The Vacation and Travel Blog

If you can’t call yourself cool downhill skier, it doesn’t mean that you can’t go on some Alpine resort. The whole gang will get pleasure, even if your friends are aces skier, and you have never skied. What will you do, while others are on a slope?

At the Alpine resorts and near them you will find all kinds of entertainments for all tastes:

You can try yourself in snowtubing (this is a descent from a mountain in an inflatable tube), in sledging, in skiing on cross-country skis, skating or take a ride in a horsed sleigh.

The SPA-centers are in every four- and five-star hotel. Sometimes only guests can use these joys of life, but often everyone can come to swimming pool or to get a massage. If accommodation in expensive hotel is too rich for your blood, you can give yourself a treat once or twice.

Termal springs have a temperature above +20 degrees. In the Swiss Alps at the side of snow slopes thermal springs spout in Leukerbad, Flims, Scuol, Lavey-Les-Bains, Gstaad, Bad Ragaz. In Austria you can enjoy it in Bad Gastein, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Villach. There are also such springs in Italy and in Slovenia. Tickets in a pool with thermal water do not cost much; it is possible to buy one visiting or membership for a week.

Not the least of the factors of great vacation is shopping. In January in all Europe there will be seasonal sales.

Near to any winter resort you will find by all means beautiful cities, medieval castles, and imperial palaces. There are more than hundred castles only in the Italian Alps!

Don’t forget about pictures in front of Mont Blanc and, of course, try to become skilled in skiing or snowboarding.

Don’t risk your health: don’t climb to the top of the hill with skilled extremal skiers! It is more reasonable to work with instructor in ski school. There are such schools at every European resort. Individual lessons or lessons in group will be offered to you. The second variant is much cheaper. You will start from scratch: you will get lessons about how to put ski boots on and how to fasten it, how to jump from the ski lift (beginners fall on their back usually) and, of course, about how to turn, to slow down, to control speed and to avoid traumas.

Don’t think, that you, sturdy fellow, will fall near schoolboys. There are separate lessons for kids and teenagers.

We’ll give you examples of prices in some ski schools. There is also a list of schools with its prices in a site of every resort.

France, Meribel, ski school “Snow Systems”: week of group lessons (5 days (2 hours per day), in group 4 – 8 persons) – 160 euros per head.

Switzerland, Verbier, school “Adrenaline”: 2 hours lesson in group of 6 persons costs 30 euros per head. 4 hours long lesson costs 45 euros per head. 2 hours of skiing together with an instructor cost 135 euros. Week of group lessons for children (5 days (3 hours per day)) costs 235 euros.

Bulgaria, Bansko, school “Ski School Pirin”: week of group lessons (6 days (4 hours per day)) costs 185 euros per head. 4 hours long lesson with the personal trainer costs 80 euros.

Couple of years ago Alpine resorts endured really bad winter: there was no snow even on New Year’s Day! Guides had to organize walks by green Alpine lawns as tourists came in large numbers. But it does not mean that each winter in Europe is like that!

Usually, snow season begins in the middle of December and comes to an end approximately in the middle of April. But last year resorts opened in the middle of November, and it was possible to go skiing till May, there was much snow.

This year everything is all right with snow too. Many resorts opened a week and even two weeks before usual time. So do not be afraid, winter will not be snowless in mountains!

Thanks to heavy snows, from the beginning of November some slopes at a “Tine”, popular French resort, work including free slopes for beginners and a snow park.
Usually the snowiest time in mountains is from February till the beginning of March. But during this time tours are more expensive.

Of course, you think, that such vacations are awfully expensive. Stereotypic pictures of parties with expensive champagne and fireworks, boutiques and “Bentley” in stories on TV and at the pictures in glossies sow a lack of self-confidence. Simple downhill skier thinks that this is not for him.

Actually, Alps do not consist of glamour and bombast only. It is possible to find very inexpensive tours of 500 – 600 euros per head.

What can one do for saving money? Do not choose hyped up resorts. Near fashionable Swiss Verbier there are such places as Nendaz and Veysonnaz. Accommodation there costs much cheaper, and will use the same slopes.

There are 56 winter resorts in Switzerland, they are very different: prestigious and expensive – Saint-Moritz, Zermatt, Gstaad, more democratic – Arosa, Pontresina, Leukerbad…

Stay in apartments, not in a hotel. We mean different cottages: detached houses, duplexes and multistoried apartment-hotels. You will have a kitchen in apartments. And you can economize on food: buy products in a supermarket, instead of going to restaurant every day.

Look for special offers. We tell you not only about tours, which will be lost if not purchased urgently, but also about abatements, which resorts and hotels make. Don’t be lazy, surf tourist sites. You can find discounts for accommodation at hotels (for example, for children or all family), for ski-pass or lessons in ski school.

Most expensive rest in mountains will be during New Year’s vacation and in the second half of February. The best time for travellers, who frugal of their money, is the second half of January. So, as you can see, even middle class can spend their vacations in Alps without becoming a bankrupt.

Now real life is teaching us how to be frugal. But this does not imply that we need to get worse stuff. And last minute vacation deals is a perfect example. Using the last minute vacation deals you can get really great traveling experience for a much lower price.

Read more about the advantages of last minute vacation deals on this site.