Jane Knight and family head to the Waldhaus Flims with Powder Byrne

The Times
December 17 2011
By Jane Knight

CHILL OUT WITH THE KIDS ON THE SLOPES

BEST FOR LUXURY:

Powder Byrne, Flims, Switzerland
If skiing is like being in a privileged club, skiing with Powder Byrne is like belonging to the most exclusive part of that club. It's pretty much the best family skiing package out there if you have the money....

“There is a nice community feel; it is an opportunity to meet other interesting people,” said Judy Mitchem, of London, on her third Powder Byrne holiday. “I think every year that it’s the price of a car, but it is worth it because it really takes the hassle out of skiing.”
 
That hassle-free feeling starts at Stansted on the Powder Byrne charter flight to Friedrichshafen, with its smiling reps and free refreshments, then on to the little-known Swiss resort of Flims, one of the company’s core resorts.
 
We stayed in the Waldhaus, which is more faded grandeur than grand, a strange series of buildings in a park connected by underground passageways that sometimes lead to deserted rooms, giving it a ramshackle feel. Our bedroom, though large, wasn’t anything special, while the restaurant service was some of the slowest I have ever experienced, particularly at breakfast.
 
There was, however, a good choice of places to eat on the half-board meal plan, with a Chinese, a pizzeria, a fondue restaurant and a curling bar in addition to the main restaurant. And the outdoor pool was a great place to wallow in at the end of the day, chatting to barristers, accountants and City high flyers, many of whom return year after year.

Apart from the family feel of it all, they come because Powder Byrne excels on the slopes. The incredibly well-run children’s ski school (which runs all day) had groups of no more than six, each with an instructor and a Powder Byrne rep. Adults also had groups of different abilities for ski guiding; mine never had more than four people in it. On one of the days Judy and I were the only two skiers with top guide Andreas — the guy who the television presenter Fiona Bruce likes to ski with.
 
It’s not ski in, ski out — the slopes are a short shuttle from the hotel — but the resort offers good skiing with efficient and heated chair lifts and gondolas. On family day, when there are no classes, my son and I headed off to neighbouring Laax with Andreas, down a black run. When it got slightly too tough for my son, that was no problem; Andreas simply picked him up and skied him down. With Powder Byrne, it’s all part of the service.
 
One word of warning, though: not only is the bill steep, but it’s an unwritten rule that you pick up the tab for your ski guide’s lunch, too.
 
The lowdown
Seven nights’ half board at the Waldhaus with return charter flights to Friedrichshafen costs £10,430 for a family of four in a junior suite with two extra beds. Ski passes, ski hire and kids’ ski school (£495 to £545 a week) are extra.

 

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