As this is my first post, i have to say, i'm just 19 years old, i am a student and this trip was with my family, so they were the ones who paid. I want to be as transparent as i can so i'll tel you, this isn't cheap, but it is not al all only for rich people.
I have been fortuned with many ski trips in my life, so i know the good's and the bad's, and let me tell you this ski resort, which also functions as a golf and hiking resort in spring and summer, is the best! Why? Let me tell you.
1. The Location
This ski resort is located in the french alps, but it is actually very close to the border between France and Switzerland! This means that the closest airport is actually in Geneve (in Switzerland), which is around a 2 hour drive to Avoriaz. If you want and can find cheaper flights, flying to Lyon's or Turim's airport is also an option since it is a 3 hour drive to the resort. This gives you many options to choose from when it comes to finding a cheap flight and a transfer to Avoriaz!
2. No Cars
This is a very special thing about this village! All cars can park in the many parking-lots at the arrival of the village, and then it is all done by foot. If you are tired or don't feel like walking you can also take a horse carriage to where you want to go for not too much! I'm gonna be honest, i don't love the idea of being pulled by a horse, but i ended up going on a ride from down town to our apartment (which was in the upper side of the village) and it saved us from a 15 min walk with the little kids, that were already tired and ready to sleep.
This means you can walk around freely and enjoy the amazing landscape all around you!
3. You can ski off of your building
You "heard" me right! In this resort in almost every hotel you can just get out, put your ski's or snow board on and stroll down to the courses! Every apart-hotel has a locker space at ground level where you can keep your snow gear, so you just need to grab it, put ir on and go down the slopes. Even if you are located on a lower part of Avoriaz you can always ski down to the nearest ski lift and climb up to the higher courses so, everyone can enjoy this amazing thing.
4. Dine out or stay in
As this is a turisty place, there are lots of restaurants and almost all of them have great food choices, from the cheesy mountain dishes, to the italian food everyone loves, like pasta and pizza, so if you want to get to know the local cuisine or want to stay safe you are covered!
Although there are many restaurants, which vary in price, almost all the hotel rooms are kind of like little apartments where you can easily cook some food.
You might be thinking this way you will miss out on the amazing food this region has to offer, but you are mistaken! For maybe half of the meals we ate there, we chose to get food from the super market, which ended up having some amazing hot meals that you could buy per weight! Some of the dishes that were available were Tartiflette, Raclette, and many more that you will die for if you love cheese!
I hate to say, eating at restaurants is great, but this hot meals made us feel as if we had gotten take out from the restaurants!
And if we are talking about eating well on a budget, we can't forget about the quality of the produce and the fresh baguettes and croissants you could get at any time, that you can accompany with some Swiss or French cheese and wine!
5. Activities for all
If you go with your family, significant other or friends this is the place for you!
There are ski courses for everyone, even little slopes with what they call "corkscrews" to take you back to the top, so that even little kids or beginners can be comfortable. You also have access to the most difficult courses, just by taking a ski lift.
As for kids you have a lovely carrossel, carriage rides, shops that sell toboggans and children rooms where your kids can go play when they are done with skiing or aren't old enough for it.
If you come here with friends you can always grab a drink at some of the restaurants which are open into later hours.
I can't forget one of the news to this resort, the new spa/pool/waterpark the Aquariaz, great to go play with the kids, hang out in the jacuzzi with friends or have a romantic massage for two!
I hope this gave you an insight on all the amazing things about Avoriaz, and that you find all the information you need.
As i said this isn't in any way a cheap vacation, but it also isn't crazy expensive for a snow trip, between the flights, transfer, apartments, ski gear rental, food and forfait, the last one was the most expensive and we ended up spending about 850€ per person (for 8 days) on this trip, knowing that we could have made even more budget friendly choices!
Check out my other posts or my instagram @go.with.jo to discover amazing places to travel!
Joana
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