Going round in circles

Im trying to think of some where to go for the 5 of us in 2010, 1st week in Jan. Do i wait or leave till later to book? and most of all where the hell do we go.

Ive been following Tonys "help me with my shortlist" but when ever I check them out they are just to expensive :cry:, got a wedding to pay for next May :-)

La Tania seems a good price and we popped there in Jan this year and it looked ok. Lots of snow making in the area just incase same with Les Menuires I expect and that would be cheap also. Its just expensive when your there!

I loved Italy and Livigno looks ok but the transfer ffsake 5 hours :shock:. The rest Ive no bloody idea but all the places in the Dolimites just seem out of our range, price wise.

Give me some ideas please and once again not Bulgaria!

Think i may get WTSS!

On a budget?
Large ski area good for intermediates?
Nice quality accommodation, lively town with lots going on, take it or leave it?
Short transfer?

Mayrhofen, every time.

What level of skiers are in your group, Poiana Brasov is a nice resort and it gets quite a few Brits but it is better for Beginner / Intermediate level skiers. It is pretty cheap to get here easyjet and wizz both fly here and very cheap by British standsrds when you get here, you have to fly to Buchurest and then it is a 2.5 hour transfer to Poiana.
Snow in first week of Jan should be OK but you can leave it later and get better prices, we have our best snow now in Romania at the major resorts in Transylvania.
It is not a big resort so most of the hotels are walking distance to the lifts, it gets busy at weekends because a lot of Romanians ski but in the week it is a joy, ski down straight to the lift and back up again so if you came Saturday to Saturday you might have one busy day.
The ski instructors are of a very high standard and all speak excellent English especially the ones from the ANA ski school, if you go with that school you have the added advantage of skipping the lift queues if there is one because the same company run the lifts. Also ski hire is excellent with a lot of new equipment every season
As I say if you are all expert skiers then you may find it a little tame on the pistes apart from one very evil black run (so my wife tells me) but if you are beginner / intermediate you will have a good time.

I met someone when getting my new boots that had been to Romania and it sounded as thrid world as Bulgaria. Looking at it in terms of extent, its tiny. I believe MFC is a decent intermediate, and it wouldnt be what I was looking for tbh.

No, it is not a big resort, not on a par with the alpine resorts, but it is hardly third world, it is only 10km from Brasov which is a beautiful and modern city. The hotels in the resort are all very modern or recently refurbished and they are starting to get into the apres ski thing in a big way. The lifts are all modern and very reliable, I have only known them not working once and that was because of very high winds.
I ski there most weekends in the winter when there is good snow but I tend to stay in Brasov and drive up in a morning because I prefer the city nightlife.
I have run into (not literally)a lot of Brits here this winter but I admit most of them were on their first or second ski holiday that is why I say it is not really a resort for expert skiers.
Another resort option here is the Prahova Valley, there are 4 resorts here within a few miles of each other and i think you can ski the whole area on 1 pass. THe only problem is they do not get many foreign tourists so the resorts including the ski lifts tend to shut in the week if it is not holidays. I have been to Sinaia 4 times and never managed to ski there because the lifts were not working, which is a pity because it is the biggest ski area in the country

By 'first week of January' do you mean including New Year? If not, I think the first week in January is usually pretty quiet and underbooked, in which case you should be able to find a last minute deal, even for 5 of you.

First week in Jan next season is Saturday 2nd / Sunday 3rd, so that is usually the cheapest week of the season and is often underbooked.
I agree, mfc should find something cheap and possibly last minute too.

MFC - what are your specific requirements for your party in terms of ski area and nightlife etc?

I still think the Romanian option would only be any good for novices planning a holiday.

Im Intermediate/advanced and my partner and 3 kids Very good intermediates. Not bothered about night life but need some slopes to test us all, not just going through the motions. Self catering also as we can take loads of stuff with us for the 3 teenagers who eat us out of house and home. Most of all lots of snow making just incase it doesnt snow.

Quickly browsing Neilson web site Ive found La Tania, self catering with lift passes £2241. Problem is Ive been spoilt with Italy the friendly people, value prices, good lifts and some nice pistes which Id really like the kids to experience.

The 1st week in Jan I mean flying on the 2nd or 3rd.