Will there be April showers or April sunshine? Could be April snow…who knows?!

What there will be is Easter and long school holidays; the perfect time to explore many April holiday ideas and dust off your suitcases…

Easter Day is Sunday 4th April, with Good Friday the 2nd and Easter Monday the 5th, making for a fabulous long weekend.  Should you wish to holiday outside of the school holidays when holiday prices tend to drop, then stick to the last two weeks of April.

For warm April beach holidays, the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain and the Algarve in the south of Portugal are very popular Easter holiday destinations, as the temperatures rise and the smaller resorts start to open after the winter.  Book a low cost flight into Malaga or Faro, pick up a bargain car hire deal with easyCar and add cheap hotel or self catering accommodation for your cheap April holiday!

If you wish to explore, why not discover the delights of at the Neapolitan Riviera on the western coast of Italy?  Fly into Naples Airport and base your holiday on the steep hillside resort of Sorrento with its pretty maze of footpaths, many bathing platforms and pebble beaches. Visit the fishing town of Amalfi and spectacular cliff faced Positano and take a boat tour to Mount Vesuvius and the island of Ischia.  Don’t forget to spend an April day at Pompeii!

For a luxurious holiday or honeymoon in April, Tahiti in the French Polynesia is a superb holiday idea. Beautiful, romantic, full of adventure and the perfect location to escape the rat race, Tahiti could be your own paradise!  Fly into Faa’a International Airport half way between California and Australia, and explore a few of the fabulous 118 islands set in five archipelagos. On the exotic Tahiti islands, book an all inclusive package in a stunning resort, water ski, sail and snorkel, or jump in a 4×4 or quad bike, or take a tour of the islands by helicopter or speed canoe.

If the sun is too hot, then you may be in luck and the high European Ski Resorts may still have a good sprinkling of snow at the beginning of April!  High factor sun block will be a must but head to Tignes or Val d’Isere, Obergurgl or Obertauern, Les Arcs or Chamonix and you should be able to enjoy end of season skiing and boarding.  Best to look out for last minute cheap deals – just in case!

Travel in March and you should discover a travel lull before the Easter storm!

With Easter Day being on Sunday 4th April this year, the first few weeks of March should be quiet for holiday makers which means lower priced holidays, cheap flights, budget car hire and low cost accommodation available. UK schools break up between 13th and 20th for two to three weeks. Holiday prices will be higher but there are still many online holiday bargains to be had!

March is not too late to ski or enjoy a whole host of winter sports in the snow. Bardonecchia in Italy has been experiencing good snow conditions this season and offers a superb choice of cross country skiing trails, two ski areas offering 100 km of runs particularly good for beginner and intermediate skiers, and excellent snowboarding facilities, especially as Bardonecchia hosted the 2006 snowboarding competitions for the Turin Winter Olympics.

In France the deepest snow can be currently found in: Argentiere, Chamonix, Flaine, La Clusaz and Alpe d’Huez. For Austria ski resorts with good snow at the moment look at St Anton, Solden and Lech, whilst Swiss ski resorts recently experiencing a good “dump” include Engelberg, Saas Fee, St Moritz and Gstaad.

For a March city break holiday, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Malaga and Lisbon are all superb holiday destinations. You may still need a coat and gloves whilst exploring these beautiful, cosmopolitan European cities but with the streets clear of most tourists (except closer to Easter) you shouldn’t have to queue at the galleries or city’s attractions. Alternatively include March 17th in your New York City break and the St Patrick’s Day celebrations will take your breath away!

The Canary Islands are a favoured sunshine location in Europe in March. The average temperature in Tenerife in March is around 25 degrees Centigrade/77 degrees Fahrenheit but do keep to the south of islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote etc) for warmer, dryer weather as the north tends to be wetter and windier.

School holidays and children equal Florida! Enjoy the Irish theme at Walt Disney World Resort and at the UK pavilion at Epcot around the 17th March or Epcot’s stunning Flower and Garden Festival; every Saturday throughout March enjoy Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando. Combine the Florida theme parks with the spectacular beaches of St Petersburg and Clearwater, or a Miami Beach come city break with scuba diving in the Florida Keys!

Where are the Half Term holiday deals for skiing? Demand is always popular for ski holidays during the 2nd and 3rd week of February but book now and your family could be having lots of fun in the white stuff!

Ifyouski.com is currently selling various chalet, hotel and self catering accommodation at an incredible discount for departures on 13th and 14th February for 7 nights.  The four star Hotel Euro Ski in Soldeu – El Tarter, Andorra was selling from £1175 per person, but now has a massive saving of £616 taking the holiday cost from £559.00 per person. Whilst the rooms sleep just two people, this hotel would be a good choice for families with older children or teachers on a ski holiday during half term. 

For a cheap ski holiday, how about looking at Bulgaria?  Pamporovo and Borovets miss the beauty that Switzerland, France and Austria have to offer, but if you want to learn to ski or simply, just get away in February, then Bulgaria is worth looking closer at.  Again ifyouski.com are offering low cost ski deals at the four star Hotel Mourgavets in the centre of Pamporovo from £395 per person; a hotel  with indoor pool, sauna and steam room – perfect for relaxing in after a hard day on the slopes!

A personal family favourite, is a ski chalet holiday. Catered, comfy, usually in a great location and with the chance to chat to likeminded people who love to ski or snow board, and often with children too, a family ski chalet holiday may be more expensive than some ski hotel holiday, but it is worth it in bucket loads!
 
Igluski.com has a special offer ski deal for departures on the 21 February for 7 nights from Gatwick, staying at the catered Chalet Cascades which is situated in the heart of Courchevel 1650, France.  Equipment may be hired from the shop below the chalet and the main Ariondaz gondola and piste is immediately opposite the Cascades, so you really can arrive at the resort, chuck your bags in your room and get straight out onto the slopes with the whole family. Iglu are offering a saving of £110 per person and two for one ski and boot hire so the cost per person is £675.00.

For a family ski holiday departing Gatwick on 20 February to Switzerland, Crystal Ski has Type C apartments sleeping up to four at the Allalin Apartments in Saas Fee for 7 nights. The cost for a family of four including two children under 12 years old and two adults sharing one apartment is a TOTAL basic cost of £1258.66 which includes a FREE child place, flights, accommodation and transfers. 

A perfect family ski resort in France (and I know, my family has stayed there twice) is Valmorel. A small resort split over a couple of levels with mainly pedestrianised areas, there is a simple and quick lift system, with skiing straight into the resort. Ideal for beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders, there is an excellent ski school, lots of quaint restaurants and bars and a really relaxing family environment. Staying at the Hotel Du Bourg for 7 nights flying on 13 February from Gatwick to Grenoble, a triple room for two adults and one child under 12 on bed and breakfast basis, costs (including flights and transfers) a total of £2898.23 which includes an online discount of nearly £200.

Of course the expense of a family ski holiday can add up, as there is the ski gear to buy like ski trousers, ski jackets, specialist waterproof gloves and goggles as well as warm waterproof footwear, BUT especially when skiing with growing children, ask friends and family if they have any spare kit, or look at ebay or similar websites where you can buy once worn outfits for a fraction of the retail price!  Everything else can be rented…

Snow has been falling all over Europe – much in places we don’t want it to, but for a cheap ski holiday where is the best place to go and where are the super bargain ski holidays?

Depart Gatwick on Sunday 10 January for 7 nights in Arinsal, Andorra and stay at the 3 star Poblado Apartments on bed and breakfast basis, and Directline Skiing have holidays from £220 per person, with the four star Hotel St Gothard on half board basis from an amazing £284 per person.

A chalet holiday has a whole different feel, so how about the gorgeous 4 star Chalet Lo Soli in Val d’Isere, France travelling with Iglu Ski?  Including flights, catered accommodation and transfers leaving Gatwick on 17 January, Iglu have reduced the price of the holiday from £733 to £563 – a saving of £170 per person.

If you live in the West Country, Thomson Ski are offering cheap ski and snowboard holidays from £149 per person leaving Bristol airport on 9 January 2010 for 7 nights, staying in the self catering Les Horizons D’huez Apartments in Alpe d’Huez, France. Travel on 23 January and the same holiday costs from £244 per person if booked today. Fly from Manchester to France on 16 January, and Thomson Ski low cost ski holidays start from £195 per person for 7 nights, with ski deals from Edinburgh and Exeter starting from £179 per person.

Directski are having a January Sale with savings of up to 50%. This weekend you could be in Soll, Austria having paid just £279 per person for your cheap ski holiday instead of £679 – saving 59%! Leave from Gatwick to Salzburg with a two hour coach transfer to Soll and you could be lounging in the Schindlhaus Apartments and racing through the snowy mountainsides in no time!

Crystal Ski are booking bookings for the 2010/2011 season already, but if you want to travel soon and enjoy a luxury ski holiday, a choice of ski chalets, a family ski holiday or group ski outing, Crystal will have a deal for you! Included in your holiday price are the flights, transfers, all taxes, allocated seating, and in most cases in flight meals and 20kg baggage allowance.  If you can leave next Saturday on 16th January flying from Stansted to Chambery, then the self catering La Fontaine du Roi Apartments in St Jean d’Arves, France are available from a cheap £129.00 per person.

If you would rather book cheap car hire so you don’t have to wait for the transfer coaches on any ski holiday, look at easyCar!   Book in advance and pay on arrival and collect a VW Polo or similar for 7 days at Salzburg in Austria for £194.36 (201 euor) or Skoda Fabia 1.4 or similar for £200.66 (219 euro). A family sized Intermediate MPV 5 door vehicle such as a Renault Scenic 1.8 is currently available for 252 euros (£233.07) for seven days collecting from Geneva Airport on 16 January with easyCar (book and pay in advance).

Ski in Switzerland and you have chosen a beautiful European country full of character, history and stunning scenery.  Ski in the Swiss Alps in the south or the Jura Mountains in the north and you will be amazed by the quaint mountain villages, affluent ski resorts, gorgeous historic Swiss chalet hotels, choice of spas and picture postcard mountain views!

When flying to Switzerland to ski, there is a great choice of airports. Geneva Airport is the most widely used airport in Switzerland for skiing, but remember that as it is on the French-Swiss boarder you must pick up and drop off your hire car in the correct area at the airport. Swiss flights also go to Basel, Berne and Zurich, with the German airports of Munich and Stuttgart also being the gateway to a number of Swiss ski resorts.

Geneva and Zurich are particularly busy during the winter, so it is worth prebooking car rental before you arrive in Switzerland to ensure a car is available.

Ideal for beginners, Crans Montana ski resort (two neighbouring resorts) sits high above the Rhone Valley in the Valais. A popular, modern and lively holiday resort, the pistes are wide and open, with a chairlift travelling to La Toula for advanced skiers.  Saas Fee is also in the Valais, a charming resort situated in the centre of the ski area which is not only great for skiers and boarders but also for those who wish to try the cross country ski trails and toboggan runs. The Ice Climbing World Cup will be held in Saas Fee 18 to 23 January 2010.

The Bernese Oberland area in the Jungfrau region incorporates the Swiss resorts of Grindelwald and Wengen (pronounced vengen).  Set on the Eiger, historic Grindelwald is a cosmopolitan ski resort recommended for intermediate skiers, and is where the World Snow Festival, International Snow Sculpture Contest will be held 18 – 23 January 2010. Picturesque Wengen is situated above the Lauterbrunnen Valley at the foot of the Jungfrau and is traffic free and known as a good family friendly ski resort with highly rated facilities for snowboarders.  Berne Airport is only an hour’s drive from Wengen with Zurich and Basel Airports about two hours away.

In the eastern Graubunden region you will find the snowy resorts of Arosa, Davos, Klosters and St Moritz. Probably the most famous ski resort, St. Moritz is a particular favourite with intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders due to the steepness of the mountain side, and those who just don’t fancy skiing at all as it has a fantastic choice of restaurants, bars and après ski life! Davos is particularly good for advanced skiers and boarders with access to over 300 km of slopes and a ski lift running directly to the (popular with the Royals) resort of Klosters.