 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
My new husband and I want to learn to ski for our honeymoon, we are planning on going in Jan 2011. we have a budget of 2K to include hire and ski school. we are not too good at staying up late so nightlife of less importance. we would ideally like a slightly more luxurious accomodation, but know for skiing our budget is small.
We were thinking Andorra as neither of us have been before, but some experienced skiiers have advised against.
Any advice welcome. Thank you. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cervinia in Italy is difficult to beat for good beginner slopes. Good nursery slopes near the village and lots of very easy skiing higher up for progressing later in the week. Not too expensive either. The higher slopes could be cold in January, but good quality snow is pretty much guaranteed. My 'Where to Ski and Snowboard guide' says 'Apres Ski disappoints many Brits' but that is clearly not an issue for you.
Also, welcome to Snowheads 
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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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emmylou717, Welcome to , have a look at Sixt Alpine chalet www.sixtalpinechalet.com, top notch accomodation and service,its a bit out of the way, though Samoens isn't a bad place to learn, or have a look at More Alps www.morealps.com, they have some nice chalets and Le Rossier is another good place to learn. Both are independent chalets so you will need to do your own flights.
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January is the cheapest time to go for 2K you can go to lots of nicer & more romantic places than Andorra. Lots a picture postcard views in Austria and Switzerland. If you are virgins you need a good teacher and easy acces to the nursery slopes.
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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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emmylou717, welcome to snowheads! A few thoughts, I'm sure you will get plenty of other ideas!
When you say you are going in January 2011 I'm not quite sure when you mean? If you mean New Year it will cost quite a lot, if you mean any other time in January you will be looking at slightly cheaper prices as it will be low season. Worth thinking about.
Also as you are on your honeymoon you might want to stay in a hotel rather than a shared chalet as that might give you more privacy?
I've not been to Andorra so can't comment.
Good luck with your planning!
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Thank you for your replies guys!
I will check out the places mentioned above. I think a hotel is prob the way to go, as we would want privacy, although the chalets always look so magical.
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emmylou717, I would think 2k would get you a very nice hotel somewhere very pretty in January. If you would like to try somewhere nice, you could try here... http://www.hotel-stmartin.com/
Was a while back we stayed but it is lovely, with a sauna, cosy rooms, and very nice dining. Is at the lower end of the Val Thorens valley, part of the 3V network. The slopes at this end are IMO possibly ideal for beginners, especially in January. The village itself is small, and fairly pretty.
I cannot comment on lessons etc, or the cost, but we went when I was still very nervous low intermediate and it was nice skiing, and not too difficult access from the village. I think it would have the advantage of being quiet at that time of year.
There will be many other posters who will come along and suggest lots of other places. I began skiing in Kitzbuhel and had a brill time my first couple of trips, with good lessons from the Red Devils, but, IMO and looking back, there was a heck of a lot of W-A-L-K-I-N-G with skis in skiboots, which you would not get in the 3V.
Wherever you choose have a great trip, and oh, welcome to
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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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emmylou717, my wife and I learnt to ski in Selva in the Italian Dolomites and we've have been back to the area several times since because we love it there, amazing scenery, nice ambience, pleasing wooden chalet architecture, good food, reasonable prices, etc.
We learnt with the original Selva Ski School which was good, my sister went in 2004 and took lessons with Ski Snowboard 2000, judging by her quick progress she had excellent tuition, they are based at this hotel by the nursery slopes, the pics give an idea what to expect there:
http://www.hotelmiravalle.it/en/lage.htm
http://www.hotelmiravalle.it/en/skischuhle.htm
Other resorts in the area like Corvara and Colfosco would also be good for beginners, but I have no experience of the schools there.
If it's a honeymoon, you could extend your stay with a night or two in the most romantic city in the world, Venice, before you catch your flight home. Plenty of airlines fly to Venice from UK regional airports.
Spud9 mentioned Cervinia, I thought it would be a good place for beginners when I visited this year, but while snowy mountains are always beautiful, it is an ugly modern resort.
Alistair Pink's idea of doing an introductory lesson at the snowdome is brilliant.
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luigi, Dolomites would definitely be a beautiful place to go on honeymoon!
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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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| Wayne wrote: |
| nozawaonsen wrote: |
| luigi, Dolomites would definitely be a beautiful place to go on honeymoon! |
Yep - I agree with that - but of course I would, wouldn't I 
emmylou717,
I know you say you're looking for a chalet but I'd go for a nice hotel
£2,000 is almost twice as much as you need to pay for a standard 3* hotel near the slopes
and it's still a bit too much 4* (inc equipment and ski school)
Have a look (yeah I know, a self promo - but hey, I'm trying  )
http://www.folgarida.co.uk/pages/folgarida_hotel_caminetto.html
Oh, and the ski school there is incredible - but again, I would say that |
Mmmm, romantic, purpose-built, conceived in 1965 Folgarida....???? 
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'Romantik' Hotel Capella in Colfosco right next to the beginners' slope (check out the aerial view):
http://www.hotelcappella.com/en/information/index/1-0.html
Mmmm, bit pricey though!
Some friends chose Colfosco, out of all the many places they had visited, for their winter 'ski' wedding a few years back, so they felt it was pretty special in a romantic way.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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If you do decide on Andorra - the ski school there is fantastic so you will have great tuition from English, Kiwi or Aussie instructors. Have a look at El Tarter - some of the hotels are close to the lifts but others will have a free bus that runs you to the slopes, which takes about 5 minutes. The town is lovely with lots of little winding streets. It's quiet and peaceful and quite a few of the hotels have lovely spas and pools, which is always great after a day on the slopes.
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Poster: A snowHead
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You could look at the hotel Caminetto in Folgarida - 4* hotel near the lifts and within budget. In Jan (not NY), £950, HB, F & T, lift pass, ski and boot hire. As a snowHead, I think there is an offer that should you book via the link on the site, there are also lessons included. The resort is fairly quiet, OK as places go and a very good learning and progressing area at the top of the gondola.
I see that Wayne provided a link to his site above. I'd certainly recommend it for a number of reasons - reasonably pretty village (although not sure romantic is exactly the description - there are far worse), lovely hotel (with great facilities), great learning area with easy stuff to progress to, reasonable mountain food prices.
Good luck anyway.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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emmylou717, your budget is quite generous for low season, so don't worry - you can afford to be quite choosey. You don't need "apres" in the sense of lively, late, noisy, drunken, bars (how very discerning of you  ) but I'd guess you would like a pretty place with a bit of character and super scenery. The Dolomites are fantastically beautiful and some of the little Italian villages really attractive. They do vary a lot in terms of suitability for complete beginners though. There are also plenty of other options.
I don't see why someone seeking "privacy" should necessarily prefer to go to a hotel. Being in a chalet doesn't mean being in a bunk dormitory! There are some lovely chalets where you'd have your own bedroom and en suite bathroom and could also sit in the evening by a roaring log fire and be as sociable, or as unsociable, as you like with the other guests (though unless you don't want to speak to anyone else on your honeymoon, being sociable is generally a nice option).
So long as you're not going at New Year, there's no rush. You can take your time and get lots of advice here - if you go middle/end January you'd be unlucky not to have decent snow just about anywhere.
The quality of the ski school makes a big difference too. As you have quite a generous budget you can probably afford to go to one of the "British" ski schools with small groups. It's not that French, Austrian or Italian instructors are no good (though they do vary) but however good an instructor you are, a group of 12 isn't easy. Have a look at the website for the British alpine ski school to get an idea of approach and prices. They operate in France. Of the resorts they are in, Les Gets might suit you well. Megeve is lovely - upmarket resort, no noisy apres but lots of great places for a coffee and cake after skiing, etc etc. Very beautiful ski area under Mont Blanc. any number of hotels though some are very, very, expensive. Some chalets too.
There are loads of Austrian resorts to choose from, too - some have very rowdy apres ski but others are a bit more genteel.
Be aware that some ski resorts are "purpose built", or nearly so, and not exactly romantic. the big French resorts fall into that category but so do some others, including Cervinia - not exactly cosy. Sometimes you have to trade off between convenience of skiing (some accommodation is a bit of a hike, or a bus ride, from the lifts) and attractiveness of the village/town.
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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 might also consider Bulgaria as a destination (Bansko or Borovets resorts). Cheep flights from the UK are available through WizzAir, EasyJet and also Ryan Air from this fall. A week for two including flights, transfers, hotel accommodation and all food, lift pass and equipment hire should not exceed a total of 800 Euro/person or 1600 Euro for the two of you.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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emmylou717, I think it would be fair to say that the majority opinion on snowheads would be that Bulgaria is a bit of a gamble. It obviously can be good, but there are a lot of pretty critical reports.
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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 can almost tollerate skibulgaria, pimping his resorts so blatantly on this thread. You gotta make a living!
However, describing Autumn as "fall" is unacceptable. Stop doing it.
I would opt for the Dolomites, but try to stay on the Italian speaking side (booking a holiday in Italy to find everyone speaking German is a bit disconcerting). The Alta Badia region is fantastic for beginners and very pretty. There are also some fantastic michelin starred restaurants to sample - two in San Cassiano and one in Corvara.
On your budget you should be able to get a good hotel in Corvara and still have the cash to splash-out a couple of nights at these places.
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| jzBun wrote: |
On your budget you should be able to get a good hotel in Corvara |
Here's a list of hotels in the area with links to their websites, not sure if it's complete.....
http://www.altabadia.it/en/hotels_corvara_e.htm
Some of the smaller 'boutique' 3* hotels can be really nice and good value, even if they don't have all the facilities to get them a higher star rating.
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emmylou717, as its your honeymoon, you could go with my recommendation in Sixt they have a double room on the ground floor with an on suite which is spacious and private, here are some other suggestions, Arosa the Tschuggen Grand around £180 a night B&B with a spa or the Eden Arosa and you can pay to use the Spa at the Grand, I haven't been but a mate of mine loves Arosa, not sure if there are any TO's doing it fly to Zurich and take the train. Gstaad a bit different easy skiing, you could stay at the Steigenberger slightly out of town but not as expensive as some hotels and built like a big chalet, has its own ski shop and private instructors and regular bus service to all the main ski slopes, fly to Geneva and take the train rooms are about £170 B&B but they will do a deal for longer stays, have stayed there about 4 times over that last 6 years
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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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Is Folgardia the new La Ros?
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emmylou717,
A personal opinion is that by and large Austrian hotels provide more comfort per buck more reliably than other mainstream alpine countries, although sometimes the food can be a bit unimaginative. Austria has probably got more 'pretty' ski areas than most as well, though everyone speaks well of the dolomites.
We went on our honeymoon skiing and the travel agent informed the hotel and we were upgraded to the best room, so worth letting them know in advance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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emmylou717, A lot of useful and confusing info above - key thing to remember is 'what's source for the goose etc'
So I'd focus on looking for scenic resorts, good for beginners, good ski school instruction and other things to do in case you don't take to it. Then once you've chosen a couple of resorts I'd then look at accommodation. a copy of where to ski and snowboard 2011 might not go amiss..
Personally places that I might think would tick those boxes include Lech in austria (stay in oberlech), Megeve in France
Enjoy
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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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emmylou717, some good recommendations above, the Dolomites would definitely fit the bill. Another, more expensive, but still affordable in Jan (except New Year) would be Saas Fee in Switzerland. For a honeymoon I can't thnk of anywhere with more spectacular scenery and lovely picture postcard village. Only drawback is it could be a bit cold and dark in Jan but think it would make a wonderful honeymoon destination.
Another Swiss option would be Wengen with more spectacular scenery, the village is not quite as pretty as Saas Fee but it has its own charm and the views with the Eiger are incredible. Both have decent beginner slopes but with both would be careful about choosing accomodation, there are some lovely luxiourous places but some are quite far from the lifts which isn't ideal for beginners.
Sure wherever you choose will be great 
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FAQ
Also it means that you will be a bit ahead of the absolute beginners in ski school in resort.
