Yes it's that time of year again .. time to get out the Snow suits, dust off your skis, borrow a sledge and head for the mountains!

We are spoilt here on the Cote d'Azur for places to visit .. however this month we look at taking a short break a little further away. In true KIDOOKID! style we have been looking for resorts and facilities that make the family's trip an easy, safe and of course fun one!

Enjoying Tobogganing outside L'Auberge

"Chalets & Auberge Sur La Montagne"in Sainte Foy can be found up in the Alps hugging the Italian border. At just under a 5 hour drive from Nice, it is truly a remarkable find for families, skiers and food lovers alike. Run by Sue and Andy Mac the Auberge is nestled among the resorts of Val d'Isère, Tignes and Les Arcs so you have a superb variety of slopes ...all on your doorstep. Lift passes here are also apparently the best value in the Alps ...free for under 7's and reduced for 7-12 year olds.

The write ups were good, we had a personal recommendation and so we took our 14 month old son, Louis, off for his first experience with snow. The Auberge itself was busting with character, delightful wooden beams, a massive fireplace. Our family room was full of charm with a double bed, bunk beds and a cot and plenty of room for his Fisher Price garage we'd brought along! There was a library of videos with a few cartoons available to watch, Free view UK TV , a selection of toys and a sledge to borrow.

Only just walking, Louis was too young to ski himself, so Sue had organised for a "nounou" to come and mind and play with Louis every morning while we went off and hit the slopes with our instructor. Having this "at home care" was fantastic - knowing that Louis could have his morning nap in his own cot, own toys to hand etc in a familiar environment ...meant Mum was free to enjoy a couple of babe free hours on the slopes ... call it much needed me time!

On day 1 our class size was around 6 students and we played around on the beginner slope which felt like a mountain to start with but what a fantastic way to start the New Year ... fresh air, blue skies and exercise.

In the afternoon we went out as a family, sledging or visiting the other resorts, playing snowballs and also chilling out with a book or games by the fire. This balance between childcare in the morning and family time in the afternoon was great and we were also lucky enough to find a member of the Auberge staff willing to baby sit for us one night so that we could enjoy a wonderfully rustic mountain side Fondue.

Now that we are on the subject of food, the food at L'Auberge itself was second to none .. well I guess you could expect it as our host Andy Mac being a qualified Cordon Vert chef! We started the day with a massive buffet breakfast which set us up for a day of snow, and returned to a very welcoming apres-ski tea with yummy homemade cake or biscuits. An early supper for Louis allowed us to get on with bath and bed time before we sneaked out (baby monitor in hand!) to have a quick dip in the outdoor hot tub (!!) soothed our weary bones before settling down to a well deserved 3 course feast fit for a king and wine to wash it down with! We retired back to the lounge and bar with the other guests exchanging stories of the slopes, tips for the next day before retiring to our warm and comfy bed for some serious ZZZzzzzzs.

So a new dawn a new day, time now to work off some of that food back on the slopes .. by day 2 David decided to separate the beginners from the advanced beginners and the newly formed trio and David left to explore the slopes ...And what fantastic slopes they are too ..

As beginners we had perfect conditions; powder snow, blue skies and the slopes to ourselves ... although we were outside of the school holidays we rarely had to wait for a lift, you had the impression you were the first to ski the track even at 11a.m. ..no-one to see us fall or to collide with!!

For the advanced skiers among you, the instructors assured us that Sainte Foy has renowned off piste routes and a challenging 1700m vertical descent of the North West face of Fogliettaz .. in fact legend has it that Sainte Foy is the resort where the Instructors from Val, Tignes and Les Arcs come on their days off... so something for everyone then!

Keep it to yourself ssshhhhhhhhh! !

2005/6 prices Per Person Per Week (pppw) .. daily rates available

• Double room in the Auberge half board: shared bathroom from 250 € pppw , own bathroom from 280 € pppw
• Ski pass for adults 112€ for the week, under 12s 94€/week and free for under 7s

L'Auberge sur la Montagne La Thuile, 73640 Sainte Foy Tarentaise, France