 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking at options for a week in Italy at the start of March for a small group of around 10 people. Mostly advanced skiers looking for a combination of groomed runs and lift-served off-piste.
Can anyone recommend a small chalet or hotel that is a bit special? Good food (inc vegetarian) and wine (or the possibility to BYO) are essential and the accommodation should have character and/or a bit of luxury. Twin / double rooms with own toilet and bath/shower. Our budget is not massive but willing to pay a bit more for the right place. It should also have good access to both lifts and the town centre.
Ideally we'll be flying out of Edinburgh or possibly Glasgow...
Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Gressoney le Trinite staying in the Hotel Dufour? It is the central one of 3 linked valleys, with Alagna at one end. Mecca for off piste - most of it lift-served. Not much night-life but good food and right by the lift.
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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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Thanks snowball, We were in Champoluc for a week last season and I would love to explore further but doubt I could talk some of the others into a repeat visit. Probably should have said before... 
We've not been anywhere else in Italy tho...
After a bit of research it looks like its tricky to get flights from Scotland to the Italian resorts. Might have to consider Manchester etc
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I loved Sauze D'Oulx, a great resort, friendly bars and a good range of 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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I have to admit, its probably my favorite place to ski too.
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You'll certainly find 'special' hotels in Courmayeur, it's rather a special town. Access to the slopes might put you off as there are three main routes up, either the big cable car from the town centre, the gondola from Dolonne or the cable car from Val Veny. Much of the accommodation is a long walk or bus ride from any of these. The larger hotels all run shuttle services to the lift base stations and there are good equipment lockers up at Plan Chécrouit (where the town cable car and Dolonne gondola arrive) so this may not present a problem. As to the skiing, the pisted area is small but very varied for average intermediates upwards. It's not really a beginner or nervous intermediates ski area. I'm assured there is loads of off-piste but I only ski on piste so I can't comment on that.
Crystal have flights from Glasgow to Turin but I doubt these are available outside of a package trip.
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dinomartino, I get the impression you'd be happy to trade top hotel/eating for uber gnarly terrain. If so then Arabba comes to mind, as you get the best skiing in the Dolomites, access to some off-piste and of course the great food and scenery. Hotel Mesdi or Portavescovo - both have v nice spas, both have excellent food, Mesdi about 10 yards to the lift, Portavescovo 100 or so. Mesdi the smaller and lower-key of the two and seems the closer match to what you are after. Early March you should have perfect combo of good snow and sun terrace action.
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Ha. Sorry if I gave the impression of being gnarly... Some of us would like to do a few days of tuition / guiding off-piste but most of the time we'd probably just be arsing about off the side between lifts.
Urban_freestyle, homers double, Sauze D'Oulx sounds lovely
queen bodecia, Courmayeur also keeps coming up. Not so bothered about a bit of a walk if all the other elements are there. Will check out accommodation options but starting to think that a package might be the way to go as there are not so many transport options from Scotland.
DoubleBombardino, snowball, I keep coming back to Arabba. Seems to tick all the boxes... And this is where I can actually find a couple of packages that make sense. Inghams even fly out of Edinburgh and have a small catered chalet in Arabba. Does anyone know what their catering is like? I have used Ski Total before and I believe they have bought over Inghams..? If the catering is the same as Ski Total then the food is fine and the wine indifferent but at least in a chalet you can bring your own in... Its a curse being a wine snob
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| dinomartino wrote: |
| Does anyone know what their catering is like? I have used Ski Total before and I believe they have bought over Inghams..? If the catering is the same as Ski Total then the food is fine and the wine indifferent but at least in a chalet you can bring your own in... Its a curse being a wine snob |
You've landed the acid question....no idea what that chalet is like nor where it is in the village nor, crucially, who the chef was/will be....Unless you really, really luck out a chalet catering primarily to the UK market is, in my not humble view, going to be a pale shadow of the real Italian deal.
If you like your food and wine, and enjoy bumping into Italians on their home patch, then I'd def consider those hotel options; a tad more expensive, yep, but so much better and with winelists to die for... Even if packages not available, DIY trips to both hotels def possible, and esp if you have a large group, as you do, it can work out pretty good as they'll sort a transfer from Venice airports at a not unreasonable cost.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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DoubleBombardino,Thanks for your insight into the hotel catering. It does sound appealing and if the transport issues can also be sorted then it looks like a winner. There don't seem to be any flights from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Venice in winter though  Do you think it would be a nightmare to organise transfers from Innsbruck?
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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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I'd give Courmayeur or La Thuile some consideration. Courmayeur has an array of good hotels and restaurants all located in the town - the ski area is just a short cable car ride away.
La Thuile has less to offer in terms of accommodation choice, but makes up for it with the huge ski area. It's linked with La Rosiere in France so you get two resorts on one lift pass. There are still some very nice places to stay however, so well worth a look. It's personally my favourite Italian resort.
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I'd just love to ski the Dolomites, I've never been there but its really high on the list of must do before I die ...
I just love to ski Italia .. but there are no handy flights (to Dolimites) out of Stansted or Luton, it all seems to go from Gatwick.
I suppose the same for Scotland.
La Thuile is a great place for skiing, when I read your question I thought it was going to be perfect for you if you went to the Planibelle apprts for self caterers.
But you want to be pampered.
Your not going to get that in la Thuille.
Although Courmayeur is a very glitzy town we found it very disappointing from the food point of view unless you went out around the town and ate pizza.
Mind you the apres ski buffet served up (free) every night in the Bar Roma was very very good.
We found the town pretty dull after 8pm really, the all must go to bed.
It did liven up on Friday night when the beautiful people came out for the weekend.
Some of the hotels are very close to the main gondola.
The last visit to Cervinia the food is great up on the mountain during the day, but no luxury chalets.
I'm prepared to be shot down in flames and I'd like to hear other peoples opinions.
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You know it makes sense.
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| dinomartino wrote: |
| DoubleBombardino,Do you think it would be a nightmare to organise transfers from Innsbruck? |
Dunno - email one of the hotels and ask. I think that the Val Gardena side is much more accessible to Austria, but I guess its possible to get to the Arabba/Cortina side too from there. All the best - let us know what you plump for. I suppose another option is Madonna di Campiglio - I've not been there yet so have little idea what it is like, but I'm off there in January so will dutifully report back
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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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Thanks everyone. Really useful. Just discovered that Inghams have Hotel Portavescovo on their list of accommodation in Arabba with flights from Edinburgh so that would seem to be a no-brainer. Best of both worlds... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Try Ryanair from Stansteadf to Treviso (just north of Venice) for Dolomites. Then if you are DIYing there is a bus on change-over days organised by some of the hotels but I've not used it because I like to ski 8 days rather than 6. I'm afraid I end up getting a taxi, which even with a group is expensive (2 1/4 hours each way). Public transport is very difficult, involving a shuttle bus into Treviso town, then train to Belluno and bus from there.
Inghams chalets are normally amoung the best in my experience.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 11-09-12 10:28; edited 1 time 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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dinomartino, just in case you're still looking at other options, DoubleBombardino's, suggestion of Madonna di Campiglio is worth consideration. Crystal have several options there now. A charming town, some excellent terrain for skiing, and good lift access off-piste.
I've not stayed in M di C, but in one of the other, smaller, towns nearby. I have skied around there and been out in the town - it really is very nice.
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Chasseur, Looks amazing but crystal don't seem to fly out of Scotland to Italy... sigh
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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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Major tour ops should go to many of the main villages on the Sella Ronda (Arabba, Canazei, etc.). That solves the transfer issue for sure.
For DIY, then the logical solution is either fly to Innsbruck and get the bus to Val Gardena (Selva, Ortisei, etc.) or fly to Venice (either Marco Polo or Treviso) and get the bus to Arabba. Check out the SH s9BB :sh: thread - should be a link for the Venice-Arabba bus (most sH BB bashers use that). edit: http://dolomitistars.dolomiti.org/index.cfm/transfer/ is the Venice-Arabba bus
Oh and the Dolomites are stunning.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 11-09-12 10:45; edited 1 time in total
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I hear that Hotel Portovescovo is extremely good - very good food. Sounds like a good choice.
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dinomartino, Crystal only have regional flights to Turin sadly, it's Gatwick or Manchester for the Dolomites which is a huge shame...
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dinomartino, Good choice...whatever you do, do not miss the Friday dinner at Portavescovo....An awesome spread of seafood to start.
Mmm, washed down w a local Pino Bianco... 
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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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dinomartino, we stayed in an Inghams chalet last Christmas (not Arabba) and the food was excellent. Not very Italian (the chef was Welsh) but excellent. We've booked to go to Arabba this Christmas staying the in the Brigitta, if the chef is half as good as last years we'll still be very happy.
DrLawn, I think you're reasonably local to me judging by your location under your name. For the Dolomites try Stansted into Innsbruck. It's what we should've been doing until they changed the flight times, but we're doing Gatwick instead so we get into resort earlier. I'm not a massive Gatwick fan so not entirely thrilled!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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dinomartino, Speak to Carole at Pilaski.co.uk she is scottish so you should get on like a house on fire.
Fly in to Geneva then hire cars/bus to get you to Aosta Valley - 2:30hrs to Pila, Courmayeur is nearer.
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