MONDAY night is DJ night at Hotel Ibiza and the bar/lounge area is filled with ambient house tunes as pink neon lights flash in time with the beat.
But despite the name of the place, we’re nowhere near the Balearic Island.
We’re in Les Deux Alpes in France, one of the most snow-sure ski resorts in Europe, and the terrace outside looks across to the glistening peaks of the Parc National des Ecrins.
It’s the week before Christmas and a group of us have brought our teenagers for some festive fun on the slopes.
They’re not yet old enough to venture out alone into the resort’s bars and clubs, but they’re still keen to do their own thing so the entertainment here is ticking all the teen boxes.
While we sit at the bar, chatting with barman Costas as he expertly mixes our pre-dinner drinks, the kids have gone downstairs again for another game of air hockey.
The huge basement games room, which also has ping-pong, table football, arcade games and a dozen or so sofas to laze on, is proving to be a big hit.
But it’s dinner time and I know the restaurant buffet will easily tempt away Freddie, our 15-year-old, because it is serving lasagne — his favourite dish — among a host of other options.
Like most teenage boys, Freddie is a big eater and as I watch him tuck into his third portion I feel relieved that we went for the all-inclusive option.
Feeding a growing lad is expensive at the best of times but particularly so in a ski resort.
Luckily, the Hotel Ibiza offers a super deal throughout the winter season, with kids under 18 staying free when sharing a room with their parents at the same board.
You can go for B&B or half- board, but families usually make the most of the kids-go-free offer and splash out on all-inclusive.
It makes sense, especially when you factor in the drinks.
Soft drinks, wine and beer with meals, and a selection of spirits for pre- and post-dinner drinks are part of the deal, and Costas keeps them coming, along with bowls of peanuts and tortilla chips, until 10pm.
After that, you can carry on drinking at your own expense, but you’ll probably want to be tucked up in bed by then, exhausted by a day’s activity in the mountain air.
It was early in the season but already the snow conditions were good.
The sun was shining (Les Deux Alpes boasts above-average sunshine too) and with heavy snow and white-outs forecast for later in the week, we were making the most of the blue skies.
We loved the Jandri Express, the resort’s sparkling new state-of-the-art cable car that whizzes you up to 3,200m in just 17 minutes, half the time the old gondola took.
It takes up to 32 people at a time — 24 seated and eight standing — and gives you plenty of time to adjust boots or have a snack.
One morning we joined First Tracks, where you accompany the Ski Patrollers, who prepare the slopes daily, spending two hours learning about what is involved.
It costs €22 (£19.40) per person, including breakfast at La Toura Restaurant, and can be booked through the tourist office.
Best of all, it means you get to go up before the lifts open to the public and can be the first to ski down.
With freshly-groomed slopes to ourselves, it’s when we got our best photos.
We also tried yoonering — a bit like sledging but on a seat 20cm above the ground, with your legs stretched out in front to act as brakes, gliding down and leaning left or right to turn. It was easy to get the hang of it and went surprisingly fast.
We all loved it.
‘QUIRKY AND FUN’
On a few evenings we stopped off for a beer or a vin chaud at one of the bars near the bottom of the Jandri, but most nights we got straight on the free shuttle bus for the five-minute hop home and did our après ski back at the hotel bar/lounge, enticed by the all- inclusive drinks and the chilled out, family-friendly vibe.
The hotel’s decor somehow manages to make it cosy and cool at the same time.
There’s a retro, musical theme, with prints of rock and pop legends along the corridors and coffee tables in the lounge, which double up as Monopoly boards or glass-topped exhibits of Barbies and Action Men.
It’s quirky and fun.
Our room, one of 60, was a two-bed family one, with balcony and bath.
Each room comes with bath robes and slippers for the walk down to the basement spa, with its sauna, steam room and indoor heated pool all free for guests.
The food was excellent for a three-star hotel, particularly the evening meals, when you could take a bowl and help yourself from the salad or soup bar, followed by an array of hot meat, fish and veggie dishes, plus a surprising amount of veggie sides, which is often lacking in ski hotels.
The desserts were so generous that even Freddie agreed to share.
After dinner we’d sink into the comfy lounge sofas en famille and play cards or games.
One night after dinner, two of the younger children played Christmas songs on the grand piano and we all joined in — even the teens!
With only a few more years before they’ll probably be off skiing with their mates, it was a moment to be cherished.
GO: LES DEUX ALPES
GETTING THERE: Fly to Lyon with easyJet from Gatwick, with fares from £87 return this December. See easyjet.com.
Shared transfer from Lyon to Les Deux Alpes costs from £214 in total. See skifrance.co.uk.
STAYING THERE: The 3* Hotel Ibiza’s kids-go-free offer means a three-night stay for four people sharing a duplex suite is from £684 in total for B&B or £1,064 in total for all-inclusive. Call 0203 475 4756 or visit skifrance.co.uk.
MORE INFO: See les2alpes.com.