 Poster: A snowHead
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Shortlist so far looking really good! 
Ski Welt – Soll/Westendorf/Ellmau
Schladming
Saalbach/Hinterglemm
Gastein
Mayrhofen
Monte Rosa
Would like to add Serre Che or Morzine but accommodation looks tricky (mostly chalets or apartments, no single rooms).
Would like to add Dolomites but flights/transfer options through TOs look prohibitive.
Plenty to be going on with though.
Any thoughts on Milky Way? Seem to be a few options in Sauze and Sestrière.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Seriously, if you go SkiWelt, Westendorf is the place to stay. Forget the other base resorts.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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clarky999, It all depends on what you want from the holiday.
Westendorf may well be the best part of the Ski Welt for you, but that doesn't mean it is for everybody. And if you want to spend a lot of time in the "main" part of the ski area, Westendorf is a bit isolated. Not as much as it used to be, granted.
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Judging from various website reviews Soll looks to be the liveliest but not much accommodation close to the lifts. Ellmau looks a bit more convenient in that sense. Scheffau described as a 'family resort' so probably not for us. Only one hotel offered by TUI in Westendorf and it looks lovely but rather expensive.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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queen bodecia, Ellmau is a great resort bar the wait for the train in the morning. Scheffau VERY busy at weekends as 1/2 of southern germany drives down and they have a huge car park.
Mayrhofen not the best - serious queues for the Penken gondola
Montgenevre has decent intermediate skiing in the Milky Way but it is ...er... somewhat lacking in alpine charm 
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Montgenevre give you access to serre che aswell, and the milky way..though its a bit of a trek..Sestrière might be better option for milkyway.
Someone earlier mentioned Monterosa, and chumpluc \ gresseney are worth a look.
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alex_heney,
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Westendorf may well be the best part of the Ski Welt for you, but that doesn't mean it is for everybody. And if you want to spend a lot of time in the "main" part of the ski area, Westendorf is a bit isolated. Not as much as it used to be, granted.
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I really can't think of anything the other base resorts do better though, and I've had 6 weeks of family/freind holidays in the SkiWelt to find out. It's hardly isolated from the main area either - take the gondola to the top of westendorf, ski down towards the middle station, halfway down take the chair up and to the left, ski down to Brixen. All of a 15 minute ski? Although none of the pistes over there are as good anyway, same with the offpiste.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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queen bodecia,
I would not put Soll anywhere near the same league as Schladming.
It is brash and more suitable for younger skiers and boarders.
Ski slopes are very low too and apres is very loud and lively.Depends on what you want?
St Anton is fab but very expensive and more suitable for experts and off piste.
Have to agree that Serre Chevalier is nice with great skiing,but still not as friendly as an Austrian town.
All my humble opinion of course !!
Good luck with your choice.......
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks immer schuss, it's not just my choice, I have seven other ski buddies to consider and they will all have their opinions. I know one of them desperately wants to go to France but the rest of us to try to dissuade that choice due to accommodation difficulties. Maybe it's just me but you seem to get a much nicer standard of hotel for your money in Austria and Italy whereas in France you pay a real premium for that sort of thing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Too many ifs and buts and my ski buddies are much like me, we like everything laid on for us
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Funny that. I've only had problems when booking a package deal. When going independent (so far) I have never had a hitch and everything gone smoothly (apart from drive from Munich to Kappl this year but that was our first and last foray into hiring a car)
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boabski, what worries me is things like late flights and being stuck high and dry in an airport somewhere, plus having to organise our own transfers and lugging gear on and off of buses/trains. OK it might take a bit longer but TO door to door transfers gets my vote every time and always works out cheaper for me. The price of flights alone is well over half the price of a TO trip without adding accommodation and transfers. I can see how it would work for large groups all travelling together but for individuals or couples it doesn't really add up.
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You know it makes sense.
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If flights are more than a certain amount (I forget how much) of time late, the airline has to help you out with hotels/alternate travel anyway. Plus many transfers are no more effort than TO one's - is taking luggage to a train really harder than on a coach? For many resorts (like Innsbruck to Anton) transfers are incredibly easy and quick - and cheap!
Public transport in much of Europe (well, Austria, Germany and Switzerland anyway) is much better than the UK's.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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clarky999, the idea of it fills me with horror. For last season's trip it would have involved a bus, train and two further buses, plus a walk up a steep hill with all our luggage and cost in the region of £120 return. I know this because I was a bit later with my booking than the rest of my ski buddies so at first the TO didn't think they would be able to accommodate me. So I priced up an independent trip to stay in the hotel opposite my buddies. The cost would have been £320 for the hotel, a staggering £260 for the flights, then £120 for the transfers, so a total of £700 without lift pass or ski hire. Thankfully the TO managed to negotiate me a further room in the hotel so I got my holiday for £459 after all.
I remain unconvinced that independent travel is ever going to work for me.
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Poster: A snowHead
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You may as well have a look (a proper one!) at the same time as researching the TO options though. As you said you were looking later - I know for a fact you can get retunr flights Gatiwck-Innsbruck for under £100 if you book at the right time. Just for example (obviously this will depend on resort) the transfer from Innsbruck to Anton involves a 10 min bus from right outside the aiport to the train station, then a direct 1 hour trian to Anton, for around 30/40 yoyos.
I can understand only going TO if it really does always work out cheaper (I'm unconvinced, if you research hard and book at the right time), that's fair enough). I don't understand how a TO holiday makes everything that much easier though, or gives you any more peace of mind re flights etc.
To each their own though, but I can't see you've got anyhting to lose by researching it, the planning helps build up the excitement! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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clarky999, stop nagging her, she knows what she wants!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Lol yeah I'll shut up!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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clarky999,
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stop nagging her, she knows what she wants
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Cmon. lets keep nagging her for a laugh
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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queen bodecia, http://www.grandhotel.fr/fra/index.html which is in some tour op brochures does have some single rooms at no supplement. Another Snowhead contacted me by PM recently asking about the hotel. I think she found it via skitracer.com and it was with one of the main operators, but isn't in their brochure.
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Helen Beaumont, that looks lovely. I think I have seen it in a TO brochure. We tend to stick to TUI or Inghams as they seem to offer Newcastle and Midlands flight departures. A simple choice of Gatwick or Manchester is not sufficient for my bunch.
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clarky999, by late, I meant I was trying to book a March holiday in October. The TO had already sold out their entire allocation for the hotel/week I wanted but fortunately they managed to negotiate an extra room for me.
The BMI baby flights looked reasonable to begin with, headline price was £65 out and £90 back but when you add taxes, luggage and all that gumpf it came to £260.
The other obvious advantage to a TO holiday is having someone on hand if you have any problems. No use trying to convince me otherwise, I like the peace of mind. I see countless threads on here asking about how to get a transfer from X airport to Y resort and I really don't want all that kerfuffle, I want a coach from the airport that takes me to the front door of my hotel. Simples.
Anyway, this was a resort suggestion thread rather than yet another TO versus DIY thread. What's right for some people is not always right for everyone.
I shall definitely suggest Serre Che and Montgenèvre to my ski buddies, especially since one of them is keen to go to France. They seem to be good options with the type of accommodation we seek at a reasonable price and Turin flights suit us very well.
Thanks all.
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