Davos or elsewhere?

A snowHead

I've booked my flights to Zurich for next half term and now need to decide where to stay. It will be my 14 year old daughter and me, both decent skiers looking for self catering, will probably eat in some of the time. I've used Zurich the last 2 years and stayed at Zermatt (2009) and Laax (this year). I'm thinking of the following:-

Davos is easy to get to and has plenty of skiing. However is it as expensive (in town and on the mountain) as suggested? Is it best to stay in the Dorf or Platz ends of town? Is the town as soulless as suggested? Are there a lot of tbars etc (I've read this somewhere)? Anything else to take into account?

Lenzerheide, again easy to get to. Suggestions that it is expensive, is it? Not that much skiing, is there enough for a week? Anything else?

Flims, I know all about the skiing from last year. I found Murchetg a bit soulless and fancy trying Flims. Anyone stayed there, are buses to the lifts OK (many apartments seem a bit away)?

Austria. I think you can get to some of the Western Austrian resorts easily. Is that the case, where should I look? I've never skied in Austria.

Last question I don't expect an answer but I'll try anyway. Has anyone a hotel recommendation in Landquart? Staying one night on way home either there or Chur before Sunday flight home.

I have trawled search but didn't find specific answers to these questions.

A snowHead

Colin B, the OH has done a few weeks in Davos and has not been particularly impressed. PIste skiing not so exciting (she's had a few days out with the head of the ski school so you'd think he'd know what to show her...), restaurants v. Germanic, food not great, expensive...

How about Andermatt? Awesome powder reputation. Or Sedrun (small but 30minutes train to Andermatt)?

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

Colin B, slightly further to go but much better piste skiing I think - Mürren/Wengen?

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Davos is outrageously expensive in my experience, and the skiing isn't good enough to make it worth the money.

10 days there cost us nearly £2K once we'd paid for food, beers at huge prices, and this was 5 years ago before the euro rate went to bits.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

St Anton? Just over 3 hours on a direct train for 35 euros each way (less if you buy return ticket though)...

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Colin B, don't know about piste skiing or cost but Engelberg has superb extensive off piste and is close to Zurich. Can be combined with Andermatt if you have transport. Try welove2ski.com for a review. That's where I found it.

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Thanks some food for thought there. Not a lot of support for Davos. Wengen isn't difficult to get to but I've been told it's very busy at half term, is that not the case, Laax this year was queue free despite it being Fasching. I'll look at Engelberg and Andermatt but we only play at off piste really not sure whether they would suit. St Anton looks very interesting, I really must get to Austria. How busy is it there at half term?

After all it is free

It's not quiet, but there's few places where it gets properly busy. Galzig at the wrong time means maybe a 20min que if you're unlucky, the happy valley blue can be pretty horrendous. I never found the resort to be that busy though, and Stuben is always empty.

Colin B, as clarky999 says, St Anton. Have done it from zurich on the train, dead easy. Miles cheaper than Switzerland. Don't think, just do it.

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Charlatanefc, at half term? (I have no experience, but will admit I'd missed that bit of the original post).

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Colin B, Don't know about Engelberg (it may well easily be quiet, I don't think it's high on the list of any of the UK/NL operators) - but if off piste isn't your thing and you want quiet I'd think it may well be worth a look and re-suggest Disentis-Sedrun. We were in Disentis (admittedly out of season) but on a Saturday and Sunday in mid-January and the pistes looked like this

Now I know that isn't a busy week...Sedrun on the Sunday was a little busier, but not exceptionally so. The locals we talked to said that it really never gets busy as it's not really on the main circuits. I would expect it's the same for Engelberg, and indeed many of the stations around there.

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You can get train and then short bus to Sefraus or Ischgl in Austria (change in Landeck I think just after St Anton).
The are both over 200km, high, with modern lifts. But that will make probably around 4-5h transfer time if using train, so St Anton will be quicker option.

under a new name, it isn't France Wink

You know it makes sense.

Colin B, I've been to Engleberg twice at half-term. Apart from a slight queue at the bottom, it was a lot better than most other resorts I've been to at that time of year. The piste skiing isn't extensive. If you really go for it, you can just about ski all the pistes in one day (not including the Brunni or beginners areas).

I am not a great one for off-piste, but there are some very enjoyable bits to the side of the piste that we played on which made it great fun and it is a resort that I'd happily return to in the future.

I think I would go for Austria if you haven't been. In addition to St Anton, another resort that you could consider is Ischgl which is less than 3 hours by car from Zurich.

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

I've been put off Davos by these comments and others that I've read. I don't think Andermatt, Engelberg or Disentis alone would be enough for a week, I'll look at transport between them, I don't really want to hire a car. St Anton is the most appealing at the moment, I really ought to add Austria to my skiing CV.

A snowHead

Isn't St Anton crazy busy? Although Is it Lech/Zurs that are connected and less so? Not sure when Austria has half term but the welove2ski site gave me the impression it is both busy and expensive. Have never been so could be completely wrong. I'm sure there are plenty on here who can advise.

A snowHead

Obviously it is busier in half term, but when I did my season there I never found it crazy busy, and never enough to really affect me, and there are places that definnitely seem to get less traffic. Although in fairness that was 08/09 when the reccession was hitting hard. Saalbach seems to get busier (or it has more impact) than Anton though. Ischgl in the main doesn't get too bad (I've spent one half term week there) but the home run to the village is pure carnage at the end of the day. Don't think it's particularly expensive either?

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

Ischgl looks a lot more difficult to get to by train from Zurich, only 1 fast train a day to Landeck then 30km bus ride, but I'll look into that as well. Looking at the prices in Ischgl and St Anton B&B looks as cheap or cheaper than an apartment.

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Ischgl is defo more fo a ission on public transport, although it is the same train you'd be getting for St Anton. Ischgl is also more expensive than Anton.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Another way of approaching this, might not suit, but an idea:

We spent two weeks staying in Castrisch, which is right next to Ilanz down the hill from Laax. We had a beautiful apartment that cost €700 for two weeks over Christmas/New Years. It'd be even cheaper any other time of year. Being right on the train line through the valley, connecting with buses in Ilanz, 30-60 minutes of travel each day got us to Vals, Obersaxen, Laax, Disentis, or Brigels. The transport is inexpensive, frequent and reliable. Klosters, and therefore Davos, is also reachable but takes more like 90 minutes. Arosa and Lenzerheide would also theoretically be reachable.

It's not everyone's idea of a holiday, but it was a relatively inexpensive way to ski a number of resorts. I also prefer staying in a real town/village rather than a tourism dominated resort.

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Colin B, If St Anton proving a little pricey you could look at Stuben as a cheap base for the Arlberg resorts. Train station is Langen am Arlberg and only a few mins away (same line as St Anton). Stuben slopes are always quiet but then again so is the village. Maybe not enought to keep you and your daughter entertained. Can't recommend any of the Arlberg resorts highly enough.

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Thanks all. I think I've more or less decided on St Anton. I really need to get to Austria and the posts here and others I've read point to it being busy but not unbearably so. Skiing and the atmosphere looks great. Costs look OK.

Nobody seems to have a good word for Davos and I think Lenzerheide would be too small for a week. Whilst I wouldn't mind touring around Andematt, Engelberg, Disentis, etc I don't think it would suit my daughter. It's hard enough dragging her out of bed in the morning without having a train or bus to catch. Ischgl looked too much hassle to get to from Zurich.

Next question, any recommendations for a pension in St Anton? Looking at the prices they don't seem any dearer than an apartment. Particularly any that would take an 8 day booking (Sat - Sun) as I don't fly home until Sunday afternoon. If not I'll possibly stay somewhere in the valley Saturday night.

After all it is free

1. St Moritz;
2. Klosters;
3. Lech;
4. Davos.

Whitegold, Thanks but I don't think I can afford the first 3 and I've discounted the 4th.

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Colin B, I've been to Davos four times and certainly have quite a few good words for it. The skiing is very good, though they have taken out about three of the more interesting blak runs over the years, it is still a very good resort in my view and generally less busy than St Anton when I have been. It is not cheap certainly, but no worse than other big Swiss places and a bit cheaper than the big Tarentaise resorts, thgouh I don't know how the ChF has changed this.
I would disagree with comments about the food on the mountain I have eaten well there certainly better than St Anton.

not trying to put you off St Anton by the way which is an excellent place. Personally I think boabski, recommendation of Stuben is good. Cheaper and less busy than St Anton with great acess to the Valluga and closer to Lech/Zurs which are quieter and often have better snow. Also slightly closer to Zurich by train.

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I'd highly recommend Davos if you're looking to get a boot fitting - go to Heierling....

Otherwise, if i went back i'd choose to stay at the Best Western at Davos Platz, just opposite the Platz train station, and a relatively easy walk to the Jacobshorn mountain.

The Rinerhorn (easy train or bus ride from Platz) is where most of the t-bars are - once up the bubble from the station it's ALL T-bars - which is quite amusing in a mind boggling way.

Other mountains are mostly chairs - with the odd t-bar.

Coops

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Colin B, If you've decided on St Anton try Haus Angelika http://www.arlberg.com/hotel.angelika/?L=1 . Stayed there for the first time this year. The location has to be about the best in St Anton - nestled in between the Galzigbahn and Rendlbahn. Decent sized rooms, nice wellness area, nice hosts and decent breakfast. Cost us around €73 a night b&b, so don't know if this is more expensive than you'd hoped. You can stay in the Nasserein part of town for almost half that. You would essentially be paying for the location. Alternatively try getting in touch with sidneyreilly on here. He has a few apartments is cracking locations http://www.st-antonamarlberg.co.uk/

Colin B, I'd second (3rd....whatever) St.Anton. Good train service to Zurich Airpot (sometimes several changes, but this is Switzerland, so the connections do work). Loads of piste, off-piste and half-way-inbetween skiing. I've had 3 weeks there and never made it over to Lech as I've had plenty to do at the St Anton end. Engelberg and Andermatt can be skied pretty completely in a day each (maybe a day and a half if the outliers are skied as well) if you're not into big-time off-piste. Davos does has lots of skiing, but the piste skiing is a bit tame.

St Anton centre (Galzig) can be pretty expensive, but that's where all the life is. Nasserein is cheaper but is a good 20 mins walk away (has a bus, although IIRC doesn't run all that late), but does have some life of its own. Over towards Rendl is also cheaper, and only about 5 mins walk from Galzig, but just dormitory area. This does have the advantage that it's quiet enough to sleep when you do want to (St Anton centre is a big party place). The local tourist office has an excellent on-line booking/availability website. I stayed at this place: www.ski-arlberg.com/patteriol which was lovely and very good value. Nice breakfast, excellent sauna, lovely ambience and very friendly proprietor. No evening meals though. Several other similar looking pensions were on the same road.

You know it makes sense.

Yes I think I'm going for St Anton, I shall talk it over with my daughter at the weekend but she seems pretty keen. Thanks for the info on hotels, guest houses, apartments, etc. I think I'll be looking for something up to about €60 a night but there does appear to be a lot to choose from.

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

Colin, we have stayed a few times in the same place, 100 yards from the Nasserein gondola, lovely little place http://www.sennhotel.at/en/index.php5

There's a cracking little apres ski bar under the gondola too, called the Fang Bar. Lot quieter than the Mooserwirt and KK but really good atmosphere straight from the slopes.

Help!!

Davos or elsewhere?

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