Hucksters Budget Ski HolidaysHucksters Budget Ski Holidays

The makings of a Hucksters Christmas

There are just six weeks left until Christmas, and we are getting very excited in the Alps. Julie’s been busy in the kitchen baking her traditional Christmas cakes, renovation work continues at our lodge Petit Mont Blanc (PMB) in Vallandry, and the mountains have been getting a dusting of snow. Oh yes, Christmas is almost here. At PMB, we’ve decked out the area going up to the guest accommodation, added more outdoor seating, made over one of the living room areas with new furnishings and given bedrooms a fresh lick of paint to spruce up the whole lodge.

Christmas is a special time wherever you are with family and friends, but in France, it has that extra ‘je ne sais quoi’. While there’s no place like home, being whisked away to the Alps and feeling the rush of the mountain air on your face as you breeze down the snowy slopes in a location that embraces all things traditional is pretty hard to beat.

The French really love tradition and celebrate the festive season in style. It’s a massive occasion filled with magic and wonder for little ones, carol singing filling the air and fabulous food and drink. New Year is party time! The Mont Blanc Bar is next door and a great place to start the party. Dance the night away to music from their live band and see their fireworks light up the sky. Our theme for this year is Cowboys and Indians, so we will all be dressing up!

Christmas week is fairly busy for us with lots of prepping underway and we try to give the chalet a ‘Christmassy’ feel with plenty of decorations and activities for guests to take part in. In France, Christmas is typically celebrated on Christmas Eve, so if you LOVE this festive time, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate over two days. We encourage guests to come carolling with us and dress up in their best woolly jumpers, plus we have our own traditions with Secret Santa, and veg peeling with guests on Christmas Eve. You don’t have to join in, but it's lots of fun, everyone’s in a great mood, and it really brings out your festive spirit.

In the villages, leading up to Christmas, there is plenty of events on including a small craft market (a good excuse to get some last-minute gifts), a flaming torch lit descent led by the local ski school, and on Christmas Eve they set up a manger scene with a donkey for the children. There are also Christmas Eve services in the church at Peisey and the tourist office run a bus so that guests from Vallandry can attend midnight mass.

All the local attractions remain open and the best place to find out about them is on the Peisey-Vallandry tourist office site or ask us when you’re here. There is everything from dog and horse sledges to ice climbing. Local website and newspaper, Le Petit Journal, also post a programme for each week of events, or animations as the French call them, within the resort. Worth checking out if you’re looking for extra activities to do when you’re not on the slopes.

We’ve stocked up on mulled wine (or vin chaud) and hot chocolate, and we’ll be filling up with mince pies soon. Our seasonnaire’s will be back in our chalets soon, ready to welcome you all.

Thinking about coming out with us on a cheap snow holiday this Christmas? At our beautiful Les Arcs or Serre Chevalier chalets, 7 Nights Half Board with free airport transfers is £449 for adults, £409 for children, £369 for infants under 5, and under 3’s are just £85. We keep an eye on the latest flight deals using SkyScanner. Alternatively let us know if you’re coming by train or would like to book onto our coach.

Check out our other blogs too on ‘Why You Should Go Away for Christmas’, plus ‘How To Make A Magical Christmas for the Kids’. Perhaps this is a good time to ‘Convince Your Beloved To Love Skiing’ – surprise them with some Vallandry skiing?

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We hope to see you soon!

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Customer Reviews

By dispensing with things such as towels and complimentary toiletries (bring your own) and guaranteed en suite bathrooms, Hucksters has managed to create accommodation that is definitely communal and cheap but in that no-frills way that makes you feel pretty smug at the money you are saving. It has ...

The Guardian - Top 10 affordable ski cha...

By dispensing with things such as towels and complimentary toiletries (bring your own) and guaranteed en suite bathrooms, Hucksters has managed to create accommodation that is definitely communal and cheap but in that no-frills way that makes you feel pretty smug at the money you are saving. It has ...

The Guardian - Top 10 Affordable Ski Lodges

This is the 4th year we have stayed at Mont Blanc, we have opted for the en suite accommodation in PMB. If you are looking for 5 star luxury look else where as you will be disappointed, if however, you are looking for a fun friendly atmosphere where you can wear slippers or ski boots for a week then...

H.W.

We just wanted to say, we had the most marvellous time in the Mont Blanc recently. We were very happy in the Petit Mont Blanc Annexe & the staff were absolutely fantastic. They all went out of their way to ensure we had a fantastic holiday.

Lesley

Hucksters, are to be highly recommended as they offer a very personalised service at package deal prices and take a genuine interest in making sure you have a good time. I have done 4 trips with them in the last 2 years so they must be doing something right!

A.T.

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