You have new mail! read the message just as I published the last blog.  Into my inbox come pictures of our latest development in St Anton, Austria, the Mountainstar Lodge. This new development, situated just 250m from the Nasserein gondola will house Chalet Charon, Chalet Larissa, Chalet Thebe and Chalet Janus (my favourite chalet name in all the programme!).

The nice thing about these beauties is that each one will have a hot-tub and a sauna – so many of our chalets have these now that I am becoming spoilt!

The advantage of going overseas for meetings is you can pop in and see the progress of your new-build chalets! This time, I drove up to Val Thorens at 2300 metres to see how our new ski in/ski out chalet Mathilde, chalet Chloë and chalet Noella were getting on.

As with our other new builds, everything here is on time – a relief when you consider the large interest from people looking for good quality accommodation, something that Val Thorens lacks. As you can see, the roof is going on. Next step will be the windows and doors before starting the interior. Progress should be swift from here on in and we’ll keep you updated with progress.

Exclusive ski chalets

This week we are taking a look at Italy and Chalet Matea. For those not familiar with the resort, Arabba is a beautiful village on the Dolomiti Superski Area. It offers easy access to the slopes including the Marmolada Glacier and very Italian-style apres ski based in the centre of the village.

Chalet Matea, Arabba, Italy

The Facts

4-5 minutes’ walk to the lifts

Close to the village centre

In one building with Chalets Elena and Luka – ideal for groups

Ski room with boot warmers

All bedrooms with TV/DVD

Chalet Matea is on the second floor of this wonderful wooden clad chalet. If you are a group of 20-21 then we can combine it with Chalet Luka on the third floor and arrange for you to all take meals together.

The chalet has a lounge and dining room which is full of character with a log fire and two balconies. The bedrooms are well appointed and all have private facilities.

We are sure these will be popular because of the easy access to the skiing. It is just a short walk to the Porta Vescovo gondolas or the Burz chair-lift for quick access to some fantastic slopes. Read the rest of this entry »

No sooner do I return from overseas having quizzed our Austrian contracts manager on the progress of our new-build chalets and into my inbox pings some new pics of our new Chalet Hotel Abendrot in Ischgl, Austria! Yes, Ischgl! If you didn’t know already, we’re the first ski company to get a chalet there. And a brand-new one at that!

Only concrete to see at the mo but it’s in the most fantastic location – close to 2 of the lift stations, the Silvrettabahn and the Fimbabahn, plus on the ski home, you can get to within just 50 metres on the red No 1 piste!

I’ve been promised regular updates on progress so watch this space. Check out the Abendrot on the our website www.skitotal.com for more info. Prices from £589 per person including flights and transfers.

Enriched in art and culture France is one of the top and popular European holiday destinations and is known for cuisines, wine, museums and many historical monuments attracting visitors from all over the world. Having a pleasant weather round the year, France offers a number of locations to the visitors from which they can choose according to their preference.

Below are the top five destinations in France where people usually like to hang out on their vacations. After crossing the Channel with ferry to France, the travellers proceed to their desired destinations. Those wishing to relax can go for a calm and quiet location to enjoy their vacation and those looking for active holiday can choose locations that offer variety of things to see and do during the break.

Paris, known as the city of romance, is one of the most popular destinations in France. People can visit the amazing Eiffel Tower here and take a view of the entire Paris from the top of the tower which is simply wonderful. There are also a number of museums like the Louvre, Le Arc De Triumphe and Notre Dame. Staying in Paris can be very expensive, so staying at an outside place and visiting Paris from there would be a more economic option for the visitors. Disneyland Paris, located in a suburb called Marne-La-Vallée, also known as Euro Disney is another top attraction in France. The destination is easily accessible by car or air travel.

In the South West of France Biarritz is a beautiful location with historical significance and boasting unique attractions like a museum of chocolate and museum of sea animals preserving seals and sharks. The place is easily accessible from Paris via the high speed TGV and offers many good hotels and ccommodations on the sea.

For the ski travellers, France is a popular destination as it has many great ski resorts with wonderful chalet accommodation and little shops, offering variety of other entertainment too for the whole family. One of the most popular ski resorts in France has been the Chamonix where people come over the year to enjoy ski breaks. The place is accessible by car, ferry and shuttle buses.

One more wonderful location in France is Bordeaux, located in the South West part of the country. The place being a popular location offers a number of accommodation for the travellers and has great historical attractions like the Croiseur Colbert, a large battleship and it is also the place of botanical gardens with a large lake and St Andre Cathedral. Flights and bus trips are available for travelling to this location.

People who don’t want to restrict themselves within a particular destination can go for camping to enjoy fun and discover many unexplored regions of the country for which the most convenient option is car rentals, now available from many places including the French airports.

Exclusive Ski Chalets.

This week we take you to Switzerland to another NEW Ski Total ski chalet.  This weeks ski chalet offers the perfect retreat for a small group of 6 to have sole use of this delightful chalet for the duration of their ski holiday.

Chalet Bella Vista, Zermatt, Switzerland

The Facts

• Next door to Chalet A la Casa
• Ideal ski chalet for small groups
• Occupancy – 6 guests
• Located in the exclusive ‘Petit Village’ area with private ski-lift access
• 8 minutes’ walk to the resort centre and the Sunnegga lift
• Ski and boot room
• Glas fronted fireplace
• Wi-Fi internet access
• TV/DVD

The Chalet Bella Vista Description
Chalet Bella Vista certainly lives up to its name with wonderful views of the Matterhorn and the village from the large balcony and terrace area. The chalet is built to high Swiss standards using larch wood from the local forests and like its sister Chalet A la Casa next door, it is a traditional building but with modern furnishings and light and airy inside.

There is an open-plan lounge and dining area with fireplace, TV with international channels, a DVD player and access to the south facing balcony from the lounge. More Chalet Details…

The Resort – Zermatt

Zermatt’s ski area, linked to Cervinia, is dominated by the majestic Matterhorn and offers not only stunning skiing but also Europe’s highest ski area.

Reached by a scenic 10-minute train ride up from the valley below, the delightful traffic-free resort centre oozes Swiss charm. Elegant shopping streets are crammed with chic shops and historic hotels, whilst traditional wooden ‘mazots’ and modern chalet-style buildings blend comfortably together. The restaurants are amazingly varied, whilst the après-ski and night-life are as laidback or frenetic as you wish.

Zermatt and other Ski Chalets

Courchevel has announced that it will host a slalom stage in the Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup on 21st December.

This is the first World Cup competition the resort has hosted for over 30 years and Courchevel’s own “Club de Sports” will no doubt be cheering on the French team, for which they have provided 11 of the current members.

Welcome to the new weekly feature – Exclusive Ski Chalets.

Following on from the NEW Ski Total brochure launching with 3 new resorts and 30 new chalets, I thought it only fit that we start featuring at least one new Ski Chalet a week throughout the summer to let everyone know about these great properties.

Chalet Isba, Méribel, France

The Facts

• New to Ski Total this year
• Great central location in Méribel
• Occupancy – 20/21 guests
• Approx. 5 minutes’ walk (500m) to the resort centre
• Approx. 3 minutes’ walk (300m) down to Doran piste to ski down to La Chaudanne lifts
• Outdoor hot tub
• Sauna
• Private cinema and a billiard room

The Chalet Isba Description
Chalet Isba has to be one of the best located chalets in Méribel with exceptional chalet facilities.

The nearest piste is the Doran at the Tourist Office and from here it is a minute’s ski to the Chaudanne lifts and the ski school meeting place

It is close to the village centre; that is if you can drag yourself away from the wonderful facilities that the chalet offers. There is a unique home cinema with comfy sofas and a large screen where you can play your DVDs. More Chalet Details…

The Resort – Méribel

The Méribel area supplies an endless variety of terrain, both on and off-piste, whilst the resort is liberally sprinkled with attractive chalet-style buildings of local stone and wood and has a true village ambience.

Bars, restaurants and resort facilities are first rate and along with excellent provision for families and some of the best nightlife in the Alps, this is a resort with more than enough attractions to go around.

Méribel and other Ski Chalets

Work on our new ski in-ski out chalet La Brêche in Alpe D’Huez is underway with the Bobcats digging the foundations this week.

Progress will be quick once the lower level is built because the upper two floors of the chalet are built from Scandinavian-style logs that slot together like a jigsaw – this is no Ikea flat pack however; these are beautiful, stylish and luxurious chalets that come with a slightly more complicated instruction booklet!

With our sister company Esprit’s Chalet Hotel Mariandre open this summer, (see www.espritfamilyadventures.com ) we’ll have regular updates from the staff there, so watch this space.

We are delighted to launch our new 2010/11 ‘Crunch-Buster’ Special Edition brochure today, with an unprecedented increase in quality properties and resorts.

Adding three new resorts; Ischgl in Austria, Arabba in Italy and Alpe d’Huez in France, Head of Marketing, Moira Clarke, comments “This is the season we have responded to our guests’ feedback and adding these three prestigious resorts to our programme is a really exciting step. We are sure that our 31 new properties, many of which are being built specifically for us, will also hit the right note with our guests.”

This new brochure has even more premier properties with 30 new chalets and 1 new Chalet Hotel for this season. Indeed the new brochure now contains 102 chalets and 7 Chalet Hotels. With most offering log fires, hot-tub, sauna or even a swimming–pool these are quality properties in the top ski resorts of Europe.

Ski Total also have extended their ‘Crunch-Buster®’ deals for next season, a wide range of money-saving and value-added offers with 2 for 1 deals on ski and boot hire and special offers on lift passes in addition to Cash-Back deals off brochure prices in every resort. These combine to offer couples savings of up to £500 against last year’s equivalent prices, all designed to help skiers obtain maximum value.

Ski holiday prices start from £359 per person at Chalet Matterhorn in Méribel, France, departing on 12th December 2010, including £180 per couple Cash-Back off early bookings, return Stansted-Geneva flights, transfers and seven nights’ chalet accommodation with daily hot & cold breakfast, plus afternoon tea and four-course evening meals with wine, coffee and chocolates included, six days per week.

Clarke continues “The growing reputation of Ski Total enables us to work closely with owners and developers, for example four of our new chalets in St Anton have been built exclusively for our guests and to our specifications and are each equipped with their own sauna and hot-tub and situated in a stunning location in the resort.”

Request your priority of the new brochure by clicking here.