Villars-sur-Ollon is a traditional Vaud village on a sunny terrace above the Rhone valley. A mountain railway and cable car link it to the Villars-Gryon-Les Diablerets ski area, which the tourist board describes as 104 km of pistes between about 1,200 m and 3,000 m (Glacier 3000 is the top). The cog railway takes you from the village to Bretaye, the beginner area and ski-school meeting point, and a gondola from Barboleuse links Gryon. It is a compact, low-key resort with a handful of larger hotels and aparthotels, and a ski school that takes children from age 3 (a first 30-minute introduction is offered from 2).
Morning Club (CHF 190 for 5 mornings), Kid's Club (CHF 470 for 5 full days with lunch) and Winter Club (CHF 560, freestyle included) all take snowboarders. Morning Club, ski and snowboard, from 3; the school lists children's lessons from that age; private snowboard lessons are CHF 85 per hour. Lessons meet at Bretaye. Freestyle snowboard coaching is available on request.
10 hotels
A five-star chalet with a supervised kids' club for ages 4 to 12, a spa with sauna and hammam included for guests, and fondue in its own restaurant. Residences sleep up to eight, but half board is not offered on the hotel's own pages and the Winter Family offer excludes the February school holidays.
A four-star opposite the village railway station with 41 m2 family rooms, a games room, a ski room and a spa with sauna, bio sauna, hammam and therapy pool. Half board and a kids' club are not offered on the hotel's pages, and the on-site restaurant serves Chinese food rather than fondue.
A large four-star in the village with 56 m2 family rooms for four, bunk-bed rooms, an indoor pool, sauna and hammam, and a trattoria with a kids' menu. Half board, a kids' club and fondue are not mentioned on the hotel's pages, so ask before booking.
A grand five-star in the village with a spa (sauna, hammam and open-air pool) and suites for four to six people. The second room is half price for a family of four in interconnecting rooms; half board and a kids' club with set ages and hours are not published, so ask the hotel before booking.
Self-catering apartments in the village that combine on one floor for 2 to 10 people, each with an equipped kitchen and balcony. Guests get a pool, sauna, fitness room and a heated ski room, with a free winter shuttle to the lifts, which suits a family of five who want to cook their own meals.
A family-run hotel in the middle of Villars, opposite the Bretaye mountain railway station, with a mezzanine room and connected rooms with bunk beds for children. Breakfast is a buffet and children under 6 eat it free.
Self-catering suites and chalet apartments with kitchens in the grounds of the Alpe Fleurie hotel in central Villars. The smaller suite sleeps four, and the larger ones give a family bedrooms of their own.
A small hotel on the Barboleuse village square at the foot of the lifts, with breakfast included and a secure ski room. It suits families who want to ski back to the door in Gryon and keep costs modest.
The budget end of the Villars Alpine Resort group, with family rooms and a 38 m2 apartment for four, and a restaurant serving fondue and raclette. There is no spa or kids' club on the hotel's own pages and half board is not listed, so it suits families who mainly want an affordable base.
Plain, inexpensive rooms for two to four beside the village pool and ice rink, with their own bathrooms and linen included. A good base for families who want to spend on lift passes and lessons rather than hotel service.
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