday and flew from BHX to Lyon (transfer included)

Courchevel 1650 4* catered chalet, sharing with 8 other people who were unknown to us but great company and the food was the best I've had

all for £230 per person. We were very pleased after usually paying ~ £600 each year previous

I would recommend booking late as you can see what the snows like although mid Jan to Mid March is usually pretty good and you can get real bargains if you don't mind sharing. That said there were even cheaper bargains (£180) if we had gone in a hotel around the corner.

Booked Xmas Eve to go in 1st week of Jan, catered chalet in 2 alpes en suite and wine inc., flights and transfers for £165 each for me and the wife in 2004.

The chalet was great, although a little away from the town centre and lifts, but had probably the best social ski holiday ever.
Laughing

Only disappointment was it rained for 2 days! Crying or Very sad

Booked through the net but had to ring up though as I thought it was a typo!!!

You know it makes sense.

I've booked a few direct with Inghams in their clubhotels about 2 weeks before departure.

Usually paying between £200 - £300 per person HB in late January.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

£199 HB last jan in Austria booked on 26th December

A snowHead

I've done several last minute (2 or 3 days before flight) to Livigno, always for the last couple weeks in Jan. Best was £125 HB and including board hire.

A snowHead

We want to go away for xmas (2 families of 4) and were thinking of trying to get a last minute deal, but I am starting to get a bit edgy and I don't know if my nerve will hold. Anyone had any experience of booking late for xmas week? We would be Crying or Very sad

if we couldn't book anything.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

ennalsj, I would have though you'd be OK as separate families, but may struggle for a group of 8 in the same accommodation. I'd look around now and see how much availabilty there is. If there's loads, hold out for a bit longer.

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ennalsj, I agree with Helen that it might be a struggle to get a party of 8 as a late booking for Christmas. That week is normally very busy, not quite as bad as New Year's, but still very crowded. Do you really want to end up in accommodation that nobody else wants to book?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I booked a Christmas ski break with Inghams a few years ago. We book on about 8th December for departure on 21st December. Brochure price was £780 each, but we got it for £249 each for a 4* catered chalet in Meribel.

It's more difficult for us now because deals like that aren't so common at the times we can go ('er Indoors is a teacher), and I'm fussier.

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hyweljenkins, was there 8 of you though?

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Helen Beaumont, no - just the two of us, though the rest of the guests had also booked at about the same time as us, some of them getting an even lower price. I hadn't read ennalsj's post, just responding to Renry. I, too, think it would be a bit of gamble to book for 8 as a late deal, especially in chalet accommodation. That said, when I went to La Rosiere I booked a month before and got 8 of us in, but we did go a couple of weeks before half term.

After all it is free

stayed @ chalet du forum in courchevel 1850. normal cost £900 and we only paid £275. absolute bargain. superb week was had. Very Happy

The lastest I've done is Thur for the Sat for 5 peeps..and it was almost empty at that point...Come the Sat, 14 had booked..and the chalet was full. Everyone booked in that last week
Also we were the first guests the chalet had that year and it was the 17th Jan.

One of my best ever chalets hols...

I've not booked a package since 1999

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£127 per person for flight and s/c 5 bed apt. in Avoriaz (group of two, sole occ) in March about three years ago (via IGLU).

I couldn't stay in a bedsit in my home town for that much.

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At christmas, I wouldn't, but the rest of the time, we always go last minute, never any problems and the odd great deal.

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Thanks for the feedback on the perils of booking late at xmas. It doesn't sound like it would be a good idea to chance it with a group our size, so I think it'll be back to booking apartments and self drive, instead of (in my dreams) a stupidly cheap all inclusive catered chalet Sad

. Still, what the hell, we'll still be skiing xmas day Very Happy

Renry,
From my experience it depends how many of you there are going and how picky you are. I there is only one or two of you it would probably be worth you while waiting until the last minute to pick up a bargain, but if you are a family of 4 or a small group you really need to book up as soon as possible as places for groups are limited and usually only in budget accomodation is what's left over and on offer. We came foul of this when taking a last minute deal with First Choice about 5 years ago - never again. Needless to say we spent as little time as possible in the 'Club Hotel'!

We now run a catered chalet in La Clusaz and will offer reduced prices on rooms we have remaining up to 6 weeks before the start date, but we don't usually have a huge amount to shift. It's worth keeping an eye on though - just in case - wink

http://www.gravite.co.uk/offers/details.php for any of our last minute deals.

Cheers, dave

www.gravite.co.uk - a unique experience

You know it makes sense.

graviteski, you have been warned!

THE SPAMINATOR

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I've done last minute deals. Always worth checking with the brochures the room and accomodation you are getting. I do remember a truely awful chalet in Val d'sere 4 years ago. Some of the really upmarket companies do discounts. The same year we were in the pit in Val i ws alking to an English chap who was saying they'd got a 50% reduction on what sounded a genuinely 5 star chalet- was not impressed at the time.

I would be very wary of anything that says France allocated on arrival. You could be lucky but you're going to be going to the most unpopular places Toofy Grin

A snowHead

spaminator,

Nice halloween costune!!!

A snowHead

I am thinking of doing a lst minute ski trip with my wife in December sometime, could anyone suggest some good sites for package deals, what are the likes of Lastminute like for ski trips?? Was thinking of going to Canada again this year but think it will be too expensive, went last year to Banff from 12th Dec - 26th was excellent and good snow, not so much in the resort but sunshine was brilliant! Thinking of venturing to europe this time for a cheaper break but dont know where to go? Would be able to go anytime in December, would anyone recommend doing the wait till lar minute situation??

thanks for your help.

Puzzled

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

ifyouski.com and igluski.com seem to tbe the main "consolidators" of the major tour ops' last-minute bargains. In december, as long as you don;t mean christmas or new year I would 100% recommend that you wait and see where the snow is good before booking.

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great advice , thanks for your help, have just found igluski , having a look at resorts, the choices are endless but just getting excited , although going to book last minute. NehNeh

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've just had confirmed today that the group of 5 I booked 10 days ago on an 'allocated on arrival' basis in the 3 valleys, first Easter week this year is staying catered in a block in 'the forum' apartments in the dead centre of Courchevel 1850. Now, the rooms might turn out to be 5hitholes but at £ 380 each and with the current snowbase, food and wine thrown in, I wouldn't have thought it would be the most unpopular place. NehNeh

Help!!

Last minute booking experiences

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