subject: Ski Accommodation - A Few Things To Deliberate Before Making A Selection [print this page] Before going on a ski holiday, you should give the type of ski accommodation you will be staying in more than just a passing thought. Where you stay during your vacation will have a huge effect on how much you enjoy yourself in the end.
Before you even start thinking about reservations, you should first think about what kind of resort you would like to go to. Get a couple of brochures from the different resorts and study what they have to offer and what there is to see and do in the immediate vicinity. During any ski break there will be days when you have inclement weather so you can't ski. On those days you will really appreciate a resort where there's other things to keep you busy apart from playing games on your laptop.
Generally speaking you have two kinds of ski resorts. The one type is near a town or city and there will be many interesting shops to browse during non-skiing days and many restaurants and pubs where you can while away empty hours or make new friends. Often the surrounding area also offers a lot of interesting sightseeing possibilities.
The other type of resort are those that are situated in far-off places where there's no nearby town. There might be a couple of hotels and other accommodation establishments and not much more. Unless you plan to ski night and day, this type of resort can quickly get very boring. It's fine to go there for a quick day or two's skiing, but an extended holiday in a place like this is not really an option.
The more upmarket ski resorts, such as St Moritz, have a huge variety of accommodation options to choose from. There are certainly sufficient numbers of five star hotels to satisfy the jet-set crowd who only want to stay in top class accommodation. These hotels sometimes have their own little shopping malls and enough restaurants, gyms and saunas to keep you occupied during the days that you don't go out skiing.
Mid-range hotels absorb the bulk of skiers to these resorts. They mostly provide perfectly adequate accommodation and all the facilities that you can reasonably expect during your holiday. As a minimum you should make sure you get a private bathroom, cable TV and coffee making facilities. A very nice feature is a balcony. A hotel room can become very claustrophobic during an extended stay. The hotel should also not be located too far from where you plan to ski.
You will find self-catering accommodation in or near virtually all the better ski resorts. For the family man these are the perfect solution. They offer a true home from home experience, with kitchens, TV lounges and often even hot tubs. Many of the more upmarket resorts have heated indoor pools and gyms where you can while away non-skiing hours.
As far as ski accommodation is concerned, one should of course never forget the trusted old guest house. This is the most personal of all the options and many friendships have been formed around the breakfast table at one of these establishments. Their prices are more often than not very reasonable and the more upmarket ones provide facilities comparable to the best of hotels.
