European budget travel news

Snow in France has allowed many resorts to open early. If you can get away in the next week or so, then there are some very cheap deals to be had.

Lift Passes

Many resorts are offering reduced price lift passes to reflect the fact that not all of the pistes are likely to be open. However the good snow has meant that there are a lot more open than you would expect at this time of year. Discounts include cheap lift passes or 2 days for the price of one.

Interhome Holiday Homes

Interhome has apartments and chalets all over Europe with a considerable number in the Alps and Pyrenees. If properties aren't let within 2 weeks of start of rental, they reduce the price by 33%. Some apartments on offer for occupation commencing between 7 and 12 December 2009.

An Apartment for 4 at Val Thorens, the snowsure resort in the French Alps can be rented for £244, reduced from £367. Or an apartment for 2 can be found for £205. Both apartments are within 50 metres of the lifts.

www.interhome.co.uk

Snowtrex

I like this company because it quotes prices including lift passes. They have a last minute offers page on their Website.

£200 buys a week at an apartment sleeping 6 at snowsure Les 2 Alpes and includes your lift pass. Cheaper resorts include Chamrouse and La Norma where a week's accommodation and lift pass can be purchased from £128 and £95 respectively.

www.snowtrex.co.uk

Labels: apartments, cheap, late booking, lift passes, packages, ski, snow, snowboard, winter sports

PV Holidays has over 100 residences in over 40 Winter Sports Resorts. The apartment chain has over 50,000 apartments, located across the whole of France. An earlier post pointed out that the economic recession had lead to some great deals being made available.
What does this mean in practice? Well, PV Holidays have 20% discount on apartments booked before 19 December 2009. As an added incentive to UK Winter Sports enthusiasts hit by a weak pound / strong euro they are offering an additional 15% off their bookings. You will need to use the offer code "8258" when booking.
Other offers include an extra free night on weeks booked for Christmas 2009 and 4 nights for the price of 3 on short breaks. It means that a week at PV Group apartment at a ski resort start at just €155.98 for a week in a studio. As good a reason as any, to get your snowboard or skis serviced and book an apartment before the 19th of December. Before the UK announces it's coming out of the recession and demand picks up.

Labels: apartment, discount, PV-Holidays, resort, ski, snowboard, sports, studio, winter

I have rented an apartment in Chamonix. It should be my home for 5 months, from December 2009. Hopefully, I will be able to spend some time snowboarding around Chamonix. The mountains must be made of some sort of rock that acts a magnet and I am being irresistibly pulled there.
My eldest son would like to come out at February Half Term, but has found that the transport options are not cheap. My searches have found train and bus services that run directly to the middle of Chamonix and allow free transport of bags and snowboards / skis. I will concentrate on bus travel now and publish the train options in another post.

Travelling by coach;, prices are very competitive starting at £79 one way and £99 return. This mode of transport also has the advantage of having a lower carbon footprint than air or car travel.
Eurolines runs services directly to Chamonix and the following ski resorts:

• Cluses
• Chamonix
• Argentiere
• Moutiers
• Aime
• Bourg-St-Maurice
• Tignes Le Lac
• Tignes Val Claret
  
• Val d'Isere

Special Offers
Currently, there is an additional offer of £10 off your trip, just you use the Voucher Code:

SKITEN

This is valid until 15 November 2009. Terms and conditions apply including an exclusion period of February Half Term! However they also offer a reduced fare for anyone travelling by National Express / Eurolines to London of only £15 (not available with the voucher code offer), so I was able to find a fare of £114 return (Chester - Chamonix) for February Half Term travel, which I think is a very good deal indeed.

Labels: Coach, Eurolines, Offer code, ski, snowboard

With the Pound at a historic low against the Euro, coupled with the severe credit crunch, it was hardly good news for Brits wanting to enjoy the excellent snow last Winter. I can`t wait to ride my snowboard in the Alps again. The good news is that bookings are open for ski resorts for 2009/2010 and there are some very good early booking offers. P&V Holidays, the operator of apartments and hotels in most French Ski Resorts have at least 22% off all Dates, all Resorts. Up to 45% off!. Book during August for these great deals.

Labels: early booking offers, ski, snowboard

Travelodge has another sale starting today (18 June 2009). Rooms are available at £9 at hotels all over the UK between 1st November 2009 - 31st January 2010. Rooms can accommodate up to a family of 4 so are extremely good value at the normal selling price. So if you intend visiting friends or family around Christmas and the New Year, then what are you waiting for, go to www.travelodge.co.uk now and grab a £9 room. Rooms at this rate are limited so be quick.

Norfokline is a very competitively priced ferry operator. Part of the Maersk Group the company operates the following routes:
Dover <> Dunkirk
Liverpool <> Dublin
Liverpool <> Belfast
Rosyth <> Zeebrugge
Their latest deals are:
5 day return Dover <> Dunkirk fare for £16 each way. (£32)
Liverpool <> Dublin from £75 €85 return
Liverpool <> Belfast from £99 return

DFDS Seaways is running a big campaign for the UK National Ferry Fortnight. They operate on the following European routes:

• Newcastle (UK) - Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• Harwich (UK) - Esbjerg (Denmark)
• Copenhagen (Denmark)- Oslo (Norway)

Offers include:

• Harwich - Amsterdam from £65 for car plus 2 passengers
• Harwich - Esbjerg £142 (car goes free)

There are also offers for foot passengers including these two:

• Newcastle - Amsterdam 2 night mini cruise from £69 for 2 people (includes en-suite cabin)
• Harwich - Esbjerg 2 night mini cruise from £75 for 2 people (includes en-suite cabin)

For more details go to the DFDS Seaways web site at http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/offers/ferry_fortnight/exclusive_ferry_fortnight_reader_offers

Labels: Amsterdam, Denmark, DFDS, Esbjerg, ferry, ferry fortnight, Mini cruise, Netherlands, UK