Zermatt for next New Year

A snowHead

Just back from Kaprun and looking to go to Zermatt next New Year.

We are a family of 5, all intermediates with a 6 year old who needs ski school.

I fancy travelling independantly and staying in a high quality hotel (with pool ideally)

Any advice gratefully received.

A snowHead

Lucky you, I have just returned from New Year in Zermatt at the more budget end of the spectrum and had a magical time.

The skiing and town are fabulous. The world is your lobster if you are looking at the top end with spa facilities. The Hotel Alex is a favourite for many, it has a pool and great bar and though in a quiet pocket it is only a couple of minutes from the action and the Gornergrat lift. The Mont Cervin looked like the dog's bo**ox and if you stay there or at the Zermatterhof and a few other hotels then your kids will have the fairytale experience of being met at the station by a coach and horses which will whisk you off to your hotel. The reviews of the Zermatterhof are a little mixed; whilst indisputably luxurious it is very formal with dress requirements etc and some people seem to find it starchy and stand offish unless you happen to be European royalty.

New Years Eve was terrific. The fireworks surpassed Disney's best efforts by a country mile and the Church Square had a DJ and was thronged with champagne swigging happy shiny people having fun.

I recommend booking ski lessons very early as we heard many people complaining on the lifts that they had left it too late and the schools were booked up. Stoked have an excellent reputation but to be fair I think each school is good. I think one reason the instructors get booked up is due to the wealth of many people in resort at this costly time; most instructors we saw were with 1 or 2 people only and the group lessons that are the norm in other resorts I have visited were much less evident although they are offered.

The Zermatt tourism website offers good information about hotels and you can click onto their own websites to get a better idea.

Travelling independently is a doddle with so many flights going to Geneva. You can either hire a car there (and park it at Tasch for the week) or take advantage of the Swiss Rail Transfer Ticket. This is only available in advance from the UK and is cheap and flexible.

We loved the whole experience so much we are plotting our return next year at the same time. Costs in resort were surprisingly reasonable so if you can be tempted out of your lovely hotel you won't end up bankrupted by £8 cokes.

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

Stay in a hotel within 300 meters of a major skilift.

The skibuses suck. They will waste your vacation.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Check out the website of Summit Ski School, (www.summitskischool.com) a modern English speaking ski school. You can take regular lessons or choose to focus on a specific area. They also limits the number in the groups to 6 so you don't get those big long lines where only the first few people can hear, they are the only ski school to guarantee that!

I can highly reccommend that ski school and Zermatt as a resort, stacks of things to do both on the piste and in the village. Can't comment on hotels as I usually stay with my brother (... handy to have family that live in a ski resort!). We've just booked Zermatt for Christmas 2008.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

New Year

Take body armour

Rockets flying everywhere - mostly horizontal - mostly supplied by Russian visitors from National service days it seems...

Buses where fine this year. Never queued at 8.30 for lift up, organised queue going home, never more than 3 buses wait (20mins?) at 4-5pm going home

Never queued on the mountain. new years day we had to ourselves from 8.30 to 11am then pretty quiet

Help!!

Zermatt for next New Year

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports