There are several options on the accommodation front. The most luxurious
is to stay in a 5-star hotel. Older European resorts, such as Zermatt and St
Moritz, have splendid traditional hotels where you can easily spend a
year's salary on a week's holiday. Most resorts have a selection of more
reasonably priced hotels, offering half-board on a weekly basis.
Probably the cheapest option is to rent an apartment. In Europe, the purpose-built
French resorts are best geared up for this, though the accommodation can
be absurdly cramped. North American apartments tend to be much more comfortable.
Rental periods generally run from Saturday to Saturday and you arrange
your own transport.
As food is expensive in ski resorts, stock up with supplies before reaching
your destination.
A popular choice for British skiers is the chalet holiday. For a reasonable
price, this offers flight, transfer from airport to resort, accommodation
and food. Almost all contact with local cuisine or natives is, for better
or for worse, eliminated. Accommodation may be rudimentary and, unless
you can fill the whole chalet with friends, you may have to dine with
bores, but it's a fairly hassle-free, cheap and cheerful way of organizing
your skiing holiday.
Whichever option you choose, make sure your hotel, chalet or apartment
is well located. How far is it from the centre of the village? How close
to the nearest lift? How far from the bus stop?