 Poster: A snowHead
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Its my turn to organise the next trip and we're all fancying a change fro the French Mega Resorts. I keep hearing how good the Dolomites are. We normally stay in Chalets and are all good skiers we'd ideally like a nice village with a few good bars linked to a bigger ski area. Does anything spring to mind?
Thanks for your help
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Just come back from Corvara , stayed at Hotel Col Alto.
Would recommend . Very well run , and service was excellent
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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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We were in Corvara a couple of weeks ago it's fabulous 
We stayed at Garni Bracun,only B&B basis with a good breakfast & nice bar for drinks. Nice eating out places so for us we'd never want HB or chalet there.
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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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Stayed at La Perla in Corvara last year. Great location, great service, great hotel. There is a nice bar in the hotel and the owners own apres place Murren next door. In general, very limited nightlife in that village though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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the dolomites are good austria s better for an all round ski hol but thats just my opinion
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Ive done Austria, so want a change
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We have stayed in Badia with Colletts - good small operator with nice chalet/hotels. They also have places in Covara. The skiing is varied and the whole ski dolomiti domain is huge. Oh, and never had a bad lunch on an Italian mountain 
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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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In terms of linked resorts, if you buy a Dolomiti superski pass it is ALL one big linked resort - it's the largest linked ski range in Europe if not the world. I would happily recommend my place of course, as it offers something for everybody, but it depends on whether skiing to and from your door is a deal breaker. Most chalets and hotels are not like that in the Dolomites as the resorts have grown up around pre-existing villages and the massive ski complexes of France are simply non existent. We're based in a small village called Col di Rocca which is midway between the Marmolada/Arabba range which is great for intermediate to advanced skiers and Civetta which is absolutely tops for beginners to intermediates. The beauty of the Dolomites is precisely that it's so large and that you can travel around and never have to ski the same run twice. So for example from our place you can be in:
Marmolada/Arabba in 5 minutes (which has one of the largest uplifts anywhere with the bins to the glacier going from about 1350 up to 3600)
Civetta/Alleghe in 10 minutes
Canazei/Alba/Campitello in 25
Arabba itself in 30, although you could just ski in less time
Passo Falzarego/Giau in 25
Falcade in 30
Moena/tre Valli in 40
Latemar in 45
Sella Pass (driving rather than catching the lift in 45
Corvara (driving rather than skiing) in 45#
Cortina in 45...
The transfer is cheap and easy from Venice or Treviso, as are the flights
The food out is comparatively cheap - 7-9 euro for a pizza, 4-5 euro for a large beer, less for wine.
It's quiet and hardly ever crowded unless you hit a school holiday week.
If you want catered, we do ski safaris, either a basic level one or one which takes you around most of the best resorts, and in includes transport when in italy, pass, breakfast and dinner, a ski host...
Check it out - www.casa-alfredino.co.uk
Cheers,
Mike
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Chalets are unusual in Dollies (there are a few operators who offer). Hotels generally family run and you get much more for your money than in France in terms of quality (generalisation, I know, but it does seem to hold true). It is a different experience and a very different atmosphere to skiing in the French mega resorts - perhaps less hard-core skiing, but a fantastic sense of travelling on skis in some of the most awe-inspiring scenery anywhere. We have tended to do long day trips or circuits, including the Great War tour etc. I am a complete convert, and if I had to choose one place only to ski, it would be the Dollies. Better food too...
Best to stay somewhere on the Sella Ronda circuit, which allows easier access to the full range of skiing available. As good skiers, you will be able to get to most areas and back in a day from wherever you stay. As an extreme, we have done the Great War tour from Selva without difficulty (long day, though). The main ones I have stayed in are:
Selva: biggest and most lively resort, with good access to Sella Ronda in both directions and also the Seceda area above Santa Cristina/Ortisei. It is the only resort which has any real après, but is still quiet by Austrian standards. Downside is that it is quite strung out, so pick your hotel with care so that you are near lift/slopes - there are plenty of hotels that meet that criteria. Easy to reach from Innsbruck or Verona.
Corvara: in my opinion the prettiest of the villages, and again well located for easy access to Sella Ronda, and also for the off-shoots such as the trip to Santa Croce, Hidden Valley etc. The immediate area has some of the easiest skiing in the region (although there are some great runs too - the black downhill into La Villa is wonderful), but it has easy access to the more difficult skiing around Arabba etc. Some nice hotels (the Arkadia is in the best position right on the slopes). Apres is quiet and low key. Slightly further from Innsbruck or Verona, but easy from Venice
Colfosco: I see this as really an extension of Corvara, really strung along road. Would not be my choice to stay here.
La Villa: Slightly off the Sella Ronda over the hill from Corvara, but just a couple of lifts to access. From a skiing perspective, similar to Corvara. Very quiet, has the advantage of being cheaper than the ones immediately on the circuit. We stayed at the Savoy, which was right by the lift and nice.
San Cassiano: Have not stayed here - has a reputation for being quite up-market, with some of the best hotels in the region (the Rosa Alpina). Accesses the same skiing as Corvara and you are quickly into the whole system. I thin mountainsun have a chalet-hotel here which is right on the piste.
Arabba: On the Sella Ronda, and access the harder skiing in the region, and the Marmolada area. In my opinion, perhaps the least attractive of the villages, but only my opinion. Some limited nightlife.
Then you have a few areas that are slightly off the loop, such as Canazei, Campitello, Alba, which do now link in - I have never stayed at any of these - the new lift at Alba makes that a more interesting proposition now. Some of the large operators certainly used to do catered chalets around Canazei, but not sure if they do any more.
Personally, I think that Selva is most likely to suit your group, as it is the most lively village in the area. Corvara is my own favourite.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This is just what I wanted , thank you so much! Now to sit down and do some googling
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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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+1 for Colletts. We once stayed with them at the Hotel Melodia in Badia, which was lovely, but not well located for the lifts. We also stayed in their Chalet Angelo in Corvara last summer and can highly recommend it. It is very well-located for skiing.
Our favourite place in the Dolomites is the Hotel Alpenrose in Arabba (www.alpenrosearabba.it) - we've stayed there six years running. It has a great location on the slopes. The staff are really friendly and the food is excellent. Whilst Arabba is small, it is very well located for accessing many of the areas on the Sella Ronda, as well as some other areas on the Dolomiti ski pass.
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You know it makes sense.
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I stayed in the Oswald in selva. It was nice and good food, though I found that every dinner took too long and left too little time for alternative activities. It doesn't really have tbe charm or après compared to Austria but the skiing and food is fantastic.
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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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Thanks for all these replies. I need to sit down and digest all the information.
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