Has anyone been to Kaprun, Austria, and the Esprit Chalet Hotel Sonnenalp in particular - love some feedback!

[Aslarry]

I'm due to go next month (with partner and 2yr old, due to go in the creche) and wonder if there's anything I should know about it - the good and bad - so that we can have a realistic expectation! The website is pretty limited on info so any feedback from anyone who's been would be great. Thanks.

Went about 10/12 years ago. Unless there is load more snow soon(forecast some this week I think) your skiing will be on the glacier which is a 15 minute bus ride plus a gondola and/or furnicular rail ride up the moutnain and could be busy with people bussed over from other resorts lacking snow. Nice indoor pool complex.

Have you searched in the archives - I'm sure someone went last season.

Thanks - yes, very disappointed about the snow situation! It's been years since I went skiing so it would have been nice to have deep powder onto which to fall (repeatedly!) rather than sheet ice. I knew it was going to be busy (it's half term, heaven help us!) but hadn't thought about others being bussed in as well! Thanks for the info - I will pack a few more books and look forward to some basic chilling as opposed to any actual skiing!

On a positive note it is due to snow here in Austria most of this week starting from tomorrow....fingers crossed as we are going on 24 Feb (not to Kaprun).

Good (acurate) weather website is www.wetteronline.de. They list Austria under Mitte Europa.

Thanks lapsedrunner - it's been beginning to feel like the worst decision in the world to book this holiday! Fingers xed for my holiday and yours.

Was skiing with Esprit in St Anton recently. 5th time with them - one previous ski holiday and 3 summer holidays. DD (4 years old) loved the snow club and had lessons with spritelets. Was going up the travelator and snow ploughing down by the end of the week - really impressed by the quality of the instruction, emphasis on play and enjoyment and support from the snow rangers. Spent the summer in the Sonnenalp - good accomodation particularly the bedrooms. Lounge area leaves a bit to be desired - basically really a large entrance hall with sofas. Overall, really impressed with Esprit, good value for money.

Thanks Alliepally and Jajas - it's lovely to hear some good stuff about the town and the accommodation! Thanks for the headsup re: queues (we'll go for some zen breathing as we wait) and the lounge or rather lack thereof (we've been a little suspicious - the brochure is a little hazy about this!) We're using the Esprit creche which is at the sister Chalet Mara.

The reason I feel so in the dark about it all is that it is billed as a 'ChaletHotel' (it's not single family occupancy but has room for 30 people) - so we don't know if it means it's going to have the intimacy of a chalet with the facilities of a hotel OR have none of the charm of a chalet and half the facilities of a hotel!

If the ones in Chamonix and Saas Fee are anything to go by (although somewhat larger ) it'll be the latter.

Hi Aslarry - I think that you will still have that chalet feel. I have stayed in chalet hotels before, one particularly grim one in Claviere with Crystal, it is nothing like that. It is quite charming in a way, the bedrooms are quite rustic, furnished nicely and it has some interesting features particularly the downstairs kids room. We have stayed in the Mara and Sonnenalp and the accommodation is of a higher standard than others in Austria that we have used. Hope you have a great time .

Thanks AP and LIZS - we will brace ourselves! But v nice to know that the Sonnenalp/Mara was the right side of grim!