Best resort for non-skiers

womanwithbooks · 2023-04-07T16:48:24+00:00

I don't ski, but am in a family with three people who do (or want to in the case of youngest child) and I'm coming under increasing pressure to go on a ski holiday. Where would be your recommendations to go? Somewhere that is also a nice place to hang out/walk/eat and ideally even get to other nice places from. It would be for next Feb half term.

msmatcha · 12/04/2023 12:13

I'm in Val d'isere and there are a couple of spas, lots of cafes and a small ice rink. Think there are also snow shoe expeditions and dog sledding. There's a big indoor pool near the pistes too. I think you will still have a fabulous mountain holiday even if you don't ski.

LIZS · 12/04/2023 12:16

Saas Fee. There is a dedicated non ski mountain for sledding, walking etc, several spa hotels, nice sports centre with pool, glacier with ice caves and revolving restaurant accessible to non skiers.

turtletum · 14/04/2023 07:21

What do you enjoy doing? Hiking, shopping, spa, cafes, reading?

Somewhere like Les Saisies is good if you like walking in the snow, cafes and swimming.

Briancon (Serre Chevalier) is a walled town so interesting to walk around, shops to browse, plus snowy activities like ice skating and snow driving are nearby.

If you're content reading and going to cafes, then almost any resort would be ok. Lots of hotels and apartment complexes have pools and spas.

Dyslexicwonder · 14/04/2023 07:35

Zell am See is a beautiful town and you can catch a train to Salzburg (sound of music country)

Original poster

womanwithbooks · 15/04/2023 13:41

Thanks for responses so far! I don't want to do any type of snow-based activities, but very happy anywhere with a pool/spa and ideally a nice looking village or town to wander around. I had been wondering about Zell am See or other places in proximity of a train to Salzburg.

OP posts:

RhubarbFairy · 15/04/2023 15:10

We've been to Rauris twice. An hour and a bit by train directly into Salzburg, 20 minutes from Zell Am See.

It's a tiny resort, so it's super easy to get to ski school in the mornings.

We stayed here: www.booking.com/Share-nQjGuZ

If you're after a spa and easy access to ski school drop off, this is the place to go. You could get the gondola or chair up to one of the mountain restaurants to meet the children and any adult skiers for lunch, too. The whole mountain is very accessible by foot, if you fancied a nice stroll too. We regularly skied past dog walkers on piste!

RhubarbFairy · 15/04/2023 15:13

Oh, and Rauris itself is a small town/large village. Not loads there, but nice to wander around.

MinnieMountain · 20/04/2023 06:05

Do you have to go? I’ve just spent a week in Saas-Fee not skiing whilst DH and DS did. It was boring.

ellaballoo · 20/04/2023 06:28

We went to Whistler ,as non skiers, last Easter. It was fabulous, I wake up
most mornings wanting to return to the Fairmont hotel pool.

Original poster

womanwithbooks · 20/04/2023 14:41

@MinnieMountain I definitely don't have to go but I would quite like to go, and if I have books and a nice hotel pool I will be fine. I am never bored. But I'd like to be somewhere nice at least where some potential walking round a town or visiting one is a possibility.

OP posts:

skilikeagirl · 20/04/2023 15:35

It might not suit for other reasons but I'd suggest Easter for a group involving non skiers - less snow on the ground in the villages, on balance likely to have better and a bit warmer weather and there is a much less hectic atmosphere. Feb is the busiest time in many parts of Europe, the French have holidays also the Swiss and Germans (who believe it or not have the most skiers). It's easier and more relaxed to get bookings for lunch and dinner too.

I do agree it's hard to find somewhere that I'd really recommend though. Val d'Isere is pretty nice for facilities and restaurants and ability to get up the mountain as a pedestrian (although a long transfer - again the transfer traffic will be much worse in Feb!) but I was pretty bored after a week of reading and drinking hot chocolate!

TheIsleOfTheLost · 20/04/2023 17:07

Chamonix is a town, not just a resort. In France though, not Austria.

Dyslexicwonder · 20/04/2023 17:52

skilikeagirl · 20/04/2023 15:35

It might not suit for other reasons but I'd suggest Easter for a group involving non skiers - less snow on the ground in the villages, on balance likely to have better and a bit warmer weather and there is a much less hectic atmosphere. Feb is the busiest time in many parts of Europe, the French have holidays also the Swiss and Germans (who believe it or not have the most skiers). It's easier and more relaxed to get bookings for lunch and dinner too.

I do agree it's hard to find somewhere that I'd really recommend though. Val d'Isere is pretty nice for facilities and restaurants and ability to get up the mountain as a pedestrian (although a long transfer - again the transfer traffic will be much worse in Feb!) but I was pretty bored after a week of reading and drinking hot chocolate!

To be fair I was heavily pregnant so perhaps a gentle swim in the morning followed by lunch, a nap and hot chocolate and reading was pretty good.

RhubarbFairy · 20/04/2023 18:01

womanwithbooks · 20/04/2023 14:41

@MinnieMountain I definitely don't have to go but I would quite like to go, and if I have books and a nice hotel pool I will be fine. I am never bored. But I'd like to be somewhere nice at least where some potential walking round a town or visiting one is a possibility.

Definitely look at Carpe Solem that I linked above then. It ticks all your boxes.

What about the skiers in your group? What do they want? As that's a factor, too. Rauris is a teeny tiny resort with only one black run, so if you've got skiers that want to be chasing ungroomed blacks and 100s of kms of runs, it won't suit.

But if you want somewhere with easy access to ski school and a mix of reds and blues, with some nice tree lined runs, then it's a great option with that hotel. And it's very accessible for you to be able to meet them for lunch on foot via the gondola and chair.