Once upon a time, when it came to ski holidays, parents with kids too young to coax into the Jardin de Neige were forced to abandon their annual week in the mountains or rely on kindly grandparents. Not any longer. Tour operators across the range from the cheap-as-chips mass market to Krug & canapés deluxe have woken up to the need to provide quality childcare, and now we are almost spoilt for choice. Helen Macnaughton chose chalet operator VIP for their week in Val d’Isère with her then 2-year-old son Callum.

“We travelled with friends and their 2 year old daughter, and we chose VIP initially because their chalets looked very swish, and as this was our first ski holiday in some time I felt we deserved something a little special. When I called to book I was told that a private nanny would be the most flexible option, but that we’d have to take over a whole chalet to do this. I was a bit annoyed by this at the time, but having seen the way the kids were allowed the run of the accommodation, I can see why they don’t mix families and couples! We looked at 3-bedroom chalet options, and came up with Aspen Lodge. It would have been a lot cheaper to have the kids share our room, but 3 bedrooms gave us privacy and peace which we decided was worth the extra cost. I was amazed that such a little company had their own dedicated childcare manager. A mum herself, the manager told me exactly what to expect, and explained that all VIP nannies hold a full NNEB or equivalent qualification.

I’ll spare you the details of the journey – suffice to say it was surprisingly uneventful and stress free. When we finally reached our accommodation, we were all blown away by the space and the décor. From the designer bathrooms to the huge living room complete with massive sofas, this was luxury I could get used to. The kids decided the sofas made great trampolines and no-one batted an eyelid so long as shoes were off.

Once we’d settled in, our nanny came to introduce herself. At this point I panicked: what if Callum and Niamh gave her a resounding ‘non’? Just as my dreams of well-earned me-time were melting faster than the snow on the south-facing sun terrace, in bounced Katrina. An Australian enjoying her first experience of snow, Katrina was more Hi 5 than Supernanny, and the kids were won over immediately. The huge box of toys I had lugged all the way from London was ignored as Katrina revealed her own stash of delights. There was even CBeebies on the chalet TV, but judging by the haul of handiwork I took home at the end of the week, there wasn’t much telly-watching going on.

Our babes had a ball. Val is essentially a skiers’ resort and perhaps a little short on charm, but the staff were very creative in keeping the little ones occupied outdoors as well as in. They built snowmen, visited the little farm and play park, went up in one of the cable cars and enjoyed a tea party with all the other nanny charges in town that week. Back at base there was painting, sticking and even baking, plus outdoor play on the large sun terrace at Aspen Lodge. Katrina gave Callum and Niamh lunch each day, so we were free to stay on the mountain virtually till the last lift, at which point all we had to do was come home and supervise the excellent tea already prepared by the chalet host – what a treat.

As I work part time, I didn’t find it too difficult being parted from Callum each morning, and in fact he never protested once as we sailed out the door leaving him still in his Weetabix-encrusted jammies in the arms of the ever-smiling Katrina. My full-time-mum friend found it harder at first, but soon discovered that skiing is not the only thing you can do while your kids are being looked after, and managed to notch up a manicure, a massage and some serious retail therapy in the course of the week away. Shouldn’t I be feeling guilty about spending time away from Callum? Previous family holidays had left him grumpy and bored without the company of other little friends, and me stressed out with the hassle of keeping everyone happy. This time we all had fun and, dare I say it, came back a rather happier family for the experience. There are lots of things in life to feel guilty about, but in my view this is not one of them!”

Helen Macnaughton travelled with VIP, 08701 123 119,www.vip-chalets.com.
Prices for Aspen Lodge in January start at £789, although do look out for late availability discounts. A Private Nanny costs from £325 for a week for up to two children.

We are pleased to offer 10% discount to our customers when you quote the code URCHIN when booking your holiday. The holidays must be booked direct with SnowlineVIP on;
Tel: 08701 123118 OR 08701 123119
Web: www.snowline.co.uk OR www.vip-chalets.com