Taking the ski coach to enjoy the upmarket Trois Vallées on a budget

Some people do several of these weekend trips each winter, a way of hitting the slopes frequently without breaking the bank, but does it come at a price?

Skiers on the piste in Méribel

At 4am on a drizzly Friday morning, outside a petrol station somewhere north of Lyon, I wondered what the hell I was doing. All around me, blurry-eyed individuals, in woolly hats and ski jackets zipped-up tightly, made their way back to the coach. Only another four hours to go.

Skiing has never been the cheapest of pastimes. A week on the pistes can easily set you back as much as a trip to the Caribbean. Recent research suggests the average week's ski break costs around £500 in France – and that doesn't even include travel and accommodation. But there's light at the end of the ski tunnel. Emerging destinations such as Bulgaria offer good value for money, but what about the firm favourites? Just how cheaply can you get a quick snow fix in, say, the French Alps? I vowed to find out. A cheap and cheerful weekend in Les Trois Vallées? Yes, please. The catch? Travelling overnight by coach.

With low prices and just one day needed off work, a four-night trip to Méribel (two on the coach; two in a hotel) with Ski Weekends was too temping to resist.

The 57-seater coach pulled out of a crowded Victoria Coach Station at 5pm on the dot, as the Thursday evening rush hour seized its grip on the capital. In a bid to pass the next 15 hours as comfortably as possible, I'd splashed out on the relative luxury of a “Club Class” seat – extra legroom, a deeper recline and inflatable neck pillow for an additional £30 return.

The Hangover flickered on the overhead TV screens as the sun set over the M20 and the Kent countryside vanished beneath an inky black blanket. Behind the wheel was Vernon, a rotund chap who has been driving skiers back and forth across Europe for the past 28 years. “A lot of people prefer flying but you don't see anything on a plane,” he mused as we entered the Channel Tunnel.

Sitting behind me, armed with blankets and a pillow from home was Sarah from Maidstone, a ski-by-coach veteran. “I use this to get my ski legs back before going on a proper week-long trip later in the season,” she said.

Of course, the cost creeps up once you factor in equipment and lift passes but it's still possible to save hundreds by forgoing a flight. Some people do several of these weekend trips each winter – a way of hitting the slopes frequently without breaking the bank, but I wondered whether it came at a price. Are you simply too tired to actually enjoy it?

Ski Weekends coach

A few hours of broken sleep came to an end as we pressed through the French region of Savoie. I woke at an uncomfortable angle, like a nimbly jointed contortionist, with my face pressed against the steamed-up window.

Barely an hour after arriving at Hôtel Le Verseau, my three-star bolthole in the village of Brides-les-Bains, I was suited and booted and ready to hit the slopes. Well, I was after snatching 40 winks during the 25-minute gondola ride up to Méribel.

Looking considerably more fresh-faced was my French-trained ski guide, Lewis. Together, we toured the resort's 150km of powdery pistes, pausing only to admire views of Mont Blanc in the distance. “It doesn't get much better than the Three Valleys,” chimed Lewis.

The views may have been top notch but my skiing was anything but. Something was off. Struggling to concentrate, I kept making careless mistakes; taking tumbles even more frequently than normal (which is still, sadly, fairly frequent). Silly errors I put down to lack of sleep.

An early night beckoned. Back at the hotel, conversation seemed dominated by ice packs, sprains and trips to the trauma clinic. In the dining room, a couple of my fellow coach-trippers limped around carrying plates of mint marinated lamb and bowls of spiced peach crumble.

I was rested and raring to go early the next morning. The pistes were quiet and freshly groomed, the snow sticky and fresh. This time, things were different and I skied with some skill and confidence. With bounds of energy I took the opportunity to get a tiny taste of the opulence that Les Trois Vallées is known for.

On the other side of the mountain – and at the very other end of the ski spectrum from my modest minibreak – was Courchevel, home to plenty of five-star hotels and a dozen Michelin stars, where Gucci goggles are almost mandatory and gondolas are adorned with the famed Chanel logo.

It seemed appropriate, given that the legendary designer famously said: “The best things in life are free. The second best things are very, very expensive.”

She'd no doubt approve of the vintage champagne bar, bespoke furniture and 700 thread count bed linen at L'Apogée hotel, the €100m (£70m) sister property of Le Bristol in Paris. Such luxury doesn't come cheap, though. The price of my whirlwind weekend would get me just five hours of the high life – if they rented rooms by the hour, that is. Fancy a whole night of dreamy decadence? That'll be €950 (£660), please.

My tumble-free day ended with a drink on the raucous mountainside terrace at La Folie Douce, the epicentre of Méribel's après-ski scene. Bartenders in onesies served cocktails to revellers swaying to the sounds of the DJ. All eyes were on the David Gandy lookalike who strutted on the tables exuberantly in a leather flatcap, shiny gold leggings and knee-high boots.

Sunday morning brought a slightly sore head, which was soon soothed by the crisp mountain air, I enjoyed a final few hours' skiing before our late afternoon departure.

The long road home – a 15-hour journey scheduled to pull into Victoria Coach Station with enough time to get to the office by 10am – began along the Doron de Bozel Valley, passing snow-dusted chalets dotted beside the banks of the gushing Isère River.

I gazed out the window, feeling satisfied and smug at my cut-price weekend in the Alps. Overhead, a flashing light soared across the darkening sky. Gone in mere moments, the plane sped north and out of sight. I ignored the pang of jealousy and instead channelled my inner contortionist once again until sleep eventually arrived.

Getting there

Ski Weekends (023 8020 6971; skiweekends.com) offers four-night packages from £279. The price includes return overnight coach travel from London and two nights' half-board at Hôtel Le Verseau. Equipment hire from £44 and lift pass from £104 for three days.

More information

les3vallees.com