help skiing???

Lucifer

Me and my boyfriend want to go on a one week ski holiday on the 20th of january...neither of us have ever skied but are dying to...we are willing to spend up 2 2000euro for both of us for the week, we want a nice 4star hotel preferably with a swimming pool but with a few bars and apres ski atmosphere, we don't have a clue of where to go or where to even look...
We also need ski rentals and lift pass and ski lessons and whatever else comes with a skiing holiday. Thanks so much for reading this, if anyone could help that would be great.

JahEerie

Snowboard instead!
Its da way forward

France or Austria are probably best bet in Europe
- ya can get cheaper in Andorra/Bulgaria, etc but not guaranteed good snow.
If ya stick to resorts with glaciers / high altitude ya minimise the risk of poor snow. There's not a whole lot else to do if da snow's not there - pints tend to be very pricey.....

I'd recommend:
Tignes, Portes du Soleil, Les Deux Alpes in France
Mayrhofen, Kaprun, Kitzbuhel in Austria

Get out to TK Maxx for cheap gear - look for Jackets & pants with 10,000 mil waterproofing
(you'll spend quite a bit of time on your ass, so stayin dry is key)
Hire your boots & board (or skis ) for the 1st time - after that you can decide whether its worth investin or not.
Best time to buy 'hardware' is in the summer - some great deals to be had (especially last seasons stuff online)

Anyway, hope thats a start
Take it easy

JohnBoy

dubstub

Try the Alpenschlossl in Soll, Austria. Crystal Holidays do reservations to the place. Probably the nicest accommodation I've stayed in over the years I've been skiing. Perfect for couples. Here's a link to the hotel:
http://www.crystalski.ie/destinations/austria/s__246_ll/alpenschl__246_ssl/alpenschl__246_ssl.html

The town is a short mini-bus journey away. It's half board so you get dinner and breakfast every day. The food is excellent quality. There's a bar and the staff are friendly.
As a resort Soll is tailored perhaps a little more to the intermediate skier. Plenty of long runs covering 7 villages. There are also plently of runs for beginners though.
The ski classes are all day classes in Austria so after 4 full days of instruction you should be confident enough to try some runs by yourselves for the last two days!

Lucifer

thanks a mill, just wondering any other suggestions in europe... good for begginers, good apres ski atmosphere....very near ski lifts etc...
anyone know certain hotels? quite high star nice hotels...worth the money?
thanks all for the help/advice

Cooee

Country - Andorra.
Resort - Soldeu
Accomodation: Sport Hotel/Sport Hotel Village (the gondola leaves from the back fo the hotel)
Excellent 4* accomodation. Top class food. Best place in Andorra
Andorra has best ski school for beginners in Europe (imho) - and the skiing is very beginner friendly.
Snow record has been excellent. With opening of the link to Pas de la Casa a few years ago it also has a big enough ski area for the beginner.
Good apres ski.

Down side - pretty long transfer from airport 4ish hours.
Not much in the way of "alpine" charm.
Fairly poor mountain food facilities.

And i've done most of the "cheap and cheerful" resorts: Livigno/Soll/Arinsal/Sauze D'Oulx.

LOTTOWINNER

The Sport hotel in Soldeu was my favorite aswell, it's been a while since I was there (7 years) but the apres-ski was good craic in them days.

Lucifer

thanks, it looks great...if you know any other specific places so we can look around that would be great, thanks for your help.

Is the a ski school in soldeu?

Cooee

Lucifer wrote:

thanks, it looks great...if you know any other specific places so we can look around that would be great, thanks for your help.

Is the a ski school in soldeu?

There is I think only one ski school if memory serves me correctly....but it is a while since I was there and I may well be wrong....but it is a very good school. Proces for privat lessons were very good (again from memory).

In Arinsal (another Andorran resort - smaller than Soldeu but fine for a beginner) the Princessa Park got good reviews.

A few hotels in downtown Livigno looked nice (I did cheap and cheerful self catering)

But best ever was the ones I m entioned in Soldeu!

limbovski

Having been in your position this time last year I hunted the interwebnet and decided on the Princessa Parc in Arinsal. It was excellent.

Lovely clean rooms (all with bath & shower). Plenty of facilities -
Gear shop (a bit expensive), 4 bars in the hotel, bowling, internet cafe, arcade machines and pool. Gym. Well being suite, its extra but well worth it.

Its only a quick jaunt to the gondola.

The ski school was really good although a few people in ours were pretty natural starting off and seemed a little bored at times.

Theres enough to keep a beginner interested as well as a half-pipe, border cross and it links with another resort if you get bored.

Arinsal is quite small and as a result walking to night life and apres ski is no bother.

The only problem is I have nothing to compare with, but I'm a picky fecker and have no complaints about this place.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me.