Jan 27 - Madonna or Arabba?

A snowHead

Hi all,

Our group is very late in getting booked for next year. We have to decide pretty quickly between:

Golf Hotel-Madonna Di Campiglio and Hotel Portavescovo/Arabba for the last week in January.

We are 9 intermediate skiers, happy on all runs. We've loved the likes of Serre Chevalier, Avoriaz, Saalbach. We've been in France the last 2 years, with lots of snow and moguls for a lot of it! We've moved from chalets to hotels the last couple of trips to make booking easier too.

I've not been to either resort, but I hear both have spectacular for scenery - to make up for the longer transfer. Arabba would be 3.5 hours, Madonna would be 2hrs 45. I know the ski area would be much bigger in Arabba - due to being able to do the Sella Rhonda. Some of the reviews of the Golf Hotel say it's a bit past it's best - but they seem to mainly be summer visitors rather than skiiers. Both appear to be ski in (or very nearby) - and pretty easy to get to the lifts in the morning.

Has anyone skied both areas? Which took the edge for you?

This is the first time I've not planned and booked the trip myself, so I'm trying to be a good traveller and make a quick decision on what the organiser has shortlisted.

Any advice gratefully accepted.

Thanks

A snowHead

@micheleperry, having skied/stayed in both areas three times, I’d go for MdC. I pref the town - it’s livelier and there is more to do. I also preferred the skiing in the Brenta Dolomites and (albeit quite a few years ago now) preferred the on-mountain eating/food/prices.

Don’t get me wrong, the Portovescovo is nicely situated and is a yearly destination for the snowHeads Birthday Bash. I stayed there twice and once at the Sport Hotel (better, IMO but more expensive by a way). The skiing is, of course, also pretty outstanding. I expect you’ll get quite a bit of additional feedback from many of the snowHeads who’ve been to Arabba.

On balance, if I had the choice, I’d go back to MdC. The cruisey reds are awesome.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thanks Jager - the hotel we've been offered in Madonna is outside of the main town by the sounds of it, but they have a shuttle if we want to go in. I like the sound of cruisey reds too.
Do you know if staying in Arabba, how easy is it to access the other areas/towns if not doing the whole Sella Rhonda?

Cheers

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@micheleperry,

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I’ve stayed in both and I wouldn’t go back to Madonna.
Has a rep for being glitzy but I found the town a bit run down (several large knackered / boarded up hotels) and full of Italian chavs (the sort of people who have a bit of cash but no class and think it’s the place to be seen).
Ski area has a lot of travel to it but the connection to and from Pinzolo area is a 25 minute three stage gondola.
Some of the lifts are a bit old.
Wide and long cruisey pistes but also quite crowded.
It’s not as big an area as you think and you will end up covering the same ground after a few days.
Hotel golf is quite a way out of town so even if there is a shuttle - it’s not convenient.

Arabba is small but has a few bars and restaurants and honestly that’s enough for me. Day trips in several directions.
Enough mileage to keep you interested.

Portovescovo is well situated. Short walk to Burz lift and virtually ski back. Short stroll into town (but has a decent bar from memory).
Much more testing skiing locally but plenty of cruising potential in Alta badia 30 mins ski away.

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@micheleperry, i think if you are already down to only those two choices I would pick Arabba. Much more skiing for a confident group. There certainly isn't much going on but Bar Peter is busy, Mikeys Grill bar at the lift is lovely, the hotel bar is decent and there is a lovely wine bar in town. I would hire a locker at the lifts to allow easier access to those. A group also makes it's own entertainment to an extent. I took a group of similar size to Arabba two years ago and we were all definitely happy to go back. I have looked at Madonna and always thought there a little less easily accessible skiing.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Arabba is little more than a 'hamlet' ; Portovescovo is well located and a very good hotel IMO
Madonna is an International known resort complete with little dogs and ladies decked out in furs....
The Golf hotel is a long way out of the centre, but very close to two main lifts - one to the Groste area (the highest section) and the other to Pradalago.

Might come down to how much night life your group are looking for !!

I didn't find much variation in prices when in MDC this year : I had expected it to be more expensive than the 'Ronda' due to its reputation

==== edit====
Should add - my preference would be the Sella Ronda area

After all it is free

Thanks all, much appreciated responses.

As a group we're not too worried about nightlife - we like a couple of drinks straight after skiing, but happy to do that at the hotel. I like the idea that we could explore and cover lots of ground from Arabba - and that it's not just the Sellaronda circuit, plenty of other places to ski in the area.

I think I've made my choice on which to vote for! Even if it means a loooong transfer.

I have never found the transfer to any of the SR 'corners' to be as long as the TI websites suggest - for all of Selva, Arabba and Corvara they have been a good 30 mins less than quoted in the brochure. The way back has been a bit more mixed - when we transferred back from Arabba 2 years ago it seemed like we did a tour of the whole of N Italy/S Austria and stopped at LOADS of places on the way back to Innsbruck! It was well over an hour longer than the inbound journey. I have never been a fan of a long transfer, but to stay in the Dolomites I have put that to one side. The journey is 100% worth it. If your flight times are favourable (ie - not too late on the way out/not too early on the way back) it can be pretty painless. In reality, unless you have a very short transfer then travel takes up a whole day anyway, so an hour extra on the bus doesn't make a wholesale difference to the holiday.

It sounds like you're going to vote for Arabba anyway - I haven't been to MDC, but having been to Arabba I'd say you're making a very wise choice indeed. I was surprised how small the town was, but that didn't matter for us. A ski shop, a bar (which could be in the hotel) and a mini supermarket are all we need. I preferred it to Corvara (as a town), as even though the latter was much bigger, there wasn't actually that much more of any use (I think I counted 4 high-end opticians...), and the fact it is bigger meant we were further from the lift.

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I would also add - an enjoyable part of my ski holidays is a nice lunch on the mountain with table service .
I’ve never had a problem with this in dolomiti super ski (Alta badia especially has some lovely places).
Almost every hutte hits the spot.

But Madonna was a bit disappointing- very hit and miss. Lots of large self service places (albeit with a small and often booked à la carte restaurant).

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@sheffskibod, Yep, I noticed that - in MDC mostly self-service ; even if you wanted to sit outside for a coffee, you had to get it yourself :: In the Sella area it is nearly always waiter service...

snow reports

Just saying, but I'd go for Selva over Arabba.

Agree with the Selva over Arabba, simply because of the larger town. As for Madonna vs Arabba, if you haven't been to either, and haven't been to any of the Dolomiti Superski areas, pick Arabba. The sella ronda area is much more of a bucket list area. It would a crime if you never went there. Madonna (a place I have never been I admit) strikes me as a place you can miss.

You know it makes sense.

Just one more thing to add to the plenty of positives you have or will have about Arabba....when assessing difficulty accessing other areas, many of them are undoubtedly worth it. Kronplatz, for example, is a bit of a journey on paper but a must. An amazing place to my mind and somewhere I would visit every time. The journey is also a joy, the runs down into Corvara, La Villa and then down to Sponata for the 1010 bus to Piculin are all excellent for intermediates. Wine Bar Heidi is the bar i mentioned earlier.
The only issue with this thread now is that it is making me wish I had picked Arabba for my own group! We only discounted it to opt for somewhere with Birmingham flights and a shorter transfer for a change

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@micheleperry, which airport are you using? Venice to Arabba is less than 2.5 hours by taxi

A snowHead

@DCG, Given Hotels mentioned I'm guessing Innsbruck with Inghams

A snowHead

@DCG

The flights are to Innsbruck, so we'll also have to hope it lands within the 3 tries. We've had a couple of "touch and go arounds" there in the past!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Ah innsbruck. Was going to say VCE is only 2 hours..... I usually hire a car and drive myself, very easy

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I have been to MDC and the Dolomiti Superski but have never stayed in Arabba ,,,in anywhere in the Superski you have to go further away to find the runs you want in MDC the town is very central .we stayed at the Alpina ,which I can recommend..also if you are going independently MDC has a bigger choice of transfer ,,there is a train station quite near

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I’ve been to both places, but almost 16 years ago. So my opinion doesn’t matter that much, but if I have to choose today, and if we’re talking about hotels with half board, I’d go to Arabba.
MdC is nice, skiing was okay, but not comparable to Alta Badia, where we were a week later after MdC. The place was FULL of Czechs and Slovaks. And as far as I’ve read on other forums, it’s still the same today, at least in the low season weeks.
I don’t have a problem with any ethnicity, but I never figured out why they drink alcohol at 9:00 am.

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we're decent intermediates and for the last few years we've been done extended trips each year during which we visit both Madonna and Alta Badia (30 mins ski from Arabba) so know both like the back of our hands.

They are quite different ski experiences so it depends on your priorities.

If you want a nice town, Italian feel and decent sized ski area then it's Madonna. If you want a village, more Germanic feel and massive ski area then it's Arabba.

MdC -
nice town, I haven't noticed any boarded up hotels but for the last few years there has been building work in the town centre as there re new apartments going up. It's very popular with Italians and Eastern Europeans but clientele will depend on when you go and am not sure about the end of Jan (we normally go early Jan or mid Feb). It has a reputation for being upmarket but I never think it feels like that maybe it was the case many years ago, tbh it's probably living on it's past reputation. It's not like e.g. Courmayeur which struck me as genuinely upmarket. Golf hotel is up the hill from the town, not a bad walk down but I wouldn't want to walk back up the hill after an Aperitivo so the hotel minibus would be helpful.

ski area is enough for us for 4 or 5 days but we know it well and don't need maps, the lift system has improved a lot over the last few years but there are a couple of bottle necks that form at certain times of day. Evidently this is because many skiers stay in Folgarida which has much cheaper accommodation and come over en-masse mid morning. There are lots of nice reds and blues, a several easy blacks and a couple of genuinely steep ones. Skiing mainly through trees.

We have been twice with a larger mixed group and people loved it.

We mainly return because it's a nice resort, has food memories and there are two ski instructors we love.

Arabba
no town so to speak of. Mainly blacks out of the door but you can ski, ski, ski in any direction for the full day and it isn't normally too busy at the end of Jan.

Arabba area isn't my favourite because (1) it seems to be either blacks or blues (2) seems to attract too many people who want to ski the blacks very quickly so we avoid them in that area (3) isn't as well connected as Selva and Alta Badia. However unless the weather is bad you probably won't need to worry about most of that and some people love it, horses for courses and all that.

There are hundreds of threads on the Sella Ronda and Dolomiti Superksi area but the expression 'intermediate paradise' seems apt.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I think @wjrlaw has hit the nail on the head -- If you haven't been to the Sella Ronda, that makes it first pick ; leave MDC for another year

After all it is free

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all your answers.

The group has voted, and Arabba was the winner. And we can always try Madonna another time - but research a slightly better located hotel. Let's hope the rooms are still available today!

Help!!

Jan 27 - Madonna or Arabba?

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