Catered vs self-catered ski holidays
One of the first things that you need to decide when you start to organise a ski holiday is whether you’re looking to stay self-catered or with catering included. It can be a tricky decision and there are pros and cons to each, so let's run through some for catered vs self-catered ski holidays.
To start off with, let's run through what the different catering options are to help us fully understand the debate of catered vs self-catered ski holidays.
Room-Only
If you’re looking at a hotel, it’s more than likely these will just be hotel rooms with no cooking facilities so these will be available on a room-only basis. This means that your only food option would be to eat out for your meals.
The rooms will probably have fridges though so you could keep some cheese and bread in there for your breakfasts/lunches meaning you would only have to eat out at evening times.
Self-catered
If you’re looking to stay in an apartment, 99% of the time you'll find that these are sold as self-catered. This means that they will have fully functioning kitchens within them to allow you to cook your own food.
B&B
Staying somewhere B&B would mean that you have your breakfast provided but no other meals.
Half-board
Probably the most common/popular catering style, half-board catering provides you with your breakfasts and evening meals. This will generally be every morning and evening, with no missed nights.
Some accommodations may offer half-board within their residence, or your meals may be served in local restaurants in the town to give a self-catered accommodation the option of being available half-board.
One of our favourite half-board options is Les Balcons de Belle Plagne which is probably your closest option to a fully catered chalet but without the price tag!
Dinners only
This would mean that you get your evening meals only included in your dinner only package.
Full-board
Choosing to stay somewhere full-board will mean that you get your breakfasts, lunches, and evening meals included. The lunches may have to be taken at the restaurant/accommodation but some accommodations will allow you to take this as a packed lunch for up the mountain for no extra charge. Others will allow you to take a pack up for up the mountain but it will be an additional charge.
All-inclusive
This would include breakfasts, lunches, evening meals and your drinks. Most other catering styles wouldn’t include drinks (although may have the option of adding on a drinks package). This should also allow you to have as much food and drink as you want (although there will probably be limits on what drink types are included).
Chalet-board
This would only be found when staying in a fully-catered chalet and would generally give you breakfasts, afternoon tea, evening meals and unlimited wine with your evening meal. There will be 1 night a week that you aren’t catered for to allow the chalet staff a day off, so this is an extra cost to factor in.
Now let's look at some pros and cons of some of these.
Generally, one of the biggest things that people think about when making this decision is the cost. The initial cost of self-catered will be cheaper. It’s also going to be the cheaper option IF you’re happy to cook your own meals each in your apartment. However, if you’re going to eat out every night this will probably end up being more expensive than a half-board alternative so it’s important to think whether you’re likely to want to cook on our holiday.
Another positive of self-catered is that you have complete free rein of what you eat and when. If you have fussy eaters in the group, or perhaps people with allergies/intolerances (although most restaurants are very good at catering to these), you may find it easier to be able to go to the supermarket, find something that you know the group will like and cook that. If you have children in the group you may want to eat a little earlier than the restaurants will be open for half-board, which is generally around 18:00/18:30.
As we’ve touched on, probably one of the biggest benefits of a half-board option is the pure ease of it. You know that each morning and evening you just need to turn up at the restaurant and you will be catered for! No need to think about cooking on your holiday, getting food from the supermarkets or worrying about getting a table at a restaurant. If you’ve cooked all year round, it might be a really nice idea to have a week off!
Chalet-board is often what people think of when they think of a ski holiday, however, this will only be found if you are going to opt for a chalet. Chalets are the most expensive style of accommodation, so if you are thinking of getting a chalet, be prepared for higher prices. Of course, having afternoon tea and wine with your evening meals is a huge benefit and is a great option if you’re looking for a more luxurious stay or are treating the group (especially after we’ve missed out on a season!). We are also finding more options at the moment that are “contactless chalet catering” in light of covid. This means that your fridges (including wine fridges) are fully stocked when you arrive with your meals for the week. All you need to do is heat up a few bits and maybe boil some vegetables as a side! This is a great way for you to still have a chalet experience but minimising unnecessary contact with others in light of covid.
That is a brief overview of the catered vs self-catered ski holidays debate, which can be a lengthy one and essentially, what’s best for each group will differ. Here at Get me to the Alps we have a wide range of different accommodations with different board basis’ in many different resorts. This means that we can help you look for the perfect trip for your group. Request a quote today to see how we can help or drop us a message to talk through anything with us!