Travel

FLIGHTS FOR 2009 - 2010
We are offering Saturday - Saturday flights to Geneva from Gatwick and Manchester and flights to Chambery from Edinburgh.

Our prices include return flights from Gatwick and resort transfers.
Supplements for Manchester flights will be about £35 p.p. and
Edinburgh/Chambery supplement will be £55 p.p..
We may also be able to source other charter and scheduled flights from regional airports, for which supplements will apply. Please ask for details.

Our anticipated schedules for 2009/ 2010 are as follows (all timings are local):-

The Gatwick flights are with Thomson from the North Terminal at Gatwick to Geneva.
Baggage allowance; 20kgs per person (excluding infants) for hold luggage and up to 5kgs for one piece of hand luggage.
Ski / snowboard carriage; £20 per set of skis or board.
A hot meal is provided on this flight.

The Manchester flights are with Thomson from Terminal 2 at Manchester to Geneva.
Baggage allowance; 20kgs per person (excluding infants) for hold luggage and up to 5kgs for one piece of hand luggage.
Ski / snowboard carriage; £20 per set of skis or board.
A hot meal is provided on this flight. 

The Edinburgh flights, as last season will be with Jet 2 to Chambery.
Baggage allowance; hold luggage - one bag weighing up to 22kgs per person (excluding infants), hand luggage - one piece up to 10kgs but restricted in size to; 46 x 30 x 23 cms.
Ski / snowboard carriage; £20 per set of skis or board.
Inflight meals are NOT included on this flight but there is a buy on board snack service.

For more information on Grenoble airport.
For more information on Chambery airport.

Transfers
On our flights (see above) you will be met at your arrival airport by Skiing representatives. Transfers from the airport are normally by coach, although we can arrange mini buses and taxis for an additional cost. Please note we do not always have a separate coach for each flight and therefore there may be a short wait at the airport whilst everyone collects their bags and clears Customs. Also, coach sizes vary, and we may use mini buses on occasions.

On other flights, if we are responsible for the transfers, we will make the necessary arrangements using coaches, mini buses or taxis, depending on the numbers involved. Unless you have specifically paid for a private transfer, you may share a transfer vehicle with other guests.

The normal coach transfer times: From Geneva to Courchevel and Les Coches is 3 hours, whilst Val d'Isere is 3 hours 45 minutes. From Chambery to Courchevel and Les Coches is 1 hour 30 minutes, whilst Val d'Isere is 2 hours 15 minutes.  You may be asked to change vehicles in the course of the transfer arrangements, and this is particularly the case on arrival in resort, as coaches are often unable to negotiate narrow/snowy streets.

On the homeward journey the time of departure from the resort will entirely depend on the judgement of our staff. They base their decision on the flight time, the likely road conditions and the weather forecast.  Check-in is normally 2 hours 30 minutes before departure. You will be advised of the arrangements on the Friday evening.  If you have made your own transfer arrangements, then your time of departure is up to you, bearing in mind that we ask all our guests to vacate the chalets by 10.00 am at the latest.

For the 2010 winter season there will only be two main ways to travel by train (Rail Europe are not running the Snowtrain). We do not have our own allocation of seats on these trains but if you book your skiing holiday with Finlays and would prefer to travel this way, we may be able to assist you in booking seats. There will be a supplement for train travel. The amount will depend on the train which you choose, the dates of travel, whether you opt for standard or first class and if you request transfers from/to the station. We ask for a higher deposit payment as we normally have to pay in full for these seats at the time of booking.

Option 1 - Overnight Eurostar
This is a direct train from London St. Pancras to Moutiers, or Bourg St Maurice which departs on Friday evening. It is a normal train, there are no sleeping compartments. It arrives at Moutiers at 5.30am and at Bourg St Maurice at 6.30am. Please be aware however, that we cannot give access to our chalets until 09.00 at the earliest, and therefore guests who ask us to arrange transfers will normally not be met until 08.15.  We suggest that you have breakfast at or near the station. If we have made the arrangements, the transfer to the resort will be by coach, mini bus or taxi depending on the numbers involved

The return journey departs late on the following Saturday evening. We will provide somewhere for you to change after skiing, but do bear in mind that you will no longer have access to your chalet as you have to vacate your rooms after breakfast that morning so that we can prepare for the arrival of our new guests. Also you will have several hours to wait before the departure of the train.

There is the option of first class or standard class travel.

The great benefit of travelling by options 1 & 2 is that you are able to ski or board on both the Saturday of arrival and the Saturday of departure, which is generally not possible if you fly. Please note however, that the chalet will NOT be ready for you on your arrival as there will still be ski holiday guests from the previous week having breakfast. We will make somewhere, not necessarily the chalet that you have booked, available for you to leave your bags and change. By the time you return from skiing boarding in the afternoon the chalet will be ready for you. This works in reverse the following Saturday when we ask you to vacate your catered chalet after breakfast. After skiing/ boarding there will be somewhere made available for changing  before you go to the station for your return journey.

Option 2 - Daytime Eurostar
This is a direct alternative to flying. The train departs from London St. Pancras on Saturday morning and travels directly to Moutiers, Aime and Bourg St Maurice, arriving in the early evening. If we have made the arrangements, the transfer to the resort will be by coach, mini bus or taxi, depending on the numbers involved.  The return journey the following week departs on the Saturday morning and arrives at St. Pancras in the late afternoon.

There is the option of first class or standard class travel.

If you travel by car, it is essential to carry all your documents (licence, insurance etc ), snowchains, a warning triangle, first aid kit and a torch. Snowchains can be hired or bought in the U.K. We will provide detailed driving directions and location maps of the resorts.

To  book you own crossings, ferry details can be found on the following web sites:
ferry2france.co.uk | ferrybooker.com | Cross Channel Ferry Tickets.

For further information on European roads, please see AA European Motoring Advice and RAC European Motoring Advisor for advice including route planning and what to take on your journey.

If you're looking for things to do during your journey through France, please see the following: The French holiday accommodation guide :: VisitFrance.co.uk.

Please see below about arrival at your accommodation on the Saturday, and departure the following week.

We can offer special arrangements for secure parking at all UK airports. In addition, we can book overnight hotel accommodation at the airport of your choice, often at discounted prices and inclusive of parking. Please phone for further details.