Christmas escape to the Pyrenees

L’Ancienne Poste, a six-bedroomed ski lodge in the village of Avajan in the heart of the French Pyrenees, is available to hire in its entirety by a family or group of friends this Christmas.

The English-owned-and-run lodge – originally the village post office – is located in a quiet location which is just 10-minutes’ drive from the three ski resorts of Peyragudes (peyragudes.com), Saint Lary (saintlary.com) and Piau Engaly (piau-engaly.com) which, between them, total 20 black, 52 red and 69 blues runs.

The family-friendly lodge, which will be seasonally decorated, is perfect for those who would rather avoid the busy, more boisterous resorts of the Alps.

L’Ancienne Poste is owned by Englishman James Dealtry, a fully-qualified ski instructor who worked with the French ski school in Val D’Iseres for 12 years and the price of the Christmas stay includes three days’ guiding with him.

Guests will enjoy a four-course meal with wine each evening (and of course a superb traditional Christmas lunch on Christmas Day) freshly prepared by the lodge’s in-house chef, Karen Emerson.

As well as downhill skiing and boarding, other winter activities available include ice climbing, snowshoe trekking, dog sledding, ski touring and tobogganing. The lodge can also book treatments at the Balnea Spa which is located just a short stroll away.

The area is well served by three main airports Pau, Lourdes-Tarbes, and Toulouse and can be accessed using low cost airlines such as Easyjet or Ryanair along with other mainstream airlines such as British Airways.

The week-long Christmas stay costs from €764 pp (15% discount) which includes 7-nights’ half-board (plus Christmas lunch) including a four-course evening meal with wine and coffee. Ten-night stays that include the New Year are also available on request.

For more information, visit ancienneposteavajan.com.