Norwegian would
SAVVY travellers can save big on long-haul flights with Norwegian’s New Year sale, including all 11 routes to the US and two to South America.
Based on selected departures until
October 31, you can bag bargain one-way flights across the pond from £134 or to South America from just £179. Deals are also on short-haul trips with tickets from £29.
ALL the signs are pointing towards a brilliant ski season, with deep snow already carpeting the Alps. If you are an infrequent skier, a skier on a budget or a total beginner, France’s Les Deux Alpes is the place to be.
Slope off Why here?
It may not be where the jetset hangs out, and its 200km of pistes means it is ranked as only medium sized, but Les Deux Alpes has several advantages over other resorts.
Access is relatively straightforward from airports in Lyon, Chambery or Grenoble, just 90 minutes away. Or get here from Grenoble railway station in 75 minutes.
Secondly its price is competitive. You can get a week’s package for around £700, which is cheap for skiing. And shops and restaurants – generally costly in ski resorts – are relatively good value here.
It is a simple resort to get around, with one long, level main street.
Most of the buildings are wooden, making it more pleasing on the eye than many a purpose-built resort in France. And finally it is very international, which means lots of English spoken. See les2alpes.com/en.
New highs Up to the glacier
The big selling points of Les Deux Alpes are the height and opportunities to go off piste. The resort is at 1,650 metres, from where you can get a combination of lifts up to 3,600 metres on the Glacier de Montel, whose presence guarantees year-round skiing and a great view.
In fact most skiers head up here at any time of year, even in summer, because at this height the pistes are pristine and broad, and make anyone feel like a world champion.
From the glacier you can ski all the way to the bottom on a mix of blue runs, some reds and a handful of blacks, although the last bit into the resort steepens and can be challenging.
Going off piste should always be attempted with a guide who knows the best, and safest, places. There are six different ski schools, each with its own specialisations.
See les2alpes.com/en/ski-schools.html.
Big village Resort attractions
Les Deux Alpes gets its name from two farming villages, lower down, which used to send their cattle up to the slopes in summer. Where once cattle grazed, there are now supermarkets, delicatessens, spas, boutiques, restaurants and bars. You will find a big public pool next to a public ice-rink in the town centre, where admission is £4.50. A free bus circulates so you don’t have to walk anywhere.
Delicatessens and chocolatiers are numerous and hot chocolate, usually around £3, is a speciality in cafes. Génépi, a liqueur made with wormwood, is sold everywhere, and often offered as a digestif after meals.
The lower prices mean a lot of students come here, so there is a lively apres-ski which kicks off in the Umbrella Bar right at the foot of the slopes then spreads to the likes of the Avalanche nightclub. Typically, a glass of wine will cost around £5.50 and a beer £5.
Get offski! Alternative entertainment
If you want to have a bit of snow fun, most hotels supply bum sledges free of charge, and the tourist office in the main square can organise the likes of snow-shoe hiking, ebiking on snow tracks and dog-sledging.
Provided the weather is clear, everyone should try to get to the viewpoint up at
3,600 metres, from where there is a terrific view to Mont Blanc, and right down to the Rhone valley.
For non-skiers the trip up – via three lifts – will cost £23, but it is worth it, especially when you consider that taking the funicular up the Jungfrau in Switzerland costs four times more for a viewpoint that is lower.
Also worth doing is paying £5 for the chairlift up to the Le Diable au Coeur restaurant, with its sundeck and great food.
Main dishes cost £15-20. See lediableaucoeur.com.
For a step into another world, take the £5.50 cable car down to Venosc, one of the original farm villages.
In this silent valley, old stone houses with