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#21
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"NIALLBRUCE" wrote in message
... I'm still looking for the perfect holiday company - does it exist and if so, where?? I honestly think it's you doing it yourself with a little help from your mates on this newsgroup. -- Simon Brown www.hb9drv.ch |
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#22
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In message , NIALLBRUCE
writes We're departing from Aberdeen so had to book connecting flights. [snip tales of woe!] I travel from Aberdeen all the time to go skiing via gatwick etc. Never had the problems you have. One word though - EASYJET! Even if it goes pear shaped you lose next to nowt. My friend once had connections changed to different ones that were advertised on the web site. Mark Warner, the company we were with, arranged alternative travel for him and family. No question, no argument. -- Pete Devlin [{//////news03//////at\\\\\secondrow/////co\\\\\uk}] Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world. Kaiser Wilhelm |
#23
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In message , NIALLBRUCE
writes Any views on whether it is good to book prior to departure? Kit hire? Maybe if your chalet's deep in the suburbs with only one hire shop nearby, at an undeveloped resort where they don't keep much stock. Maybe. My advice is, make sure everyone in your party has skis you can easily tell apart. I think we'll shop around at the resort but it would be good to hear any advice to the contrary!! Why not choose a couple from the Snow & Rock catalogue, then see if you can hire those to try? -- Sue ];( |
#24
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"Roger" wrote in message m... "Nick Hounsome" wrote in message . uk... "Roger" wrote in message m... I always go for the premium skis not only for the reason above but also because they are the best, therefore easier (or more rewarding) to ski on and are thus less effort! This is simply not true. The "best" skis are simply not going to be the easiest for beginners. As I pointed out before - according to teh catalogues the easiest skis for beginners are also the cheapest I'm not a beginner! The OP is (or nearly) |
#25
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Slightly off topic - If you go early or late season you should never hire
through the tour operator (probably shouldn't anyway but that's another matter). At the ends of the season there are too many hire shops chasing too few customers and prices will come down a lot. Also the out of the way places will probably be cheaper. e.g. In Mottaret before christmas a friend of mine walked over to a lonely little shop on the opposite side of the village to the few chalets that had anyone in them and paid about the half the 'standard' rate. |
#26
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"Nick Hounsome" wrote in message . uk...
Slightly off topic - If you go early or late season you should never hire through the tour operator (probably shouldn't anyway but that's another matter). At the ends of the season there are too many hire shops chasing too few customers and prices will come down a lot. Also the out of the way places will probably be cheaper. e.g. In Mottaret before christmas a friend of mine walked over to a lonely little shop on the opposite side of the village to the few chalets that had anyone in them and paid about the half the 'standard' rate. I've done several trips at peak times (e.g. Sat after xmas) but not the Feb B/Holiday, and after the first trip I decided never to book through the operator. You don't save anything, you're limited to one shop and if theres 4 of you in the accommodation then you all are on the same voucher so need to go get them at the same time etc. If you get there b4 lunch on the sat, you often have plenty of stock to try, and can give them a whirl that afternoon. In la plagne (bellecote) last year a group of 10 of us ended up with kit hired from 5 different shops to find stuff that works. Having said all that I've bought new boots this year and some second hand kit, so I can avoid all the 'do I like this faff' g |
#27
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pete devlin wrote in message ...
My friend once had connections changed to different ones that were advertised on the web site. Mark Warner, the company we were with, arranged alternative travel for him and family. No question, no argument. I've never travelled with Mark Warner, but I have worked with them in Austria and they are one of the better companies out there. They have a very good reputation, far better than Crystal that's for sure. Cue a long thread of complaints about MW... I've personally had very good experiences with Simply Travel - they worked very hard to change flights and arrange temporary accomodation (for free) at 2 days notice. That was a summer holiday, and also it was before they were bought by Tui, but even so I'd say they offered a good service. With both of these you'll be paying for the service though, neither Simply or MW are cheap. Sadly good service seems to be a luxury option. As Simon said, the best operator is you and your trusty internet connection:-) Book your flights on Easyjet/Ryan Air/ Expedia etc, book your accomodation with the owner or the tourist office, have a look at the R.S.R-E FAQ and bash away at Google. You might not save a huge amount (you don't have the buying power of Crystal), but you will get the holiday you want on your terms and with no nasty surprises. I am loath to book with a TO - I don't rule it out because if they have the flights and teh allocation somewhere where I want to go they can be good value, but to be honest they are usually a last resort (no pun intended). [beginning to ramble now, you may wish to ignore the rest] Ironically as I was typing this I got a call from a TO who were looking for accomodation for me in Gressoney. To give them their due they found a hotel with availability for the Feb half term. Great, that's something. However I wanted self catering. Also, they would only sell me the hotel if I booked a flight with them - they want £300 for that and I've already found one for £127. OK, they then said that they can sell me the hotel if I book car hire with them - but I don't need car hire as that is already sorted... I just want the hotel, but they won't do that. So, I can't book through them even if I wanted to! |
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