Latest posts for the topic "Which resort has it all.... "

Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:02:48 GMT

Hi all id like to start a thread for fave resorts and why you think it has it all.

Whats the resort you return to time and time again or just remember for all the right reasons? share your thoughts and experiences here.... :D

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:54:37 GMT

For me it has to be Courchevel.
It has everything (well except a glacier, VT is a long way over)

:thumbup:

and got here before the "N"ers

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:59:45 GMT

For me Mayrhofen, great Skiing, great Nightlife, great people, great town, simples *echhh*

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:39:39 GMT

Good question and sure to give rise to lots of debate. What makes it interesting is that, IMHO, nowhere has it all.

For me, the closest is probably St Anton. The skiing is amazing for virtually all levels of skier - only beginners might have grounds to grumble. The snow cover is usually great and the lift system efficient and modern - no queues in 1st week of January this year. The village, while now quite large, is still nice with a fairly traditional Austrian feel to it and the apres-ski - well what can you say - probably the best there is!!! Not without its drawbacks, however. I was particularly disappointed with the inadequate bus service and the sometimes arrogant attitude experienced. Also quite expensive by Austrian standards.

Alpe D'heuz would be another favourite of mine but there is no apres-ski worth talking about and the village certainly would not be regarded as pretty. Flaine would also be high on my list but similar limitations. Soll is a regular spot for me and I think it rates highly on most counts. However, a lot of the runs are quite short and low altitude can limit the quality of the pistes (though the quality of piste management there is now up there with the best).

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:49:18 GMT

Oldandy - ive never actually made it over to Courchavel but its somewhere that rates quite high on my expectations. I was dissapointed this yr that we didnt get over there. Its a place ill probably visit next yr depending on the outcome of this thread...

Wanderer - I have skied in Austria twice a s a child but i cant for the life in me remember where it was. So on this note im an austrian virgin, id love to visit St Anton but ive heard its geared up more for advanced skiers so until my OH gets more confident ill have to wait to visit this area. Id especially love to visit the apres ski bar that everyone talks about... i forget it name but im sure you know the 1.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:15:35 GMT

Hmmm, interesting one this.
I've liked virtually all the places I've skied at, with only 2 exceptions:
Val Thorens, just didnt like anything about it at all, and Niederau because in my opinion its simply no good for my needs.
I've been back to Sauze, Mayrhofen and Serre Che so I think they've all got something to offer, although Mayrhofen has got a special vibe to be honest.
I do love Serre Che as its a little bit different and unique.
Verbier was fantastic skiing, not so keen on the town though, I'll take the wife back there some day.
Alpe d'Huez was great although I think the amazing snow made a big difference when we were there.
But for me the most complete ski place I've been to so far has to be St Anton. Its got a lovely old traditional town, lots going on if you want it, a superb ski area with something for everyone and its quite challenging too, and it has fantastic lifts. I cant fault the place.
Each to their own though.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:46:46 GMT

I have been fortunate to have skied in hundreds of resorts, in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and I have enjoyed skiing in every place. Of course conditions may colour the skiing experience, but each place has it's own qualities, history and culture. Every place is due respect, and there are few people that actually call a place rubbish, whether for their needs or not.
I especially liked the top two glaciers at Val Thorens. I am not generally a fan of glacier skiing, but some of them, like Blackcomb, are sensational.
So, in order of preference:
Niederau, very good skiing, and it is my second home
Arrapahoe basin, probably among my most challenging, on the day
Zermatt, the Matterhorn
Vail, such great variety
Blackcomb, think skiing down a steepish icy glacier face, with no visability

What we prefer as individuals will change over time, as our skills, experience and capabilities change. There was a time when, for me, Keystone was a strong contender, as it was a stepping stone in my skiing improvement.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:23:12 GMT

Dave Mac wrote:What we prefer as individuals will change over time, as our skills, experience and capabilities change.

This is exactly what I was going to say, except that I was going to add that it also depends on the depth of our pockets and the state of our health!

The first family ski holiday we went on was to Borovets in Bulgaria (9 years ago) and I chose the resort simply on cost. For three of us it was only GBP820 including flights, half board, lift passes, ski and boot hire and 2 lots of group lessons. The resort wasn't that great, but we got about what I was expecting for the money.

Next holiday I had a bit more money and we went to Zell am See - which was really great - and not that expensive because I got one of those family offers where kids go and stay for free and also ski for free so my younger daughter had a completely free ski holiday. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about the place - we loved it. It's got fantastic mountain restaurants, friendly natives, a variety of ski-ing, and amazing views.

Then there was Obergurgl - picked because of being snowsure and luxury hotels because my eldest wasn't very well and I knew she might be confined to bed for the whole week so a marvellous view of the slopes from her bed was very important. In this case somewhere suitable for her was more important than the money (Obergurgl is a very expensive resort). This turned out to be a very wise choice and the holiday worked out well for all of us.

By the next holiday my youngest had got pretty good at ski-ing and she wanted a resort with miles and miles of piste, so we picked Val Thorens in the 3 Valleys and saved money by going self-catering. Also, by that time we'd decided to do our bit to save the planet and we wanted somewhere we could get to by train. Out of all the resorts I've been to I would say we got most time actually ski-ing at VT. It's pretty much ski in and ski out, there are fast gondolas or chairs straight up the mountain (no draglifts), and when we went there were few queues. It's an ugly purpose built resort for serious skiers/boarders - it would be awful for a non skier.

We liked VT so much we went back there the following year.

And the year after that we had someone else to share our apartment (and bills) with so we went a bit more upmarket and picked a cheap apartment in Courchevel 1550. Courchevel is great because it has a very high tree line so you can ski past trees without worrying too much that there won't be any snow. There is plenty to do for non skiers (something of particular concern on this holiday), there's a wide variety of slopes from beginner to advanced, the slopes are all really well connected, and the pistes are looked after to a really high standard.

So, we are fortunate again this year to have friends to share the apartment bills so we're going back to Courchevel.

And we've also skied twice at Tignes on the glacier in October because it's a cheap holiday and it fits nicely into the half-term break and it means we don't have more than 8 months without a ski holiday :D

To conclude - I don't think there is a single resort that has it all, and in any case our needs seem to change with each holiday.

Edit
I forgot to add La Rosiere to the list of places I've been to.
I didn't like it very much, principally I think because it has a lot of draglifts, some of which are very hard to use. The La Thuile side in Italy is said to have much better ski-ing but the only link to it is a long draglift over the top of the mountain which closes fairly often due to the wind etc.

It may however also be the case that I'm being influenced by other factors as well - like it's the only place we've ever hired faulty skis and boots and had to take them back, and the only place I've ever been chucked out of group lessons into a lower group (because the group was ski-ing above the stated level and I couldn't keep up).

We went at Easter and there was loads of snow, so that wasn't the problem. And our apartment was cheap and right by the slopes and perfectly adequate.

I know lots of other people are very fond of La Rosiere, so maybe it's just me.

Ally

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:24:58 GMT

MMmmm don't really have a favourite, I usually don't do purpose built although there are some tastefully purpose built resorts, I normally don't do crowds of brits so it has to be somewhere big enough where you can lose the Brits ......... so in Summer it will have to be Livigno now in the winter ...... anywhere thats reasonable priced !!!!

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:47:09 GMT

Tony - I think Mayrhofen and st anton will be mentioned quite alot on this thread. I havent skied either so cannot comment, however i would certainly like to pay them a visit.

Ally - You couldnt say it any better. my OH found out 1st hand this yr that there is nothing to do in VT when your ill or dont ski. She had to visit a doctor as she caught flu and as a result missed almost 3 days skiing... :(

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:03:00 GMT

crispyapplepie wrote:Ally - You couldnt say it any better. my OH found out 1st hand this yr that there is nothing to do in VT when your ill or dont ski. She had to visit a doctor as she caught flu and as a result missed almost 3 days skiing... :(

Crispyapplepie,
I'm sorry to hear your OH was ill and missed almost 3 days of ski-ing.

I worry about getting ill, either just before the holiday or during it. I look forward to it for so long, and it's so expensive that missing any of the ski-ing is a major tragedy! Last year I skied for two days after I broke my big toe (only I didn't know it was broken at the time - just very sore).

If you're going to end up unable to ski for whatever reason, Courchevel is a much better place in the 3 Valleys to stay than Val Thorens. I wouldn't like to actually buy anything in any of the shops (because of the outrageous prices), but window shopping can be great fun! The only bad thing is that Courchevel doesn't have a public swimming pool, presumably because many of the posh hotels have their own one, but if you're prepared to pay a very inflated price you can use a hotel one.

Ally

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:14:30 GMT

I'd agree about VT being terrible for non ski activities - struggled to fill a few hours alst week before the bus came to get us on the final day.

I thank my lucky stars that when my wife was hit there a few years a go it was at 4pm on the last ski day so we dint have to deal with that issue.

I've always been tempted by St Anton but have seen alot of reports that there's only one run home and it gets dangerously crowded? Sounds like the very end of the Medran run back to town in Verbier which I found hellish with beginners carnage all over it at 4pm on a busy day

I'd be interested in experiences from people about this supposed iisue in St Anton (loads of chalets puts it on my list)

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:44:41 GMT

I have a luxury if skiing every weekend which means I don't have a spectacular choice of the resorts unless I want to spend too long in a car. Verbier is for me any time, great terrain and fun place. I like skiing in Chamonix too, but it has a more hardcore feel about it and is not a village but a proper town. The only other place I skied is Zermatt, it's spectacular but I found skiing a bit boring there.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:54:03 GMT

Great, useful thread :!:

I must admit I have not been to many resorts in Alps or North America, but
so far my favourites are:

1. Whistler, almost perfect with 2 glaciers, very well prepared pistes and modern lift system, good off-piste, very high standards of accomodation in the stylish village. The main drawbacks are very expensive lift passes, not great apres and looong flying/transfer time.

2. Verbier, superb off-piste, very good variety of runs, views, stylish village, great apres-ski. Main drawbacks: poor piste marking/mapping, links with other parts of 4V far from convenient, although to be improved I hear :), no ski buses from other villages, and expensive apres-ski.

Oh, and Krynica, mainly for pre and apres )

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:58:46 GMT

I can't see any problem with only one home run. I thought it was typical as a mountain would have one access point, even if there is two the second one would be on the other side. Plus there is no need to ski to the base. Lifts can do the job just fine:). But last time I checked there was no "beginners carnage" even when crowded. Ski bases were a bigger concern.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:58:35 GMT

verbier_ski_bum wrote:I can't see any problem with only one home run. I thought it was typical as a mountain would have one access point, even if there is two the second one would be on the other side. Plus there is no need to ski to the base. Lifts can do the job just fine:). But last time I checked there was no "beginners carnage" even when crowded. Ski bases were a bigger concern.

I was in Verbier over New Year a few years ago and the bottom of the Medran was horrendous - beginners not knowing where their snowplough was going next mixed in with idiots zooming down at speeds that were far too fast. I used the road!

Lots of resorts have multiple runs home - I'd just heard that particular criticism of St Anton (amongst many plaudits) and wanted to here what people thought

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:22:18 GMT

andyoneil wrote:I'd just heard that particular criticism of St Anton (amongst many plaudits) and wanted to here what people thought

Andy - I have opened a new thread on the St Anton home run rather than hijacking this one.

All - the poster asked what resort did you think had it all. In my view, this is/may be a bit different from your favourite resort.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:10:35 GMT

Wanderer wrote:

andyoneil wrote:I'd just heard that particular criticism of St Anton (amongst many plaudits) and wanted to here what people thought

Andy - I have opened a new thread on the St Anton home run rather than hijacking this one.

All - the poster asked what resort did you think had it all. In my view, this is/may be a bit different from your favourite resort.

To get back to the question then - sorry :oops:

I'd go for VDI as being closest to perfection with the only down side being the costs (possibly if you're a heavy luncher or apres-er).

Re:Which resort has it all....

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:55:16 GMT

I have had a lovely time reminiscing (in my head) and remembering a variety of ski resorts and some amazing (and not so amazing) skiing over the years since this thread appeared.
Those first tentative slides and falls in a couple of small Austrian resorts, which I had just about forgotten, and lots of memories of Verbier, when that resort came up, where I won my spurs so to speak on skis.
Verbier was my resort of choice for a while and where I first braved some steep stuff and learnt to ski deep stuff too.
Tortin :mrgreen: first serious black, which the instructor took us down once, twice, thrice - until we were comfortable going straight into it rather than traversing until we had to commit to the run.
And an amazing number of happy memories of runs completed from Les Arcs; it doesn't suit my skiing needs now, haven't skied Les Arcs since 1990, but fondest of memories.
Thanks Crispy - for starting this thread. I must see if I can find any old photos. :lol:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:30:50 GMT

My favourite has to be Alpe D'Huez, been 5 times in all snow conditions, always fantastic. Great array of terrain, including some classic runs. Best resort I've been to for mixed ability groups.

St Anton comes in a close second, not great for beginners, but if you love a challenge it's paradise.

3 Valleys is my 3rd, I don't really care which resort as the links are so good. Meribel I think is the prettiest. I'll never tire of the area.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:07:52 GMT

andyhull wrote:My favourite has to be Alpe D'Huez, been 5 times in all snow conditions, always fantastic. Great array of terrain, including some classic runs. Best resort I've been to for mixed ability groups.

St Anton comes in a close second, not great for beginners, but if you love a challenge it's paradise.

3 Valleys is my 3rd, I don't really care which resort as the links are so good. Meribel I think is the prettiest. I'll never tire of the area.

Interesting, I've been to both once only, and would go back to either, but I thought St Anton was far superior in all ways, not that i didnt enjoy the skiing in ADH.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:39:03 GMT

No, the question was actually about the favourite resort:) And why we think it has it all...)

I am not sure what is meant by 'all' as people obviously have different requirements and priorities and what can be "all" to one person can be nothing to another. For exapmle, it never before occured to me that home runs could be important. maybe we need a list of all different requirements to ski resorts and then evaluate our favourite resorts according to them?

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:19:36 GMT

Good point, well made.
I'd suggest the following add up to make it the best resort:

Snow record/altitude
Big ski area, choice of runs
Pistes and off piste options
Nice village base
Cracking scenery
Real mountains, not rolling hills?
Good lifts system
Mixed runs ie blues, reds, blacks
Sensation of travel around the area
Good bars/restaurants to enjoy in resort

Factor into that other individual requirements, such as the run off the mountain (although to me thats not so important as you can always take a lift/bus)

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:36:41 GMT

Based on the points above I would have to say Val d'Isere, although it's been almost 20 years since I last visited but it was the mutt's nuts! I've been fortunate enough to ski in Banff, Serre Che, Val Thorens, Risoul, Kaprun amongst a few others and personally a great ski trip is not just about ticking all the above list but about the company you share the experience with and the new aquaintances made. So, because of it's warmth and charm, I will mot certainly have to give a special mention to the wonderful village of Niederau, and with Valentines Day just passed, Niederau you hold a special place in my heart x

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:34:17 GMT

Tony_H wrote:Good point, well made.
I'd suggest the following add up to make it the best resort:

Snow record/altitude
Big ski area, choice of runs
Pistes and off piste options
Nice village base
Cracking scenery
Real mountains, not rolling hills?
Good lifts system
Mixed runs ie blues, reds, blacks
Sensation of travel around the area
Good bars/restaurants to enjoy in resort

Factor into that other individual requirements, such as the run off the mountain (although to me thats not so important as you can always take a lift/bus)

I think this is a pretty good summary Tony and I am sure others might suggest additions and/or deletions. For example, reasonable transfer times, ski-in/ski-out availability etc.

In terms of the various resorts mentioned, Alpe d'Heuz would be one of my favourite resorts with some of the nicest and best skiing in the alps. But I would not claim that it has it all. Why not? Because the village is unattractive and the apres-ski virtually non-existent (unless you count a noisy, fake Irish bar that is full of saisonaire's getting plastered on their night off!).

Val D'Isere - again a fantastic ski area. But, expensive, most accommodation a long way from the slopes, ugly spread out village, apres-ski so-so

3V - tricky one to judge. Again skiing is fantastic. But Courcheval is horrendously expensive and the bling is off-putting while Val Thoren is soulless and borders on the desolate Meribel is nice and quite lively but does not really feel like a genuine French resort.

Haven't been to some of the other resorts mentioned and thats why I come back to St Anton. I am not saying it is perfect but I do think it hits the spot under virtually all of the criteria Tony has set out.

Maybe we need to set up a Survey based around Tony's list? Anybody familiar with Survey Monkey or similar to set it up?. I suppose we would need to consider the weighting for each criteria as well

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:17:18 GMT

verbier_ski_bum wrote:No, the question was actually about the favourite resort:) And why we think it has it all...)

I am not sure what is meant by 'all' as people obviously have different requirements and priorities and what can be "all" to one person can be nothing to another. For exapmle, it never before occured to me that home runs could be important. maybe we need a list of all different requirements to ski resorts and then evaluate our favourite resorts according to them?

When i started this thread i was aware that each and every persons answer would be different. Im not asking for everyone to agree on which resort has it all because we would never agree on that.

Its nice to read which resorts people have enjoyed in their skiing history and which they preferred and why. If you want to go as far as the home run then cool thats your choice, tell us about it....

Ideally i think people would base their perfect resort on things such as, snow fall, skiing, apres ski, how far it is from a main airport etc. All these things are what id consider when booking a holiday but because i havent been to every resort in Europe im keen to understand other peoples views. afterall isnt that why we come on these forums, cos were all junkies and cant get enough of the white stuff :lol:

its all harmless fun, dont get too serious :wink:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:18:30 GMT

Tony_H wrote:Good point, well made.
I'd suggest the following add up to make it the best resort:

Snow record/altitude
Big ski area, choice of runs
Pistes and off piste options
Nice village base
Cracking scenery
Real mountains, not rolling hills?
Good lifts system
Mixed runs ie blues, reds, blacks
Sensation of travel around the area
Good bars/restaurants to enjoy in resort

Factor into that other individual requirements, such as the run off the mountain (although to me thats not so important as you can always take a lift/bus)

Tony - BANG on the money :wink:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:32:16 GMT

ermmmmmm ..........
Plenty of toilets ?????
:thumbup:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:25:08 GMT

OldAndy wrote:ermmmmmm ..........
Plenty of FREE toilets ?????
:thumbup:

:D Pay 2P is rife in French ski resorts IME :evil:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:28:26 GMT

bandit wrote:

OldAndy wrote:ermmmmmm ..........
Plenty of FREE toilets ?????
:thumbup:

:D Pay 2P is rife in French ski resorts IME :evil:

Not in Courchevel - lots of toilets in Courchevel :mrgreen:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:13:27 GMT

Never paid 2P in any ski resort in any country, although I appreciate some old French resorts might try to charge you.
Over to survey monkey then.....

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:47:44 GMT

Pay2P? That really is taking the P. :evil:

The more I hear the less I want to go.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:48:15 GMT

Is transfer time really a factor? I'm really not bothered how long it takes to get there as long as it's great when I do.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:56:06 GMT

To a certain extent yes, for me transfer time is a factor. By the end of the journey I'm like a caged animal. Sick of being cramped up and shunted from one place to the next on somebody else's schedule to somebody else's rules, and being patronised occasionally along the way. Door to door took 11 hours for us on the last holiday. An extra hour or two and I might just have lost the plot. Seriously thinking of driving next time.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:16:42 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:To a certain extent yes, for me transfer time is a factor. By the end of the journey I'm like a caged animal. Sick of being cramped up and shunted from one place to the next on somebody else's schedule to somebody else's rules, and being patronised occasionally along the way. Door to door took 11 hours for us on the last holiday. An extra hour or two and I might just have lost the plot. Seriously thinking of driving next time.

Thats the gal get your self to France and drive :thumbup:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:23:49 GMT

Aww sorry cariad... we will be going to France, but then straight out the other side again :lol:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:26:56 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:Aww sorry cariad... we will be going to France, but then straight out the other side again :lol:

Big Mistake !!!! :wink:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:28:17 GMT

We will definitely go one day :thumbup:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:31:12 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:We will definitely go one day :thumbup:

Take the blinkers off and see the big wide world of France...... look at the benefits Snails and crap snow I bet you can't wait. :D

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:33:02 GMT

Ate snails in a nice restaurant in Bath once. They went straight through me :?

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:35:26 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:Ate snails in a nice restaurant in Bath once. They went straight through me :?

Emma they are my favourite dish can't get enough, always order a dozen with a nice French bread......Yum Yum :thumbup:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:39:50 GMT

Had an exquisite dish of snails with Morel Mushrooms once.
Most delightful - in Meribel actually.
:thumbup:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:42:45 GMT

OldAndy wrote:Had an exquisite dish of snails with Morel Mushrooms once.
Most delightful - in Meribel actually.
:thumbup:

Andy, perhaps it's a Norfolk thing :wink:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:52:52 GMT

Ian Wickham wrote:

OldAndy wrote:Had an exquisite dish of snails with Morel Mushrooms once.
Most delightful - in Meribel actually.
:thumbup:

Andy, perhaps it's a Norfolk thing :wink:

Well the world snail racing championships were in Norfolk last year :)
But there would probably have been an uproar if we suggested eating the contestants.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:52:15 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:To a certain extent yes, for me transfer time is a factor. By the end of the journey I'm like a caged animal. Sick of being cramped up and shunted from one place to the next on somebody else's schedule to somebody else's rules, and being patronised occasionally along the way. Door to door took 11 hours for us on the last holiday. An extra hour or two and I might just have lost the plot. Seriously thinking of driving next time.

Learn to relax, listen to some music, get some rest, drink plenty of water.
So many people get wound up travelling.
Deal with it, its part of the holiday.

You'd be a nightmare in a car for 12 hours.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:42:00 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:To a certain extent yes, for me transfer time is a factor. By the end of the journey I'm like a caged animal. Sick of being cramped up and shunted from one place to the next on somebody else's schedule to somebody else's rules, and being patronised occasionally along the way. Door to door took 11 hours for us on the last holiday. An extra hour or two and I might just have lost the plot. Seriously thinking of driving next time.

Emma if you decide to go to France you could go on the direct train from London. It's much less stressful and there are lots of resorts within 1/2 or 3/4 hour of the French stations at the other end. It's only 6 1/2 hours from St Pancras to Moutiers.

Ally

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:17:38 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

EmmaEvs wrote:To a certain extent yes, for me transfer time is a factor. By the end of the journey I'm like a caged animal. Sick of being cramped up and shunted from one place to the next on somebody else's schedule to somebody else's rules, and being patronised occasionally along the way. Door to door took 11 hours for us on the last holiday. An extra hour or two and I might just have lost the plot. Seriously thinking of driving next time.

Learn to relax, listen to some music, get some rest, drink plenty of water.
So many people get wound up travelling.
Deal with it, its part of the holiday.

You'd be a nightmare in a car for 12 hours.

I do relax (in some sense of the word) watch a film on my iPod etc. Actually relax is not the word, passively tolerate is more accurate. I just have an innate dislike of being herded around and told what to do for hours on end. I behave just fine, even in the face of sitting on a coach in the airport for an hour waiting for people who don't bother turning up.

Ally thanks, I hear you on the train suggestion. Haven't really thought about it in detail yet, but my gut preference would be to drive. Take our own car with winter tyres on, and maybe buy snow chains for it. Will look into all options though and weigh them up properly.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:25:37 GMT

What turned me to driving was drunks on planes and drunks being sick in transfer buses, I was embarrassed to be British.
It tends to be only on TO holidays never a problem with BA, Easy or that thieving Irish lot.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:26:04 GMT

I'm with Emma - if it wasn't for the saving of a package I would make my own way there any time.

The transfers I can cope with it's the utter waste of time sitting around at airports. 2 hours to check-in. We get fed a line of bull about it being for security checks and the like. Is it Hell!
Security takes seconds - how long does it take for you to walk through a metal detector & your bags to be XRayed? Seconds (a minute if you have to be frisked). It's really about keeping you in the airport so that you spend money in the retail outlets and food shops.
That's what really gets my goat.
Going on a plane was exciting as a 5 year old. Now it's a mind numbing experience.
The demise of Concorde has seen air travel regress - I don't mid planes getting bigger but slower - no no no.
Skiing holidays aren't about the journey - it's the destination.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:27:18 GMT

Well guys I'm afraid to get what you pay for.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:04:03 GMT

Yup. Price may well have a big bearing on the decision. So far Tux is looking pretty expensive independently although I've not had the time to investigate properly. May not have much choice though, TO's don't seem to do hols to Tux itself, I think just nearby resorts/villages.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:10:45 GMT

Ian Wickham wrote:What turned me to driving was drunks on planes and drunks being sick in transfer buses, I was embarrassed to be British.
It tends to be only on TO holidays never a problem with BA, Easy or that thieving Irish lot.

I know I have said this before, but I have never had any experience of this on TO package holidays.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:12:15 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:Yup. Price may well have a big bearing on the decision. So far Tux is looking pretty expensive independently although I've not had the time to investigate properly. May not have much choice though, TO's don't seem to do hols to Tux itself, I think just nearby resorts/villages.

Stay in Lanersbach or Finkenberg, or even the Hof. Plenty of packages, but you should also look at the Mayrhofen and Ziller websites.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:25:21 GMT

Thanks Tony, I would look at the Hof but it's that Snowthing week the same time we're going I think. If we can get accomodation my guess is it'll be more expensive than normal.

I'll check out Lanersbach and Finkenberg though. The more options the better.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:43:45 GMT

Or you could try Tignes, Emma,
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:45:58 GMT

Yes I could Andy :lol:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:48:35 GMT

Faints ........

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:38:09 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:the Hof

Does anyone else think of the baywatch idiot when they see that name?....

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:41:50 GMT

EmmaEvs wrote:Thanks Tony, I would look at the Hof but it's that Snowthing week the same time we're going I think. If we can get accomodation my guess is it'll be more expensive than normal.

I'll check out Lanersbach and Finkenberg though. The more options the better.

Snowbombing. It will be packed, expensive, and rowdy - very. Good idea to avoid the place.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:42:13 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:

EmmaEvs wrote:the Hof

Does anyone else think of the baywatch idiot when they see that name?....

Pamela Anderson?

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:35:24 GMT

Serious thread drift going on!!!

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:57:38 GMT

Wanderer wrote:Serious thread drift going on!!!

2nd that, however im having too much of a laugh to care... :lol:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:10:26 GMT

Wibble

Right, have we decided yet then?
Looks to me like the consensus says

...and the winner is.....

ST ANTON

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:36:28 GMT

Tony_H wrote:Wibble

Right, have we decided yet then?
Looks to me like the consensus says

...and the winner is.....

ST ANTON

So ST Anton it is then for next season.... :wink:

Re:Which resort has it all....

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:58:32 GMT

Nope. ZERMATT

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:21:08 GMT

Dave Mac wrote:Nope. ZERMATT

Ooooooohhhh Debate re-opens. :shock: Why Zermatt Dave?

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:32:35 GMT

From what I know having read up on the place and talked to people who've skied there, its about as good as it gets in terms of skiing and scenery, as well as mountain restaurants (if they're important to you when you up there for the skiing....) and its somewhere I want to go to.
But if we're talking about having it all, the long time it takes to get to the slopes and the well reported queues could give it a few black marks.

Anyway, I only said St Anton seeing as that seemed to be the most popular response on this thread.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:42:23 GMT

Thats what ive just been reading Tony. Also the lift pass is one of the highest priced in Europe which is never good..

Its sounds like the place to visit if you can get a good last min deal. as foor booking a large group into the same chalet this could work out a pretty expensive holiday... Personally id rather pay less and have 2 holidays.

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:38:23 GMT

I want to go to Zermatt sooooo much, the write ups do seem to give up one huge thumbs up.
There is something about the Matterhorn that has always amazed me. One day maybe....

Re:Which resort has it all....

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:32:05 GMT

crispyapplepie wrote:

Dave Mac wrote:Nope. ZERMATT

Ooooooohhhh Debate re-opens. :shock: Why Zermatt Dave?

The Matterhorn. The view of the Matterhorn is a most powerful thing. When you travel up the rack & pinion railway, that is your first view. Then from your hotel balcony, and from the village. Finally from skiing underneath it. To my mind, it is the most powerful view in the Alps. My half finished painting, it drives me crazy, I need to go back.....

Re:Which resort has it all....

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 10:51:51 GMT

Wow Dave ! I didn't know you were an artist ! (That kind, at least :)

Re:Which resort has it all....

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:11:46 GMT

I think you're right Dave. That mountain has mystical powers, and I havent even seen it yet!!!