So you fancy a ski chalet this winter, rather than a hotel or self-catering apartment.

No doubt you are baffled by the array of companies offering chalet accommodation, so here is a guide to finding the most suitable operator, whether it is for a party of 15 including six children, a vegetarian and a dog, or just a couple seeking a long, luxurious weekend in the mountains.

CHILDREN For groups with children, Powder Byrne offers imaginative, responsible childcare, with excellent crèche facilities and ski programmes for youngsters of all ages. It can be expensive, however, with chalet prices starting at £1,138 per adult and all childcare an additional cost. A cheaper option might be Ski Famille, which mainly operates in Les Gets and has prices from about £585 per adult, including five days’ professional childcare and seven nights’ catered chalet accommodation.

LUXURY Scott Dunn and VIP are both chic, upmarket chalet operators, muscling in on the territory of the collapsed Descent International. Skiers booking through either get champagne on tap, an outdoor hot tub and bespoke menus, as well as pre-ordered ski passes and après-ski massages. Prices start at about £900 a person a week.

MIDDLE MARKET Snowline, VIP’s less snooty sister company, focuses on the middle market. No champagne and on-call transport but there is breakfast, freshly baked cakes for afternoon tea and a minimum three-course evening meal. Prices start from £659 a person a week, including flights. Rude Chalets is another mid-market company offering a relaxed service, especially for the younger snowboarding crowd, with chalets in Morzine, Avoriaz and Chamonix. Prices start from £349 a person a week, excluding flights.

BARGAIN Skiworld operates at the cheap-as-chips end of the market. Its staff are young ski bums, friendly but not professionally trained, so levels of service can be slack. Nevertheless, they are great value and throw in offers such as half-price lift passes. Prices start from £399 a person a week for catered chalets including flights.

SELF-CATERING Erna Low is the accommodation-only, self-catering champion, offering good-value, chalet-style, large apartments, where guests take it in turns to cook. A chalet apartment for ten in Belle Plagne starts from £2,170 for an off-peak week in January. Peak Retreats also offers self-catered chalets in the French Alps, starting from £1,556 for a four-star chalet that sleeps 12 in Samoëns in January.

WEEKENDS Some operators specialise in weekenders and midweekers. Ski-Base, operating in the tiny Espace Killy resort of Tignes les Brévières, offers luxury weekends from £475 for three nights, including full board but no flights. Flexiski also does flexible duration chalet holidays to Méribel and St Anton, starting from £300 for a four-day stay, excluding flights.

COUPLES Thomson Ski can fit couples into chalets with other like-minded couples and smaller groups. Prices start from £515 a person a week, including flights from Gatwick. A little more luxurious, The Alpine Club has chalets in St Martin de Belleville, the lovely Trois Vallées back-door resort. It offers king-size rooms from £1,390, excluding travel, at certain weeks of the season.

SPECIFIC RESORTS For skiers who know the resort they want, several chalet operators specialise in particular destinations. Mountain Exposure runs a handful of smart chalets in Zermatt, while Hip Chalets is a luxury operator based in Chamonix. CK Verbier has several beautiful properties in Verbier, and Le Chardon Mountain Lodges has five luxury properties in Val d’Isère.

Belinda Archer is editor of The Chic Chalet Guide website