My amazing weekend at one of the world’s most family friendly ski resorts (though there is one tourist trap restaurant to avoid)

As ski destinations go, Portes du Soleil really does have it all.

A cliche? Yes. But true. This cross-border wonderland contains 12 interconnected stations, four in Switzerland and eight in France, and boasts 650 kilometres (403 miles) of slopes and 10 snowparks.

The terrain is mesmerising, too, with views of Mont Blanc readily available and tree-lined runs reminiscent of the forest moon of Endor from Star Wars beckon.

I’ve been several times to Portes du Soleil (‘Gateway to the Sun’) with my snowboarding comrades over the years, mainly cavorting around Avoriaz (in France) and occasionally popping over the border to Les Crosets in Switzerland to lend the trip an international flavour and tick off some bonus valleys.

We sought out jumps and tree runs, stopped briefly for burger/chip combos for lunch and didn’t really care how nice our accommodation was (as long as there was wine with the meals and a lounge with a sofa and TV, we were happy).

Now I’m back with my partner and seven-year-old daughter and discovering that Portes du Soleil isn’t just champion for snowboarding larks with chums, but fantastic for families with young children prone to entering World of Tantrum at the drop of a winter beanie.

Our resort? Les Gets in France – low-lying (1,172m/3,845ft), but a cinch to reach and a schlep-free zone. Fun family times are only ever minutes away.

The package? We’re here with Ski Weekends, which has a bright and breezy website and, it turns out, delivers a matching holiday experience.

The firm takes the reins in Geneva, with our trip having begun in style in the UK with a ride in a super-luxe electric Mercedes-Benz EQS to St Pancras International in London courtesy of the very excellent Blacklane chauffeur firm.

Then it’s a Eurostar to Paris, a night in the basic-but-comfy (but not as cheap as you’d think at 200/£170-odd euros) Ibis Paris Gare de Lyon, then a TGV Lyria to Geneva Cornavin station.

I know what you’re thinking – that’s faff central. Granted, most people fly to their European ski holiday, but I see the train journey as a mini adventure that’s part of the holiday.

There’s decent legroom, dinner in Paris and the unbridled joy of gazing at some seriously epic mountain scenery on the approach to Geneva after the stop at Bourg-en-Bresse.

Plus, it’s better for the environment, with high-speed trains emitting at least 40 times less Co2 than planes.

In Geneva, we hop on a train to the airport, where a Ski Weekends-organised transfer van takes us to our Les Gets chalet.

The first half of the one-hour-or-so drive features boring main roads, the second half jaw-dropping mountain scenery.

We snake between cliff faces covered in icicles and trees enveloped magically head to toe in snow on the climb up to Les Gets, where charming Chalet Marjorie awaits.

We really enjoy our stay at this timbered abode – despite the often glacial Wi-Fi. So slow at times I couldn’t even load the Wi-Fi speed test page on one occasion.

However, the food, devoured in the communal dining space, is good (though the 8am-9am breakfast timetable is a bit restrictive), and our room is lovely, with a comfy king-sized bed, handy modular wardrobe and bedside charging points.

There’s a sparkingly clean ensuite, too, let down only by an automatically heated towel rail that never manages to get above lukewarm.

The outdoor hot tub proves popular, but the staff might possibly take the crown as the biggest plus point – they’re constantly chipper, chatty and helpful.

Views? It’s not a chalet to book if panoramic vistas are a priority, but it is superbly located for Les Gets’ cafes, shops and restaurants – and chairlifts to the peaks.

Ski Weekends’ guests hire their skis and snowboards for exploring said peaks from Desire Sports, a four-minute walk away.

Here, the busier it gets, the happier the staff seem to be. Which is unusual in retail. And the kit is great. I’m furnished with a quality Head snowboard and brand-new boots and bindings.

Chalet Marjorie has a boot room, but we leave our paraphernalia at Desire Sports each day because it’s slightly nearer the main chairlift hub.

During our two days of festive-break slope time, the snow is picture-postcard-plentiful, and our little one has a blast with her ESF instructor exploring the resort’s amazing cowboy-and-Indian-themed woodland area, which comes complete with padded characters to ski through and hit as you go past.

There’s even a refuge hut for lunch stops.

I don’t have time to roam across the Portes du Soleil domain as I used to pre-parenthood, but I enjoy cruising Les Gets’ tree-lined blues and gaze in wonder at Mont Blanc from a viewpoint at one of the resort’s highest points, Le Ranfoilly, at 1,826m/5,990ft.

For a satisfying lunchtime pitstop, I can highly recommend La Fille du Tonnelier, a restaurant-bar-wine-shop in the village with friendly staff that serves tasty food.

Do not make the mistake of spending your euros in Bar Restaurant Lou Baitandys, opposite the main Chavannes chairlift – it’s a tourist trap where we have a most unsavoury experience.

During our meal – ready-meal-standard pasta, plus coffees – the waitress removes the chair my partner is sitting on (while visiting the loo) without saying a word, even though her plate of food is in front of it, and gives it to another guest.

Which is bizarre/rude.

Luckily, we have a spare.

Then comes the ‘most unsavoury’ bit.

After I pay the 72-euro (£60) bill, I remain at the table while my partner takes my daughter to the toilet. I can’t move because I don’t have four arms to move our paraphernalia – my other half’s phone, three pairs of gloves and three helmets.

Our waiter then stands in front of me, with his back turned, and wordlessly bangs a metal reservation placard on the table. Over and over again.

Then he walks over to a group of guests waiting to be seated and tells them that they can have a table ‘when this guy decides that he wants to leave’.

(I’m guessing the placard banging was to signal that I should make myself scarce.)

When I say that I’m just waiting while my daughter visits the bathroom – and pose the question: ‘Is that a problem for you?’ He sarcastically replies: ‘No, no problem. You just sit there and take your time.’

I understand the need to turn tables around, but I can think of 256 better ways of conveying this message.

Frankly, the way I’m treated is decidedly dreadful. Table placard banging is crossing a red line.

A group of queueing guests who watch this mini-drama unfold leave and tell me that they’re going elsewhere.

A quick peek at Bar Restaurant Lou Baitandys’ Tripadvisor ratings reveals that I’m not the only one who’s had a distasteful experience there – 25 reviewers rated it ‘terrible’ or ‘poor’, with one saying that the staff are ‘very rude with no customer service skills’.

Correct.

However, this lunch is a relative blip in a blizzard of joy.

I highly recommend putting Ski Weekends’ Les Gets offering on your radar for a ski holiday that’ll put a smile on your face, whatever your age or parental status.