We’ve always rather prided ourselves on avoiding the package ski holiday. We’ve scouted around for the cheapest flights, booked taxis for transfers, found our own hotels and then used the local ski schools and felt, I have to admit, rather smug. Then last year we got our comeuppance. As February approached the pound was in free-fall. We, of course, would be paying for our holiday in Euros at the end of our stay. Come January we made the decision to abandon our Ryan Air flights (the only thing we had paid for) and settle for the flats of Suffolk instead.

So this year we and another family of five decided to book an all-inclusive package. Family Ski is small enough to still offer the personal touch. They specialise in family-friendly resorts and chalets. On their advice, we settle on La Collina, their only chalet hotel in Saas Fee, Switzerland. Saas Fee is postcard pretty, car free and surrounded by the highest mountains in the Alps. The village is high at 1800 metres, with glacier skiing up to 3600 metres, so it is snow-sure even in the first week of the Easter holidays. The only thing we had to organise was the flight (although the transfer was taken care of).

Our flight was at the crack of dawn, which meant a wait in Geneva for the transfer bus before braving the winding 2.5-hour coach journey. Tom (the resort manager) and his smiley team were there to welcome us to La Collina. The chalet hotel was fairly basic but spotless and in good condition. We had a huge family room and a small bunkroom next door. Both rooms had en suite bathrooms and plenty of storage.We set off to get our skis fitted. The grown-ups all walked the ten minutes down the delightful, narrow cobbled streets past charming little chalets and picturesque vistas into the centre of the village, while some of the kids opted to go in Tom’s electric train-like vehicle. Clearly, they had already sussed out who was cool.

Back to La Collina for children’s tea. It was fast becoming clear that it was a particularly child-focused week at the chalet hotel, boosted by our crowd. There were 31 people in total and 18 were under 18. Adult dinner is included. Crunch time as far as I’m concerned; the only thing that was slightly worrying me (not my husband who is hyper sociable) at this stage was the communal eating, particularly after a hard day’s skiing and having to make an effort with people you’ve never met before. But inevitably it was fine and, yes, as the week went on we found a million connections. The food was good and not just carb-overloaded fuel. There was an honesty bar for those who wanted something other than the inclusive wine.

Family Ski offers various wrap around childcare packages. My older two (11 and 9) had ski school in the mornings and three afternoons of organised activities. On the full days they were given lunch, and on the other three we met them for a picnic lunch in the snow and skied en famille in the afternoon. If this is not your cup of tea there’s an all day, every day option. For under threes there’s a crèche conveniently located in the chalet.

The following morning, breakfast is a mixture of self-service (I’m quick to master the industrial coffee machine) and offers from the cook to make eggs etc. Then snacks in pockets, cream on and before we knew it the children had been whisked off to the Eskimo ski school (top notch with great English speaking instructors).

The first day skiing in a new resort is inevitably a fact-finding mission. The bottom slopes at Saas Fee are broad and wide and perfect for beginners. Intermediate skiers can enjoy long cruising runs. There is plenty of skiing for more adventurous skiers but you need to make sure that your ski pass is for Saas Fee Full Area (which includes Saas-Grund, Saas-Almagell and Saas-Balen). On the days where we were childfree all day we skied further afield and enjoyed lunch in one of the lovely mountainside restaurants, complete with the requisite apple schnapps. When we returned the children were full of the thrills and spills of the Ski Park.

Saas Fee is definitely a family resort – the après ski is not for die-hard nightclubbers. Lovely bars with sheepskin rugs line the pretty streets. The village oozes Swiss charm. Back in the chalet there was always a freshly baked cake – no one was going to starve. But all the children wanted to do was get straight down to the pool. Although fairly small, not much more than a plunge pool, it was a magnet for all 18 of them. The noise was quite incredible. And we learnt to take turns in doing pool duty. 

On the cooks’ night off we ventured out to a local fondue restaurant leaving behind the children with pizza delivery orders, the marvellous Tom and their chosen DVD.

Our week was an unqualified success. Admittedly plenty of snow and great weather was a real boon. However, if you are an aggressive skier who wants to cover large distances then perhaps this isn’t for you. But for a family holiday, it doesn’t get much better. Family Ski’s packages are more reasonable than most. This is partly because of the lower key destinations. The ratio of staff to guests is high. The young staff, without exception were unflappable, good-natured and well organised. Nothing fell between the cracks and nothing was too much trouble. As always, proof is in the pudding: on our return we re-booked for the same week next year, as did four of the other families we were with.

Anya Waddington and her family travelled to La Collina, Saas Fee, with Family Ski Company 

familyski.co.uk. £3,804 for a family four (excluding flights) over Easter 2011.