 Poster: A snowHead
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Once you've picked your resort for a trip what factor(s) drive your choice of accommodation and why?
Is it:
A) Board arrangements - SC / B&B / HB / Catered Chalet / Club Hotel
B) Location - proximity to lifts / centre / apres
C) Cost - just see what available at the right price and see what offers the most advantages
D) Repeat Customer - go to the same hotel / apartments etc cos of a good past experience
E) Recommendations - someone has recommended it to you so you think you'll give it a try
F) Availability - you're a late booker so just see what's the best of what's left at the right price
For me I prefer smallish but decent quality family run B&B's or Gasthofs / Guesthouses cos I don't like to be told what time I have to eat, what type of cuisine, and I how many courses there are and I sometimes like to eat my main meal of the day up the mountain. B&B gives me this flexibility without the hassle of having to make my own breakfast.
The place also needs to be within a reasonable walk of the nearest lifts and ideally not too far from the apres action but this is less important as I don't mind a walk after blowing the froth off a few beers
The cost of such accommodation is usually quite reasonable but it can be painful eating out in the pricier resorts unless you hunt around. I tend to book the accom for my main trips early so I get maximum choice of availability for my budget. There are one or two resorts where I go back to the same B&B time and time again...
What's your poison?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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On family holidays (although it's been a couple of years now since I've been, although they still go) it's repeat custom - absolutely gorgeous family-run hotel, amazing pool/sauna, great staff who are good for a bit of banter and look after us, amazing food (half board) and only a couple of hundred metres from the lifts and apres. (Hotel Glockenstuhl in Westendorf btw)
On my own trips if I'm not working (hence staying in Ski School accom) or staying at my girlfriend's in Innsbruck, I would go for the cheapest possible without distancing myself too far (ie 10/15 min walk max) from the apres/nightlife, which usually means lifts too. All I'm really looking for in this case is a bed, shower and toilet in a half decent location, preferably self catered unless it's a really good deal.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 27-01-10 19:48; edited 2 times in total
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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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Easy going. Anything from self-catering, to b&b, to 3* hotel. Don't like catered chalets because of staff who are 'not my servants' (what are they supposed to be then?) and 4* hotels (too pretentious for an ideal ski holiday).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Don't like catered chalets because of staff who are 'not my servants' (what are they supposed to be then?)
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I think this is supposed to indicate that the staff are there to provide specific services (cook your dinner, sweep the floor) but not to be at your beck and call generally. The chalet holidays I've been on I think this has worked OK - people realise that they want to go out skiing, that they are not paid a lot - they should therefore be treated a bit more like family members/friends whose house you are staying in. In top end chalets (the kind I could never afford to stay in) then when you pay the earth, maybe more becking and calling can legitimately be expected.
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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.
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Prefer chalets to hotels, but larger chalets if it's just 2 of us then you get bigger mix of people to dilute the wierd ones.
Top of the list is en-suite bathroom. I'm done with having to share bathrooms and loos with people I don't know. Then nice squishy looking sofas, not benches and hard chairs, a log fire that is lit not left all cold for the week and not somewhere next to a nightclub. Not worried about ski in and out, but is nice if you can get that too.
Not too much to ask is it 
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Always catered for me and I prefer hotels to chalets, for privacy reasons. My main driving factor is solo affordability, so either a single room (preferably not broom cupboard size) or a twin room with a low solo supplement. I prefer a hotel with decent facilities with a choice of menu and a bar, but beggars can't always be choosers.
Usually there's very limited availability for this in any given resort, and it's almost unheard of in France, so factors like distance to lifts and village are not deal breakers for me. A resort that has rentable lockers for equipment at lift base stations will always score points with me. I don't mind a bit of a walk, but I'm not doing it with the equivalent of a plaster cast on each foot!
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Bluebell, exactly what you said. I'd also give a serious nod to the quality of food and free booze, which always helps. MrsFE always specifies a hot tub, as well.
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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 accommodation, what I don't like is glitzy hotels in which you have to dress up, or chalets full of random people I don't know. Otherwise, happy to stay in modest b&b, or a cosy family-run hotel on half board (with excellent food, which doesn't mean fancy food) or self-catering. Prefer to be somewhere where access to the lifts doesn't involve a long walk, but doesn't need to be ski-in/ski-out. A top priority is good plumbing ie en suite bathroom with unlimited hot water, and shower with decent water pressure. If swimming pool (big enough to do lengths) and sauna are available, I'm in heaven, but they're not essential. Peace and quiet during the night ie no noise from bar etc, also a top priority.
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pam w, maybe. I prefer hotels where the situation is clear cut (the staff are there to look after me, 7 days a week, without hangovers in the morning) or to self cater.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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since I'm usually restricted to long weekends then it tends to be flight availability then easy access to resort and finally accommodation. Try to aim for as high quality at lowest price.
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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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Totally forgot, ensuite bathroom is an absolute must.
I'd only ever considering sharing with a sister or close female friend also and in fairness would rather not have to. I'm used to having a whole 3-bedroomed house to myself, space/privacy is important to me.
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FastEddie, No, there is something about hot tubs I don't get on with. Mind you, I've never had the romantic experience of one outside overlooking the mountains with a glass of champagne in hand. The one we had a Christmas was in a smellyish room opposite the boot room. Some of the jets didn't work, the beer was warm and my face beetroot red because the temperature seemed stuck
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You know it makes sense.
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Being just a little older, for me the prime things are comfort and location. Catered or self-catered is fine. As long as there is some and it's reasonable, the actual food doesn't matter if catered.
Comfort
If I can't sleep comfortably I am not going to enjoy my holiday, so that counts out apartments where nobody can move once the various sofabeds/bedrolls are in place.
As for location
- easy to get my luggage to (my first trip involved dragging my stuff about 200m up a sheet-ice hill - the coach dropped us in the square and the Thompson rep left it to us to find the hotel ourselves. When I asked for help he said it wasn't his problem, shrugged his shoulders and vanished. Not my idea of 4* accommodation and not a great intro to ski-hols!
- either ski in/out or nearly so OR only a short walk to a bus stop. I don't like long trudges in ski boots while carrying skis. Was quite happy with Mountain Sun's Melezes in Tignes - frequent buses that stopped opposite were fine.
- if self-catered, needs to be close to supermarket or bus that goes there, and either have a lift or be on a low floor.
- if catered then it's really good to have the facility to have somewhere to make a hot drink & sit to drink it when I wake up at stupid o'clock and my room-mate doesn't - I guess that is more likely in catered chalets than hotels.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Chalet's can be fun though esp when a boys trip meets a girls trip in the same chalet with no kids and a hot tub 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Iski, We had a room that also had a little kitchenette so saved 13 dollars a head each day making our own brekkas. The beds are soooooooooooooooooooo comfy. I wish my bed here in UK was as nice.
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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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Travelling by myself, the things you list come in order (for me):
1. Board arrangements - Must be HB or CC. I will also usually try to find somewhere with a wellness area or at least a sauna, but that isn't a deal breaker. I have never come across a self catering option that works out a reasonable cost for a solo traveller, and I'd rather not be looking for evening meals by myself, so prefer HB to B&B - usually the premium for HB is less than the average cost of meals out anyhow.
2. Availability - I'm usually a late booker so just see what's the best of what's left at the right price - This applies as much to choice of resort as to choice of accommodation within resort.
3. Cost - just see what available at the right price and see what offers the most advantages
4. Repeat Customer - go to the same hotel / apartments etc cos of a good past experience
I haven't actually gone back to the same resort again yet, but there are certain resorts where if I went back I would certainly try to get the same hotel again.
5. Recommendations - someone has recommended it to you so you think you'll give it a try
6. Location - proximity to lifts / centre / apres
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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for me it's snow
then cost and board.
i always book the week i'm going so can make life interesting.
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When Mrs C goes she decides. Has to be nice hotel, HB, swimming pool preferable. If she doesn't like the accommodation it makes her miserable and boy, doesn't everyone else on the trip know it.  When I go with my mates, its B&B. I've stayed in the Hotel Neder in Ischgl for the last dozen years or so. Its a nice place, a 5 minute walk to the lift & does a great breakfast. Good lunch to follow as we're not too bothered about food in the evening - eats into drinking time. I have stayed in a chalet in St. Anton and quite enjoyed it but wouldn't do it again. I like to fully experience what a place has in terms of bars, live music etc so, for me, eating in the evening is purely functional and something to get over as quick as possible. I've also done self catering a few times many years ago but generally ate out. I'm very much a "can't cook, won't cook type of person", "my wife is very much a can cook but no chance of me doing it on holiday kind of person".
Overall, the right resort is much more important than type of accommodation for me.
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Bluebell, I'm in agreement with your first post, then you added about the hot tub and I would have to agree. Last year thought it would be great but water was cloudy, not suposed to have any alcoholic drinks (glass of red is compulsory for me) and it was in the basement so the smell of pool chemicals was evil. Tried it twice to make sure then decided a good long shower in the ensuite was better for easing the muscles. I hate saunas, ooh too hot.
queen bodecia, I stuggle with the solo bit too, this year said I'd wait till last minute, but paniked and booked with six weeks to go. I justified that since I only go once a year, I'd be gutted if I missed out. Honestly, dont care who I share a room with, I have my family and 2 foriegn students at my house, I would be unlucky to find I was sharing with someone/thing I couldn't handle.
I look for big ski area or relatively easy access to it. Ski in and out if poss.
Prefer catered, somewhere pretty. Not too fussed about apres usually wine with dinner will do it, depends on chalet company (guests).
Dates are important Not kids hols ours or theirs.
alex_heney, If you can be bothered, any hints on last min booking for solo, I chicken'd out and booked. But my whole package inc flight, transfer, CC, ski pass, skis has cost £644 over my butget, flexed the plastic 
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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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| youngeratheart wrote: |
Bluebell, I'm in agreement with your first post, then you added about the hot tub and I would have to agree. Last year thought it would be great but water was cloudy, not suposed to have any alcoholic drinks (glass of red is compulsory for me) and it was in the basement so the smell of pool chemicals was evil. Tried it twice to make sure then decided a good long shower in the ensuite was better for easing the muscles. I hate saunas, ooh too hot.
queen bodecia, I stuggle with the solo bit too, this year said I'd wait till last minute, but paniked and booked with six weeks to go. I justified that since I only go once a year, I'd be gutted if I missed out. Honestly, dont care who I share a room with, I have my family and 2 foriegn students at my house, I would be unlucky to find I was sharing with someone/thing I couldn't handle.
I look for big ski area or relatively easy access to it. Ski in and out if poss.
Prefer catered, somewhere pretty. Not too fussed about apres usually wine with dinner will do it, depends on chalet company (guests).
Dates are important Not kids hols ours or theirs.
alex_heney, If you can be bothered, any hints on last min booking for solo, I chicken'd out and booked. But my whole package inc flight, transfer, CC, ski pass, skis has cost £644 over my butget, flexed the plastic |
must have been some ski pass cost, to be 644 over budget.
last hol (last week) cost 590 for half board(ski in ski out), skis, pass and transfers.. booze added a few bob onto that 
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I like B&B if we're in a decent 'town' resort, with plenty of different eating options, cheap & expensive, for dinner. Otherwise a nice hotel, preferably 4* in Austria. And I've never yet stayed in a skiing hotel which is full of pretentious people - most skiers seem pretty down to earth to me, with jeans and walking boots perfectly acceptable for dinner. I'm not that keen on chalets but will do chalet hotel at a push - I like staying in a hotel with different nationalities and different foods, not being in a little UK.
It's nice being ski in/out but not that essential, especially if there are good lockers by the lifts or good bus system.
Having said all that - I would stay anywhere 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| youngeratheart wrote: |
alex_heney, If you can be bothered, any hints on last min booking for solo, I chicken'd out and booked. But my whole package inc flight, transfer, CC, ski pass, skis has cost £644 over my butget, flexed the plastic |
Ouch!
I usually go for one of the quiet weeks, preferably 2nd/3rd week of January, but occasionally will do March.
I've never spent more on that lot than the amount you are over budget by! This year was about the most I have spent, and was £418 for flights transfers half board, ski carriage, then €211 (£193) for the ski pass, so £615 total.
I usually just search the main TO websites, particularly TUI group and Thomas Cook. I rarely find the aggregator sites give sensible results for solo travellers. I often also check out flight prices and direct hotel prices to see if I can DIY any better, but have never found anything significantly better price for the same quality accommodation.
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I pick the acccommodation before the resort. If a resort doesn't have tempting accommodation it will be crossed off the list. I tend to prefer luxury self catering with a decent pool and steam room. Skiing and swimming are my favourite sports so I love being able to do both in the same day. Its also good to have the swimming option with young children who may not be ready to ski all day every day. If you go self catering the accommodation price is a lot less and so we have spare money to spend on eating out at least once a day. when the food is thrown in as in a chalet set up there is a temptation to eat too much just because it is included and paid for and we like to eat on the early side and not wait for the chalet host to get their act together.
Now the children are getting older I would also consider hotels but only if they have large rooms. The thing I like with self catering is that the children get their own room. We never sleep well if all four of us are in together.
The important things for us when booking a ski holiday are:
- decent accommodation that doesn't cost the earth
- is resort good for intermediates and fairly snow sure at the time we are going
- resort must be near rail station as we tend to go by train
- ski to and from the door is preferred.
For the above reasons we tend to keep going back to france trying a new resort each time.
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You know it makes sense.
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The good thing reading this thread is that there are a lot of different factors influencing choice driven by individual circumstances. So thankfully we are not all searching for the same thing.
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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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Price for me.
Well, I say price, I mean value for money. I want a hotel with the highest star rating, close to the slopes, for the cheapest price. I always go SC because I have a child for a husband who has a staple diet of meat/cheese/potatoes.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
meat/cheese/potatoes
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That seems to be the basis for most alpine meals anyway! Tartiflette or Tiroler Grostl anyone?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
I always go SC because I have a child for a husband who has a staple diet of meat/cheese/potatoes.
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Doesn't that pretty much define Savoyarde cuisine? 
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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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v1cky24, how is a hotel SC? I don't understand. At the very least hotel accommodation is usually B&B, but without cooking facilities.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I go by quality and proximity mainly, i want a high standard of accomodation conveninet for the slopes. I'm not big on the apres so want a nice room to relax in, we normally go self catering as i love to cook so a decent kitchen with full size appliances is a must, and a seperate living area. We tend to rent condos or large chalets in Canada as i've struggled to find this sort of standard accomodation in brouchures we've looked at for europe. I dont mind driving to the hill if the accomodation is good. And i absolutely refuse to class a sofa bed as a bed!!!
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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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i have no intrest in long transfers.. i want to be a stroll from the slopes or lifts.. good apres bars. no qeueing for anything! hotels only i want my bar and my bed to be well away from each other.. wouldnt even contemplate a chalet with strangers
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
| F) Availability - you're a late booker so just see what's the best of what's left at the right price |
Generally follow the snow, book late and drive to the resort. Being a walk away from the lifts doesn't worry me. I like a bit of a walk.
Apres ski, location to the lifts, quality of accom. etc come second to snow quality and terrain.
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pam w, alex_heney, mugen, This just demonstrates how poor grammer and a dyslexic tendency make you feel like more of an idiot than you are. Actually my budget was £500 and the over spend £144.
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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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youngeratheart, That makes a bit more sense. You're in the same ballpark as the rest of us
We've all made typing mistakes on here.
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| Bluebell wrote: |
| ....Then nice squishy looking sofas, not benches and hard chairs, a log fire that is lit not left all cold for the week ... |
Hi Bluebell, I wonder if the log fire at the A has been lit yet???
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FAQ
so layout is king, then price... and the availability of a hot tub 
