Accommodation is the decision families agonize over most — and understandably, since it affects your daily logistics more than almost anything else on the trip. Here’s how we think about it after eight years of doing this.

Location beats everything else

If there’s one rule we’d want every family to take from this post, it’s this: choose location over how modern the accommodation is. A slightly dated apartment that’s ski-in/ski-out will make your week easier than a beautiful, brand-new chalet that’s a 15-minute walk or a bus ride from the lifts.

This matters more with younger kids than people expect. Carrying skis, boots, and poles for multiple kids over any real distance — especially at the end of a long day, when everyone’s tired and someone’s inevitably crying about something — adds a genuine layer of stress that a five-minute walk out the door simply removes.

Ski-in/ski-out: how essential is it, really?

It depends heavily on age:

Under 6s: close to essential. You’ll be carrying gear, and possibly a child, and a long walk turns a good day sour fast.

6-10 year olds: still very much worth prioritizing, though slightly more distance is manageable if the alternative accommodation is significantly better value.

Older kids/teens who can carry their own gear: more flexibility here — a short walk or a quick shuttle becomes far less of an issue.

Self-catered vs. chalet: the actual trade-offs

Self-catered apartments

Cheaper, especially for larger families — you’re not paying for full board you may not fully use

Flexibility on meal timing, which matters with young kids who eat on their own schedule

More effort — you’re grocery shopping and cooking after a day on the slopes

Catered chalets

Meals sorted, including afternoon tea and evening dinner — genuinely valuable when you’re exhausted

Often includes some form of childcare or kids’ club, which some operators build in

Costs significantly more, and you’re locked into their meal schedule

For most families doing a DIY-booked trip (rather than an all-inclusive package), self-catered near the lifts tends to be the sweet spot — you save meaningfully on the accommodation and food side, and reinvest that saving into a better location.

Related: How to Book a Family Ski Trip Yourself (and Save £2,000+ Doing It)