Andorra vs. Austria (for ski holiday)

We are looking at the crystal plus packages for these two countries. It is clear that Andorra is cheaper as a country across the board.
We are wondering why this is; if it is simply because as a country it is smaller on the international ski radar, we are happy to put our money and our ski trip there. But if Austria truly has better infrastructure, charm, cuisine and skiing quality then we will consider the price difference in this context.

Specific resorts that have caught our eye are Zell am See and Soldeu. IF such a question can be asked, how would our experiences likely differ in these 2 destinations?

Many thanks for any input people may have :)

Evening FreshFreshPowder. OK, I cannot do a direct comparison, as I am going to Austria for the first time this season, but I was in Soldeu two seasons ago.

I did quite enjoy it, and to be honest the skiing was a lot better than I had imagined it would be. Soldeu has, in recent years, extended it's lift coverage so that the neighbouring towns (forgive me but the names escape me atmo) are all in one big ski area called the Grand Valira. There is plenty of varied skiing for beginners and intermediates, but it is somewhat lacking on the expert front. However, we did not really go looking for extreme stuff, so we may just not have found it.

The problem for me, was the actual town. It is basically a main road through Andorra with buildings either side of the road. I did not find it particularly cheap, and I gather that since it increased it's ski area, the prices have started to rise to match those of the more mainstream areas. The one thing which has put me off returning, is the heavy smoking you will find in all the bars and hotel bar areas. It was quite strange to go back to that sort of atmosphere after several years of smoke free bars elsewhere. I stayed at the Sport Hotel and did not have any issues with the hotel, the food was pretty decent and the service friendly and the place was well kept and very clean.

My other gripe with the place was the shortage of facilities on the actual slopes. What was there was very expensive and very slow. They tended to do everything to order, even at peak times with massive queues waiting for things. In the end it was better to return down to the towns for lunch.

Would I go back? Probably, but it would help if they banned smoking.

Soldeu every time.....

freshfreshpowder wrote:We are looking at the crystal plus packages for these two countries. It is clear that Andorra is cheaper as a country across the board.
We are wondering why this is; if it is simply because as a country it is smaller on the international ski radar, we are happy to put our money and our ski trip there. But if Austria truly has better infrastructure, charm, cuisine and skiing quality then we will consider the price difference in this context.

Specific resorts that have caught our eye are Zell am See and Soldeu. IF such a question can be asked, how would our experiences likely differ in these 2 destinations?

Many thanks for any input people may have :)

i've been to both, and I'd go to Austria every time before Andorra. In fact, I don't think I'd return to Andorra unless someone paid for me. It isn't bad, its just got nothing compared to the Alps. Its hills not mountains. The snow has been sketchy in comparison, and the resorts are pretty soul-less. Plus its a horrible transfer from Toulouse.

As for Austria, I havent been to Zell but if you want a real charm and feel to a ski holiday, pick Austria every time.

Zell am See is a lovely place - have been at least once a year for the last 6 years and you have the Kaprun glacier on hand in case it's a really bad year - but have only ever used it through choice not because of lack of snow in Zell.

Over that time I've also skied in other Austrian and quite a few French and Italian resorts, but still make a point of getting back to Zell. I'll be in Kaprun in November for early season warm up and then Zell in late Feb early March.

Dave

Tony_H wrote: Its hills not mountains.

THANK YOU TONY.

For a while now i have been trying to put my finger on why i wouldn't go back to Andorra in a hurry. That hit the nail on the head.
It just doesn't have the same feel/view does it? You may well be at altitude but it just doesnt feel that way.

Looking at only one aspect of the comparison, and that is the snow depths, (cm), for the lower/upper slopes, taking February for the example:
ZaZ ~ 10/152, 27/184, 28/116, 31/80
And ~59/73, 71/167, 69/109, 45/60
Average ~ ZaZ 24/133, And 61/102

Statistically, these figures do not represent a big variance. They do suggest other questions, such as slope direction, vertical run height comparison,
I have been to Zell am Zee, and met up there with Rustyinn! It is a lovely small town, with a wonderful atmosphere. Importantly, it is an historical tirolean village, whereas Soldeu looks to be a developed resort. The beer tastes much better when the building is 500 years old!

I've been to both Austria and Andorra a few times. I do not agree with Tony, I think Andorra is a bit better than he describes. Even so, I would pick Austria over Andorra any time. Mainly because it's atmosphere, charm, warmth and friendliness.

Austria has regained some of it's popularity due to rising costs in France, but if you are a skier who wants difficult black runs, steep couloirs and other classic high alpine terrain then France and Switzerland is where it's at. :D