One of the best beach holidays I have had for many years. My son and I have a regular annual sailing holiday and this was superb. The place is extremely well managed by Hugo and Local Greek family and it really does feel like you are staying with friends, highly recommended


Ski holidays in the French Alps.
Our specialist ski holiday team.
We love all things skiing and boarding. Most of the team have worked seasons in the French Alps and have been organising ski holidays for their own friends and families for years. BeyondPiste is our specialist ski company with a small, carefully chosen selection of snow-sure chalets and hotels in France.
Three resorts, three catered chalets. Val Thorens for snow-sure high altitude on the Three Valleys, Meribel for the classic pretty-wooden-chalet week at the heart of the same lift system, Vaujany for the quieter Grand Domaine alternative. All ski-in ski-out or a short flat walk to the lifts.
Expert advice, tailor-made.
Tell us what you're after. Sound, impartial advice, recommendations, all the info. Price, resort, accommodation, transfers, how / when / where, we've got you. Using BeyondPiste you get expert advice and skip the hassle of a normal ski booking.
- Expert advice & local knowledge
- First-hand experience of every resort
- Free travel planner for flights & transfers
- Tailor-made holidays
- Ski hire and essentials organised
- After-sales concierge service
- Snow-sure chalets hand-picked
- Family-friendly resorts
- ATOL protected since 2001
- British Travel Award winner
- IPP insolvency insured
- Small team, South Devon based
Every skiweek.
Season runs early December to late April. Val Thorens is snow-sure into May.
From £698 pp
A week in the French Alps.
Footage from Le Sherpa Val Thorens, Le Mottaret Meribel and Chalet Sika in Vaujany. Cooked breakfast, afternoon tea, the walk to the lift, dinner with wine.
Real people. Real holidays.
Just returned from another learn to sail, excellent tuition from Shirley ,used this company for many years now and always a good experience. Hope to return next year for yacht delivery and a flotilla.
Wonderful holiday in a beautiful location.Friendly, competent staff, many activities on offer, very good safety support for all water sports. Would love to see Optimists introduced for younger children learning to sail!
Family-friendly, snow-sure, catered.
Six editorial blocks cover the French Alps as a destination, our family-run catered chalet model, the resort choices (Val Thorens, Meribel, Vaujany) and family ski logistics.

Traditional alpine heritage.
Easy to travel to and steeped in traditional alpine history, the French Alps are an area of outstanding natural beauty with a friendly, long-established community for skiers and mountain lovers. Home to some of the largest linked ski areas in Europe. Our ski resorts are each a little different, but all so much more than touristy purpose-built resorts. Charming restaurants, state-of-the-art lifts, guaranteed snow.

Cooked breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner with wine.
Our ski weeks are the old-fashioned catered chalet model, run properly. Cooked breakfast, afternoon tea with cake, three-course dinner with wine, six nights a week. Same hosts across the season, so by week four they know what every guest drinks and which kids are peanut-allergic. Night off Wednesdays so hosts can sleep, that's when you eat out in resort.

Highest resort in Europe.
Hotel Le Sherpa at 2,300m, with pistes up to 3,230m. Val Thorens is the snow-sure pick: one of the longest seasons in the Alps (late November to early May) and the most reliable cold-snow conditions. Only resort in the Three Valleys above the tree line. Ski-in ski-out from the chalet door.

Heart of the Three Valleys.
Hotel & Spa Le Mottaret at the heart of the Three Valleys lift system (600km of piste on one pass). Pretty wooden-chalet resort, livelier après than Val Thorens, lift-linked to Courchevel and Val Thorens without having to drive anywhere.

Quieter Grand Domaine alternative.
Chalet Sika in Vaujany on the Grand Domaine (250km of piste lift-linked to Alpe d'Huez via a purpose-built gondola). Far fewer crowds than the Three Valleys. Where BeyondPiste started: James, one of the founders, did his seasons in Vaujany and still finds new backcountry runs each year.
We know what makes a great family ski week.
Our job is to take the stress off your shoulders so you can enjoy your time in our family-friendly chalets and hotels. We work with the best ski schools to make sure your kids get the attention they need, and every resort is hand-picked with families in mind.
Who a ski week suits.
Catered chalets scale. Families, couples, groups taking a whole chalet. Three quick angles.

Families
Family-geared chalets, ski school on the doorstep, in-chalet dinner so kids eat early.
- Hotel & Spa Le Mottaret, MéribelFrom £750
- Hotel Le Sherpa, Val ThorensFrom £698
- Chalet Sika, VaujanyFrom £4,515

Couples
Small chalets of 12 to 18, shared tables, two nights off from cooking.
- Hotel & Spa Le Mottaret, MéribelFrom £750
- Hotel Le Sherpa, Val ThorensFrom £698
- Chalet Sika, VaujanyFrom £4,515
Three resorts, three catered chalets.
Val Thorens for altitude, Meribel for the heart of the Three Valleys, Vaujany for the quieter Grand Domaine lift-linked to Alpe d'Huez. Pick your snow.
Three resorts, pinned.
Val Thorens, Meribel, Vaujany. Click the pins for the chalets.
Family-run chalets, proper snow.
Catered chalets on the Three Valleys and Grand Domaine. Same hosts, same kitchens, every week.
Our ski weeks are the old-fashioned catered-chalet model, run properly. Same hosts in each chalet across the season, so by week four they know what every guest drinks and which kids are peanut-allergic.
All three chalets are ski-in ski-out or a flat walk to the lifts. Cooked breakfast, afternoon tea with cake, three-course dinner with wine, six nights a week. Night off Wednesdays so hosts can sleep, that's when you eat out in resort.
Val Thorens Le Sherpa is our snow-sure pick at 2,300m on the Three Valleys. Meribel puts you at the pretty wooden-chalet heart of the same lift system. Vaujany is the quieter Grand Domaine alternative, connected to Alpe d'Huez via a purpose-built gondola, far fewer crowds.
A specialist ski team.
A cheatsheet. Every point below defines a BeyondPiste ski week.
- Friendly hotels & chalets
- Snow-sure resorts
- For families & friends
- Catered chalet model
- Three Valleys + Grand Domaine
- In-chalet cooked dinner
- Hand-picked French Alps
- Ski school pre-booked
- Transfers & flights arranged
- Ski-in ski-out addresses
- ATOL protected
- Small South Devon team
Hotel & Spa Le Mottaret, Méribel
Hotel & Spa Le Mottaret: a ski-in, ski-out half-board hotel in Méribel-Mottaret with spa, outdoor jacuzzi, indoor pool and a 5-course buffet dinner every evening. Part of the Three Valleys (600km). Family-friendly, fireplace lounge, board games built into the tables.
Call the team on 01548 288459 Mon-Fri 9am-6pm or Sat 9am-1pm, or send an enquiry from any holiday page. We talk you through availability, dates and extras, email a written quote, and you confirm with a deposit. No online cart , every booking has a human on our side of it.
Deposits are typically 25% of the holiday cost at time of booking, with the balance due around ten weeks before departure. Flights pay in full at booking. Your written quote spells out the exact figures and dates before you pay anything.
Flights are quoted alongside the holiday rather than bundled, so you only pay for the routing that works for you. We'll match flights to your preferred dates from your preferred UK airport, or if you'd rather book your own flights we can work around your schedule.
Yes. Our weeks run Saturday to Saturday by default but we can extend, combine two weeks back-to-back (flotilla followed by a beach-club week is a favourite), or add a pre- or post-holiday night somewhere. Mention it when you enquire and we will build the itinerary.
UK debit and credit card (no surcharge on debit), bank transfer, or Trust My Travel for protected payments. We do not accept cash. Card payments are processed by Stripe and never stored by us.
Yes, and we rarely charge for it if there is time before departure. Name changes, room upgrades, adding a child, swapping a cabin , tell us what you need. Some supplier charges (flight name changes, for example) are unavoidable but we'll quote those upfront.
Most BeyondBeach guests fly from Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham or Edinburgh. We work with British Airways, Jet2, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air across our three countries. Regional options depend on season so ring the team for live availability.
Geneva to Val Thorens is around 3hr 45min, Meribel around 2hr 45min, Vaujany around 2hr 30min door-to-door when roads are clear. Saturday peak-season traffic adds 30 to 60 minutes. We arrange private or shared transfers on request.
Yes. The Eurostar Ski Train runs weekly from London St Pancras to Moûtiers, which is a 55-minute transfer to Meribel or Val Thorens. Eurostar + TGV via Paris to Grenoble covers Vaujany. Rail is slower but a lot more relaxing and greener.
Direct flights to Kefalonia (EFL) run May-October from most UK airports, typically 3hr 45min. Off-season or last-minute you can route via Athens or Preveza and our team handles the transfer up to your bay.
In-resort transfers (airport to beach club, or airport to chalet) are included on the vast majority of our holidays. Some flotilla and yacht charter arrivals self-transfer from the airport to the marina (a 20-minute taxi), and we always note which model applies in your written quote.
Yes, and families are a big part of what we do. Beach clubs have free kids watersports from age six, the Alpine Family Club runs a kids club from 6 months to 16 years, and ski school programmes teach in English from age three. Cots, high chairs and interconnecting rooms are available on request.
Absolutely. Singles Sailing is purpose-built for solo travellers (no single supplement , you'll share a cabin with another solo sailor). On beach club weeks, yoga and BlitzFitness are especially popular with solo bookers, and we waive the single supplement on most weeks outside July and August school holidays.
Yes. Intro to Sailing is designed for complete beginners , no experience needed. Every beach club has coached clinics included daily and RYA-qualified instruction at the watersports centre. Ski school teaches English from Day One green-runs up. We'll match you to the right level on arrival.
Yes. West Coast Flotilla and Yacht Charter are aimed squarely at sailors with miles under the keel. Val Thorens and the Three Valleys cover expert-level off-piste with a guide. We'll discuss your experience at the quote stage so the week matches your expectations.
No. Our clubs are all-inclusive but not all-you-can-eat , a lot of guests use one activity a day and spend the rest of the time reading by the pool. The programme is a menu, not a timetable. You decide what you do.
Yes. All our holidays are ATOL protected (ATOL 6306) and we also hold IPP insolvency insurance as an extra layer of protection. Your booking is financially secure from the moment you pay your deposit.
We strongly recommend travel insurance with cancellation cover, medical cover (including winter sports for ski holidays, and water sports for sailing), and baggage cover. Ring the team and we'll point you at comparison sites that suit your trip type.
Cancellation terms vary by holiday and by how close to departure you cancel. Your written quote spells out the specific policy for your trip at the point of booking , typically the deposit is non-refundable, with increasing charges as departure approaches. This is why we recommend travel insurance with cancellation cover from the day you book.
If we have to cancel for operational reasons (weather, airline failure, supplier issue) we'll offer a full refund, a transfer to a different week, or an alternative holiday at the same price, whichever you prefer.
Val Thorens typically opens in late November and stays open until early May thanks to its altitude (pistes up to 3,230m). Meribel opens early December and runs until late April. Vaujany runs mid-December to mid-April. Snow is reliable from January onwards across all three.
Not by default. Lift passes and equipment hire are bookable alongside the holiday so you only pay for what you need (e.g. small children skip the pass). We get resort-direct rates and pre-book everything so you're ready to ski on arrival.
Yes , it's our summer programme in Vaujany, June to September. Kids club from 6 months, lift-assisted mountain biking, guided walks, canyoning, paragliding, swimming in alpine lakes. No skiing, no snow. Completely different from the winter proposition.
Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe (2,300m) with guaranteed snow and lively après. Meribel sits at the heart of the Three Valleys with wall-to-wall intermediate terrain and traditional chalet feel. Vaujany is quieter, family-first, on the Grand Domaine (same lifts as Alpe d'Huez) with shorter transfer and lower altitude.
No. Every chalet has English-speaking hosts, ski school teaches in English from age three, and resort staff in all three destinations speak English. A few phrases go a long way for the bakery run but you'll be understood without them.
Ski lessons are not bundled into the holiday price, because different guests need different lesson levels and group sizes. We pre-arrange English-speaking group or private lessons at your resort based on your ability before you travel. Group lessons are typically around EUR 150 to EUR 200 for a 6-day morning course; private lessons run EUR 300 to EUR 600 per day depending on resort and season.
At Le Sherpa Val Thorens, yes: you click in at the chalet door and ski to the lifts. At our Meribel and Vaujany chalets it's a 2-3 minute flat walk to the nearest lift, which is standard even for properties marketed as ski-in ski-out. We'll tell you exactly which lift you're walking to before you book.
Our chalet hosts cook breakfast, set an afternoon tea (cake, tea, coffee) and prepare a three-course dinner with wine, six nights out of seven. The seventh night is off so hosts can rest; that night you eat out in resort. Hosts live in the chalet and are on hand for any practical needs (ski storage, lift pass collection, transfers, medical issues).
Yes. Geneva is the closest major airport for Val Thorens (3hr 45min) and Meribel (2hr 45min). Vaujany is quicker from Grenoble (1hr 45min) or Lyon (2hr). We arrange private or shared transfers as part of the booking; the Eurostar Ski Train to Moûtiers is another option for Val Thorens and Meribel, with a short transfer up from the station.
Or, go a different way.
Four programmes, one team. If this isn't quite your week, here's where the others live.

Beach Club Holidays
All-inclusive beach clubs with watersports, yoga and BlitzFitness included. Based on the sheltered bays of the Ionian, Aegean and Portuguese Atlantic.

Sailing Holidays
Flotillas, yacht charter and tuition weeks across the Ionian and Saronic. From absolute beginners to skippered crews sailing their own boat.

Mountain Holidays
Alpine family clubs, guided walking, mountain biking and climbing across the French Alps. Summer programmes running June to September.
Pick up the phone. We've been there.
Every person in our South Devon office has stayed at the holiday you're looking at. Ask anything: which week is best, what to pack, which flight saves you a connection.
No call centres, no scripts, no upsell. Just honest advice from people who genuinely run these holidays.




Susy, James, Caroline & Amelia
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