Going on holiday with friends ? Nowhere measures up like Chamonix

Organising a holiday with friends can be difficult especially when you have to consider the needs and desires of everyone in the party. Where do you start? Most groups are likely to have some adventurous types, some who prefer to chill out in a spa, those who have high expectations for gourmet food and others who are all about the night life.

With this in mind, the ski accommodation specialists PowderBeds.com carried out some independent research to determine exactly what is important to groups of friends when deciding on a group holiday. From this information, they found the perfect solution for a holiday with friends – a ski trip to the world-class resort of Chamonix in the French Alps.

What element is most important to groups of friends holidaying together?

The independent survey questioned 1003 people. Over half of the respondents considered Accommodation to be the most important factor, with Quality of accommodation receiving 9% more of the votes than Price. Quality became increasingly important in direct relation to the age of the respondent, the category received 21% of the votes from 18-24 year-olds whereas it received 38% of the votes from 35-44 year-olds and a further 38% from the 45+ age group.

Scenery and sightseeing also became more appealing with age. The opposite, however, applied when it came to Available activities, with the highest vote coming from the younger age groups.

Variety of nightlife was of highest importance to 25-34 year olds, with 18-24 year olds following close behind.

As our survey highlighted, selecting the right, good quality accommodation is an integral factor for ensuring the success of a group holiday. Chamonix boasts a wealth of top end accommodation, with numerous four star hotels and premium self-catering apartments. Even if you are sticking to a tighter budget, there are a wide range of apartments and hotels on offer, ranging from two to five stars.

Apartments are often the favoured option for larger groups for a number of reasons including:

• An apartment enables the group to spend the maximum amount of time together, as it provides a communal hub for the group to chill out and unwind off the slopes.
• More often than not, apartments prove to be a more cost effective option.
• The reduced cost of apartments as opposed to hotels means that the group have additional funds to spend on recreation, such as spa or sightseeing days.
• The self-catering option is also appealing for groups for a number of reasons. Evenings spent cooking and eating together in the apartment can be great fun for a group, not to mention cost effective.
• Some of the higher starred apartments feature pools, saunas and jacuzzis, plus some of the other perks usually associated with hotels.

That being said, hotels can offer certain benefits over apartments, namely flexible arrival dates and short break availability. With Geneva airport just an hour away, Chamonix is a great resort for short ski breaks and ski weekends, so if your friends don’t fancy a full week away, a hotel could be the best option for you.

For many years Chamonix has been a first choice ski destination, attracting visitors from all over the world. With five different ski areas on offer (two of which are linked together, with the rest separated along the valley), there is huge range of terrain to explore in Chamonix as you can see in our own independent Chamonix ski resort review. The resort is best known for its expert terrain, with a wealth of off-piste opportunities for advanced skiers, but there are still some nursery slopes available to beginners and a good mix of blue and red runs to satisfy intermediate skiers and boarders.

Skiing is undeniably a social activity, even if your group is split up due to different abilities. No day on the slopes is complete without the inevitable meet up in the evening for some well-earned après ski (even if your day was simply spent lounging in the spa!).