As you are first timers I would seriously suggest that you think about a package rather than going DIY because a ski holiday is a bit more complicated than a putting a 'sun and beach' stykle holiday together for the following reasons.

1) Whether you go DIY or a package you've chosen one of the most expensive times of year to go - only Christmas/New Year is going to be more expensive.

2) Go DIY and you'll have to make all your own arrangements re equipment hire, sorting out the ski school tuition, booking your lift pass etc. For peace of mind, even if it would be cheaper to do this once in resort it would be best to book all this in advance because otherwise you could lose the first day's skiing to tramping round from place to place getting all this sorted - and if you leave it until you arrive you could find that there's a shortage of suitable equipment available for you.

3) What with recent changes in weather patterns etc, to be sure of snow you'd be well advised to book into a high level resort and unless you have experience of driving in snow and feel confident about fixing snow chains etc or driving on snow tyres then I would be wary of doing a self-drive. depending on flight times and how far the airport is from your resort you could end up driving in snowy conditions in the dark. Even if you decide to book DIY I would suggest that you seriously think about arranging a transfer rather than driving yourself. Also, once you arrive in resort the car could turn into a liablity - the quaintest of resorts are a nightmare for parking etc and are often fully pedestrianised in the centre, especially in Austria, and the most modern purpose built high level ones in France are designed so that you can ski right back to your door. Either way, unless you are staying some distance from the skilift stations you won't use a car much once you are in resort and even if you are some distance, the decent resorts have good bus links to the lift stations etc. In Austrian resorts it is often the case that your ski lift pass also includes free travel on the ski buses too.

4) This last winter the Scottish resorts had a brilliant year - the lifts were even open for skiers on Mid-summer day at Cairngorm and people were skiing in shorts! However, such heavy, longlasting snow is not guaranteed in Scotland. Also, you need to remember that the days will be shorter than in Alpine resorts further south, it can often be very windy and the thaw/freeze cycle can result in very icy piste conditions - not ideal for beginners. Try Scotland by all means if you want holiday that includes the opportunity to try some skiing once you are there as part of the holiday but it's a big risk to take if you want to ski, ski and ski everyday. Also, it won't necessarily be that much cheaper than a good package offer - even self-catering accommodation can be pricey during the February half-term holidays.

5) I can't comment of the quality of the food in Bulgaria - I've never been!

And finally, while I don't want to be too much of Jeremiah, accidents do happen and as beginners the risks are higher of an injury. And in the event that something does happen, having the security of a decent TOs rep services can be an absolute godsend - and I speak from the experience of being involved in dealing with the consequences that followed when one of the staff on a school trip fell on getting out of the top cable car station on the very first day and breaking her leg! She never di get to ski - she had to be evacuated by a specialist paramedic team and spent the rest of the holiday around the hotel in a cast and was flown back separately because the original carrier wouldn't do it while her leg was in cast and she was unable to sit in a standard seat.

Which brings me to the most important thing of all - do make sure that you don't just rely on standard travel insurance - make sure that you aref ully covered for skiing. An accident on the slopes abroad is very costly to deal with - especially if it involves a helicopter evacuation. In the UK the RAF mountain rescue services do this free of charge because they consider it to be good practice for the rescue crews but in France for example they'll charge you up to 5 figure sums for doing this depending on the location. The EHIC won't cover you either - the locals get charged as well!

All in all, for a first trip I think that there is a lot to be said for choosing a good package with a TO with a good reputation for skiing holidays. If you get the bug and like it, DIYs once you know the ropes can work out cheaper if you eg book your flights early with the low cast carriers etc but the operative word is 'cheaper' - there's no such thing as a cheap skiing holiday. They simply can't be compared with prices for a beach-based holiday in the sun. Depending on what's included (eg is it an AI deal in a decently rated hotel and does it include tuition and equipement hire etc or will this be in addition?) then £1,500 a head in February half-term isn't necessarily that extortionate. And unless you are genuinely going to self-cater, as opposed to eating out, then staying in an apartment is not necessarily going to save money in the long run in the Alps because meals out can soon add up.

SM