The UK’s Guardian and Observer newspapers handed out their prestigious 2009 Travel awards last week, awarding Peak Retreats the title of Best Ski Operator.

Known as a specialist for winter holidays in pretty, unspoilt, traditional villages in the French Alps, Peak Retreats took the prize from many much more high profile UK tour operators, registering a satisfaction rating of 97.9% in a poll of nearly 20,000 readers in what was the 23rd year of the UK’s longest running independent travel awards.

According to the Guardian and Observer, Peak Retreats was voted the number one ski company “by pioneering a different type of product to its competitors.”

While many ski companies seem happy to plug away at the same old resorts, Peal Retreats is ploughing its own furrow,”

read the newspaper’s comments. “Looking beyond the Meribels and Val d’Isères, it takes guests to smaller, more authentic French villages, several not featured by other British tour operators. And many of these hidden gems have lifts connecting to far larger resorts, giving the best of both worlds. Setting up in new destinations can be an expensive gamble, so we’re delighted to see if it is paying off for this dynamic company.”

“It’s a huge honour for a small, niche operator to be recognized in this way and we feel incredible proud,” said Xavier Schouller, who sold his own home to set up Peak Retreats with his partner Nathalie Soma in 2002.
Since then the Portsmouth-based company has helped British skiers discover French resorts generally ignored by the big name operators such as Samoëns, Notre-Dame de Bellecombe, Sainte Foy, Morillon and Termignon.
Another key to success has been in providing a new generation of more spacious and comfortable self-catering accommodation, with the majority of apartment residences having indoor pools and leisure facilities.
“When we started some may have seen it as a gamble, but it’s clearly paid off and our clients thank us for offering them an alternative to the big name mass tourism resorts to be found in France,” said Schouller. “With a dedicated team we make it our priority to ensure our clients get the personal service they deserve which leads to lots of repeat business. They also have the confidence in their holidays being fully ABTA bonded to offer complete financial protection.”

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