Ski Resort Les Menuires, in the 3 Valleys ski area in the French Alps, announces a new event for winter season launch, the opening weekend, 8-9 December 2018
This new event, “RIGHT ROUND THE CLOCK: THE LES MENUIRES 24 HOURS” celebrates the opening of the season with a new fun challenge.
Each day – Saturday and Sunday, the ski slopes will be open from 9am to 9pm – 24 hours of glorious fun in the snow for everyone.
Skiers from every walk of life, desperate to get back out on skis that have been put away for way too long, can ski or ride a full 12 hours each day.
Throughout the weekend, there will be pit stops available from food stands serving raclettes and giant fondues.
The La Croisette area will serve as paddock for skiers to check in, service or wax their skis/boards.
Offer – Accommodation & lift pass for the weekend start from 90.80 euros
Erna Low, the Ski Specialist to the French Alps, launches the winter season with 10 New Properties.
For the first time, Erna Low adds the picturesque resort of Arêches-Beaufort. Arêches-Beaufort is a great resort for families as it has a much shorter drive time from Calais as well as being a good value alternative to more well-known resorts. It is close to Albertville in the Beaufortain valley and will be particularly attractive to lovers of the famous Beaufort cheese. Whilst the resort is little-known on the UK market, the advantage is that prices are very competitive throughout the season.
A seven night stay in the New 4* La Cle des Cimes Residence with its indoor pool and ô Pure spa will cost just £747 for the week beginning 05 January 2019 for a 1 bedroom apartment for 4 person including a return Flexiplus crossing with Eurotunnel for 1 car. That equates to £187 per person including travel.
Joanna Yellowlees-Bound, CEO of Erna Low comments, “Over the last few seasons we have realised that we are selling more self-drive ski holidays to the French Alps than any other type of ski holiday, so moving forward this is what we have decided to focus on – ski holidays to France. With all our years of experience and knowledge, we endeavour to find the best ski holidays for our clients”.
Over 30 years ago, in Erna Low’s Guide to Family Skiing of 1973, founder Erna Low herself wrote; “Renting a furnished apartment is a very popular and comparatively inexpensive way for a family to enjoy a ski holiday. Apartments can be rented in all the modern French ski stations – La Plagne, Les Arcs, Flaine and many others.”
Erna Low added, “Taking your own car has advantages if at least four people travel together, take their own food for the journey and motor through the night. Your car and passenger passage by boat (Sealink or Townsend Thorensen) should be booked well in advance direct with the shipping company. Remember to drive on the RIGHT and take pills for car sickness.”
Today Erna Low continues to promote travelling by car to the Alps and the company enjoys a special partnership with Eurotunnel. The result is that all clients travel with Flexiplus (equivalent to travelling Club or First Class on a flight). Clients enjoy access to the new Flexiplus lounges in Folkestone and Calais and benefit from priority boarding.
New in Alpe d’Huez the 5* Hotel & Residence Daria-I Nor
This new hotel with some additional spacious apartments in the Residence Daria-I-Nor is in the central Eclose area of Alpe d’Huez, with spectacular panoramic views of the valley and easy access to the slopes. Erna Low offer 7 nights from 05 January 2019 for £1536 for a 1 bedroom apartment with cabin for 4 persons including use of the fabulous spa facilities at the hotel. This price also includes a return Flexiplus crossing with Eurotunnel.
Ever Popular Arc 1950
Arc 1950 remains one of the most popular resorts offered by Erna Low. Book now for Half Term:
Erna Low offers 7 nights in ski in-out Arc 1950, France, for February half term with a saving of 10% on the accommodation. A spacious 2 bedroom apartment for 4/6 persons was £3801 and is now £3460. All residences have their own pool and the resort offers a programme of activities for children during the week, as well as having a crèche for little ones. This price also includes a return Flexiplus crossing with Eurotunnel arriving 16 February 2019. There are further Early Booking Discounts of up to 20% off low season dates.
Erna Low is the oldest independent ski company, founded in 1932 by pioneering entrepreneur, Miss Erna Low. A leading ski operator to all the best resorts in France and beyond. Erna Low can offer flights from 21 UK airports direct to the mountains with resort transfers/car hire, or great value self-drive ski holidays including Eurotunnel crossings. www.ernalow.co.uk @ErnaLow
image: c Andy Parent/arc1950.com
Spring brings warmer temperatures, sunshine and ideal skiing conditions for a great end to the season in Arc 1950, closing on 28th April 2018.
Erna Low Property has unrivalled knowledge of the French property market, with a particular expertise in the French Alps. Erna Low Property launches its 2018 French Alps Property Reportwhich includes the following key trends:
French Property Market Is Booming
There were a record number of sales of existing properties last year (958,000 report page 5). Along with strong international demand, this is helping to drive a wave of new developments across the French Alps.
Vaujany, connected to Alpe d’Huez, is a great example of this where Erna Low Property currently has three developments in progress with sales being fuelled by the impending 2021 lift- link to neighbouring ski resort Les Deux Alpes.
Race To The Top
French resorts are involved in a “race to the top” to become global brands – and they are investing staggering amounts of money in redevelopment and infrastructure. La Plagne, for example, has announced €455million of new spending (some of this is in collaboration with Pierre et Vacances). €12 million of this is focused on new snowmaking systems. La Plagne will also see its first 5* development of apartments – The White Pearl. Châtel continues to expand, with new developments taking advantage of its rising profile, both as a ski resort and a mountain-biking hub.
Ultra-Low Euro Mortgage Rates and the Best Currency Rates
Ultra-low Euro mortgage rates mean the cost of borrowing is cheap [see graph on page 5]; repayments on, for example, a €240,000 fixed rate mortgage are still considerably lower in 2018 than they were in 2011 and 2014.
Francois Marchand, Director of Erna Low Property adds, “Interest from UK-based buyers remains strong. The average spend of Erna Low Property clients has risen in the last two years, this coupled with the ongoing low mortgage rates mean it is an excellent time for buyers; plus with our currency expert Halo, we can ensure buyers benefit from the best rates available.”
South of France or French Alps for Summer
Buyers are ever-more interested in summer – a resort with good summer facilities, close to Geneva or other main airport – are now as sought-after in summer as in winter.
Erna Low Property has been selling properties in the South of France for over 10 years. Complementing its Alps business, clients have options in the Cote d’Azur and Provence. NEW, close to Cannes, Villa Alice offers apartments from just €150,000.
Standards Are Rising
The age of the rabbit-hutch apartment is gone, and our partner developers such as Nexalia and Terresens offer more spacious properties, with bigger windows, higher-quality finishes, and wood-burning stoves. Customised interiors (e.g. you can reduce the number of bedrooms if you want a bigger lounge), and more flexible rental schemes are all part of the scene now.
Please contact Vanessa Fisher for a printed copy of the Erna Low Property French Alps Report, any information on available properties for sale and/or images: vanessa@vanessafisher.com 07957 618525
Erna Low Property was established to offer customers the opportunity to purchase properties in some of the world’s most beautiful and desirable locations. Whether looking for snow or sun, Erna Low Property helps buyers to choose the perfect property for holidays, retirement or investment.
Erna Low’s ongoing relationship with top Canadian resort developer Intrawest (well-known for pioneering Whistler and Mont Tremblant in Canada and Arc 1950 Le Village in France) led to the launch of Erna Low Property in 2003. Arc 1950, a new ski village in the French Alps and Intrawest’s very first project in Europe, was the first key property sales project for Erna Low and over the past few years, Erna Low’s property sales service has gone from strength to strength. Erna Low Property has its dedicated Estate Agency to sell properties all over the Alps and the South of France to property investors.
Erna Low Property now holds a sizeable portfolio of properties from the French Alps, across Europe and beyond. With their background as a specialist, niche tour operator, Erna Low Property and Erna Low Travel have been hugely successful in introducing many clients to both property sales and holiday rentals.
A resort that works for Kids, Tweens and Teens plus a skiing Grandad at Half Term: Wengen in Switzerland.NEW
My visit was a family visit.
A return to a resort I have been to many times but not with my family for a couple of years – like many Wengen regulars we were lured back by its enduring appeal for families.
My dad, now 72, wanted another ski with his grandchildren before his various ailments curtail his skiing.
To cut a long story short I ended up taking half of his eight grandchildren to Wengen;
One young one, a couple of ‘tweens’ and one teen, along with my father “grandad”, whose own health has been a bit suspect of late.
Wengen worked for everyone.
Tired legs – young and old – can come down from the mountains by train or cable car.
Teens can hoon around the circuit from the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and speed down the Lauberhorn back to the village.
The teen found some fellow skiing teens who he has met before in Wengen = happy teen!
Grandad liked to have a regular break at lunchtime in the sunshine when it appeared or was happy to latch on to a random group over a bowl of soup at ‘the station restaurant’ at Kleine Schiedegg.
Mobile phones make it even easier these days to connect with everyone but the joy of Wengen is the accessibility of its slopes using the excellent trains.
Plus the stand out wigwam – an easy meeting point come rain or shine (and we had both!).
If you want to ski back to the village base, there are options to suit all abilities and on our final full day in the sunshine all the grandchildren made it down the famous 4.5km Lauberhorn Downhill run, a proud moment!
Despite it being half term, we avoided the cable car queues in the morning with early starts.
Not once did we queue at Grindelwald for a bubble or return train up the mountain.
The blue run through the trees to ‘Brandegg’ and all the way down became a favourite for all ages, younger legs darting in and out of the bumps and paths in amongst the woods and snow banks and the older less flexible legs finding the smooth path between the woods easy to turn on.
There are a few ski resorts which work well for mixed ability and mixed age groups but none that I have been to, make it as easy as Wengen.
For the first time, Erna Low adds the picturesque resort of Arêches-Beaufort. Arêches-Beaufort is a great resort for families as it has a much shorter drive time from Calais as well as being a good value alternative to more well-known resorts. It is close to Albertville in the Beaufortain valley and will be particularly attractive to lovers of the famous Beaufort cheese. Whilst the resort is little-known on the UK market, the advantage is that prices are very competitive throughout the season.
