Where to go next?

Snow Time wrote:Having tried to arrange a DIY skiing holiday in the past the problem seems to come when booking the larger hotels which, as Ian says, tend to be booked up by the TOs.

I think you're mistaken in thinking that English Tour Operators are anything other a minority in most ski stations, particularly in places like St Anton.

Snow Time wrote:Many smaller hotels and guest houses can be found on the Internet but you are taking a gamble unless they come with a personal recommendation. Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.co.uk) is good for getting an honest opinion on a hotel.

It's no doubt a great resource but it's pretty inadequate in terms of coverage. My experience with user reviews of hotels and ski stations is that some are fairly comical, some are pretty clearly spam by the owners or operators and many are just from people with amazingly odd perspectives while the journalist reviews clearly reflect who paid for the freebie they were on.

ise wrote:I think you're mistaken in thinking that English Tour Operators are anything other a minority in most ski stations, particularly in places like St Anton

I wasn't talking about any nation's tour operators, only tour operators in general. If you enquire about room availability, either by telephone or online, at larger hotels in any ski resort in Austria, France or Switzerland you will find very few (including St Anton because I have just tried 3 hotels).

Snow Time wrote:

ise wrote:I think you're mistaken in thinking that English Tour Operators are anything other a minority in most ski stations, particularly in places like St Anton

I wasn't talking about any nation's tour operators, only tour operators in general. If you enquire about room availability, either by telephone or online, at larger hotels in any ski resort in Austria, France or Switzerland you will find very few (including St Anton because I have just tried 3 hotels).

Using Tour Operators to go skiing is generally a UK thing, the rest of Europe don't do it to the same extent. Finding a hotel or pension for ski trips just isn't a problem for the rest of Europe. I'm sure you did have a problem, people in UK frequently report having problems, the fact you might all be picking the same tiny fraction of accommodation using things like tripadvisor or the ski guides might go a long to explaining why that is.

I did it myself when I met Tony and his posse in St. Anton at New Year, I also got some accomodation too )
Really not difficult these days with t'internet and such. Type St. Anton into google and off you trot, pop really.

I have to agree with the overall sentiment though, there is a lot to St. Anton and whilst not cheap, it is a location likely to please most, which is invaluable.

tino_11 wrote:I did it myself when I met Tony and his posse in St. Anton.

Yeah man, innit.

tino_11 wrote:I
Really not difficult these days with t'internet and such. Type St. Anton into google and off you trot, pop really.

all there 2 pages back...and why worry about the language..most,if not all , the hotels have staff that speak English

They might not be that efficient mind you or too hot on replying to emails ..but that seems par for the course,,,and if you get really stuck phone the tourist office for the resort...

daved wrote:

tino_11 wrote:I
Really not difficult these days with t'internet and such. Type St. Anton into google and off you trot, pop really.

all there 2 pages back...and why worry about the language..most,if not all , the hotels have staff that speak English

They might not be that efficient mind you or too hot on replying to emails ..but that seems par for the course,,,and if you get really stuck phone the tourist office for the resort...

This is a personal preference, but I always translate my emails into the receiving language, a sign of respect more than any thing else.... 8)

yes, I agree....but they don't reply to those either!...or when they do reply to your carefully crafted German they reply in English..