Bivio

:!:Where can you get a week's half board at a good hotel, ski in/out and a lift pass included for around £425? The answer is Bivio, the highest resort on the Julier pass ( at around 1800m in the village, with slopes going up to just under 2600m). The resort advertises itself as 'snowsure', and that is certainly what we found when we visited in February. It's a real Swiss resort, lots of families including tiny children who were already competent skiers. There's a good nursery slope and kindergarten, as well as about 40km of slopes. According to the village website you can also buy a pass which links into other slopes in the area. We went as beginners and had excellent instruction in English - the local ski school is part of the official Swiss ski school and the teaching was superb. Having said that, we were probably amongst the very few beginners in the resort, but we found everyone very helpful and forgiving of our mistakes.
There are four lifts - three drag lifts each of about 2km, and a nursery slopes lift. No lift queues to speak of - I guess that our longest wait was about 2 minutes. We could ski back to the hotel for lunch, or if we'd forgotten something, and be back at the top of the mountain in about 20 minutes. Nightlife tends to focus on the hotels, but in the village there is a bar with dancing which stays open until about 3.00am. There's an indoor swimming pool in the village, an outdoor ice rink, and various gentle entertainments in the hotels ( kegelbahn, football tables etc.). Bivio isn't a riproaring, all-singing and dancing resort, but it is without doubt fantastic if what you want is a relaxing holiday when you spend your time skiing rather than travelling to slopes, waiting for lifts etc. Costs at the mountain restaurants are pretty reasonable too- about £5 for sausage and chips, £2.50 for a beer.
We think Bivio is great - honest, good value, fun and very beautiful. There is a ski hire shop in the village if you don't have your own stuff and details of slopes etc. can be found on the Bivio part of the Savognin website.
Getting there is pretty simple, as the Swiss Postbus from St. Moritz
( about 22km away ) or Savognin ( about 15km away) stops in the village. St. Moritz has a rail station so connections are fairly straightforward. There are several hotels - the Post is 17th century, comfortable with log fires, Grischuna is right next to the nursery slopes.
And for the £425 deal, try the Hotel Solaria - we will be heading off for our fourth stay there fairly soon, much like the other guests most of whom are regulars. Giancarlo Torriani ( former Olympic bob trainer ) and his English wife Genni offer outstanding hospitality, fantastic food ( Bivio is Italian/Germa speaking), its own inhouse bakery and a real home away from home. And no... we are not related!