Vision Travel

Archive for the ‘Resort’ Category

Activity holidays a great way to spice up your vacation, so if you are stuck for ideas then why not try one of these:

SCUBA-DIVING

Scuba-diving is one of the fastest-growing water sports in the world. The Maldives are acknowledged as one the world’s greatest dive destinations, as are many of the Red Sea resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada and Taba. Diving in the Red Sea is popular due to its amazing underwater scenery with coral gardens, deep blue canyons and famous wrecks.

SKIING

Bulgaria is a perfect destination to try out skiing and snowboarding for the first time as it is really good value and tuition is cheap. For more experienced skiers, Charmonix in France or St Anton in Austria may prove more testing, while further afield, Jackson Hole in USA and Colorado’s Aspen boast some of the most challenging ski terrain in the world.

HIKING

As well as a tough pair of boots you’ll often need an equally tough mentality. The Canary Islands are ideal for discovering on foot. Whether you decide to venture to the summit of Mount Teide on Tenerife or simply stroll through the lush tropical greenery on La Palma you are sure to enjoy a fascinating experience.

SAFARI

Kenya is undeniably the best known destination for safari holidays. Hosting some of the most spectacular and varying wildlife in the world, Kenya features mountainous rainforests and large game reserves which take in lion, cheetah, elephant, and an abundance of bird life.

HORSE RIDING

Horse riding holidays in many destinations can combine both daily riding with time to relax on the beach. In Greece, the unspoilt Pelion Peninsula on the east coast is an excellent riding resort. Italy is famous for good horses, beautiful landscapes, delicious food and plentiful wine, so Tuscany is an ideal location for a horse riding holiday with several challenging long-distance rides from village to village.

WHITE WATER RAFTING

A fun family activity, rafting can take in spectacular scenery and the natural beauty of surrounding areas, as well as providing a natural roller-coaster ride through ferocious mountain rivers. White-water rafting in Dalaman, Turkey is one of the most exciting holiday experiences and is perfect for active thrill seekers. The Dalaman River is rated as one of the top rafting destinations in the world, but don’t worry – professionals will guide you every step of the way for an unforgettable adventure.

SAILING

Whether you sail on your own or opt for luxury crewed sailing, whereby a crew takes care of everything for you, there is no other activity to match it. With its tropical islands, the Caribbean is a particular favourite sailing holiday destination. In the Mediterranean, the Greek islands dominate the sailing scene with the Ionian Islands. Turkey’s Lycian Coast is also very popular.

GOLF

Golf holidays are an increasingly popular way of exploring the world while playing some of the most exciting golf courses on the planet. The all-year-round sunny mild climate of the Canary Islands and Florida make golf holidays an ideal break. Spain offers famous courses like Valderama and plenty of cheap golf holidays in Catalonia and the Costa Brava. Golf holidays are particularly popular on the Costa del Sol (nicknamed the Costa del Golf!), which has the biggest concentration of courses in Europe and of course offers plenty of options for the 19th hole!

CYCLING

Leaving your troubles behind on a cycling holidays is a refreshing and liberating experience. The concept of being free to go where you want is very luring to many cyclists. Of course, you can follow established routes which are littered throughout Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and – a relative newcomer – Croatia, which boasts ancient roads criss-crossing through the stunning countryside.

WINDSURFING

With consistently reliable winds, the Canary Islands are a favourite windsurf destination, particularly on Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. In southern Spain Tarifa, is for the more experienced windsurfers, while Hurghada on the Red Sea coast boasts equally powerful year-round conditions. Further afield, Aruba and Barbados provides perfect conditions for windsurfing.

Visit directline-holidays.co.uk for more information on all these activity holidays, plus more.

The Europe has many ski destinations and provides so many offers to the skier. If  you  have not yet visited Europe on a skiing holiday and if  you are looking to expand your experience then  you can find the beautiful place that catches your eye without too much research.

The mainland Europe has a varied selection and the world famous French skiing resorts are located around the  Austria, Switzerland and also in a  tiny Andorra. The France is known as  the “true home of skiing” and you can expect a quality vacation. Thus the naturally amazing resources and the scenery take you to the end of enjoyment. The France is an ideal location for a skiing trip. The Courthouse resort, which consists of  the four different ski resorts  provides  the perfect blend of quality and affordability in a skiing trip. So the France is truly a destination for a memorable skiing vacation.

The Italian resorts looks so trendy and this place is the cheaper way to ski with lot of benefits from a diverse range of resorts. Generally Italy is Famous for a great passion and a depth of culture. Thus Italy is the ideal place for a skiing break in Europe and the weather is also too good. The Italy’s neighbor, Croatia is a rising European nation which has a good value for money with their top quality. Both the international standard ski resorts and  the world class restaurants in Croatia are more luxurious. Then  certainly, the skiing facilities improves the tourists easily.

Then the Bulgaria is an excellent skiing destination for the kids. The Bulgarian people are very friendly and easily explains their own rich and deep past.  In these developing European nations, you will come to appreciate the value of tourism,  the quality of treatment and the service offered for the  investment.

The Austria is also a best place for skiing. The Alpine ideal is a breathtaking scenery with fresh and a clean air. The Austria is much better place for scenery, and a skiing destination. Thus  pop over to Switzerland for your excellent Alps experience.

Thus Skiing in Europe is the ideal way to spend your vacation. If you love skiing,  then you are guaranteed to find a great resort here within the budget and can also establish  your own ability. The  resorts also have a  strong training academies and you can also work to improve your skills.

Thus you can ensure a great skiing trip which is both useful and memorable. Thus choosing the Europe  as the skiing destination is the perfect choice for the perfect blend of quality, tradition,culture, and also for a holiday that is truly breathtaking.

Ski holidays are an ideal approach of unwinding after the tension and pressures of day-to-day work. Taking a ski vacation may be what you’ll want to reflect, rest, invigorate and re-energize your self on the break. However, if not correctly deliberate, you may find yourself losing a great deal of your savings on unnecessary expenses. The tips beneath may help you conserve on a few of the common money loop holes.

Plan in Advance

To arrange in front has a lot of advantages. Number 1, you can plan your time to buy around for the proper ski holiday resort. Scores of resorts like the Alps in France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria or Austria. Each country has several ski holiday resorts that one could select from. So, the options accessible are very many and 1 needs time to review and settle on one of the best option. Last minute reserving and hurrying will only end up in high costs for resorts, a poor selection or even being excessively late to book.

Besides this, planning upfront helps you conserve comfortably for your holiday. After you have set a financial plan way in advance, you can conserve in a more relaxed way and you will have all of the funds you need by the ski holidays time. If you can manage to reserve and confirm your resort bookings quickly, particularly between March and September, you can also make a huge saving as resorts give massive discounts for early on bookings. Scheduling early will even assist you prepare all the gear and some other necessities you may need in good time.

Exchange Foreign money at Advantageous Places

Another manner you can save on your vacation is by changing your cash in your local bureau early as rates may favor the ski holiday vacation spot currency in the period of skiing time. Last minute Forex in the air port or at the resort can have you wasting some huge cash on exchange loses since the rates are very hiked at these places.

Carry a credit card

Aside exchanging your currency in good time, it is usually sensible to carry your bank card so as to buy any luxuries and souvenirs that you may find at your ski holiday. You might also need your credit card in case of an emergency. You may get good bank card offers for overseas expenditure.

Make Certain Your Valuables Are Secure

You have to additionally ensure you have your money stored in a protected place. This would be best for you because losing your credit card can ruin your ski holidays. Hence, ensure that you acutely keep a watch on your cash. Most resorts will have an arrangement where you may leave your cash with the reception and get a receipt for the same. This is a safe means of keeping the money.

Budget on Luxuries

You can even save a lot by making a budget for luxuries ahead of the trip. Have a schedule of the limits you’ll spend on extras in order to have fun without continually looking at your balance to examine whether or not you are all right. If you’re traveling with your loved ones, you may as well allocate a budget for each individual and make them handle their percentage.

Through following these money saving tips, you’ll discover that you’ll put aside plenty of cash on your ski holidays.

This global warming is proving to be a bit nippy, there have been record snowfalls all across Europe in November 2008 which has meant that everywhere is enjoying a bumper start to their season on the slopes and the Pyrenees in the South of France is no exception. We have already had some great skiing in the Pyrenees and with the snow falling as I write the expectations are high for plenty more.

The Pyrenees is not the first place anyone thinks of when they are thinking about their next skiing vacation, more often it is the Alps that gets the first consideration whether that is France, Austria, Italy or Germany. But boy, we may have had some snow but it’s certainly not raining Euro’s so there may be a few people out there who are interested in a cost effective way to go skiing where the prices are a little more reasonable.

Most people know about Andorra and the fact that it is one of the cheapest places to ski, helped by a tax free economy there are some great deals to be had and actually two of the main resorts there, Casa de la Pasa and Soldeu are only about 1/2 an hour or so from the resorts I am going to talk about here, Monts d’Olmes and Ax Les Thermes both of which lie in the French Pyrenees about an hour and a half south of Toulouse. So if you did fancy an excursion into Andorra from here, as long as you are prepared and have some transport its definitely not out of the question.

Located where they are, there are plenty of options for getting to both resorts, Monts d’Olmes and Ax Les Thermes, including flying into Toulouse or Carcassonne, getting a train or a bus and that’s not to mention the driving option, hire car or otherwise.

It has to be said that Monts d’Olmes is not that well known and tends to be used by the locals rather than the ski package tour operators, but it’s not a bad little resort and would be great as a family skiing location where there are a range of skill levels from beginner to intermediate. If you are a serious advanced skier or snowboarder then I would say with only 2 black runs and as many greens as reds then this would not be the place for you. But for beginners and intermediates, or families looking for a place where it is relatively easy to keep in touch with one another then it’s worth consideration.

The resort is at a fairly low altitude so there is a need to check the snow forecasts and conditions and to have a contingency plan if the snow does get a bit sparse, it can also be a bit tricky on the mountain roads if a snow storm comes in so it is a good idea to be prepared with an appropriate vehicle, snow chains or by using the bus service to get there, all these options are easily accommodated at varying levels of cost.

The first contingency plan has got to be Ax Les Thermes which is just down the road from Foix on the way to Andorra, it is a much larger resort and has 28 runs (7 more than Monts d’Olmes) and approximately 80 km’s of pisted slopes. It is also slightly higher by about 400m, but this can make all the difference in terms of snow consistency. Another serious benefit of Ax Les Thermes is that it can be accessed from the main road to Andorra via a gondola straight out of the town avoiding the need for driving up and down a mountain road, although that option is there if you want to take it.

The runs at Ax Les Thermes are much longer and provide a better mix for the advanced level winter sports enthusiast with 5 blacks and 10 reds to select from, also with a further 8 blues and 5 greens this resort can cater for all levels of skiing ability and is a good place for beginners and intermediates as well. I suspect that the boarders would enjoy the snowpark in the Saquet sector which is one of the 3 sectors that make up the Ax 3 Domaines skiing resort, the other 2 are Bonascre and Campels.

Both resorts are enjoying the great snow that arrived in November 08 and Ax Les Thermes in particular has had all it’s slopes and lifts open since the beginning of December, Ax Les Thermes has a good mix of gondolas, chairs and draglifts which means if you really want to you can save all your energy for the skiing and still get the degree of difficulty you are looking for. Monts d’Olmes on the other hand has only one chairlift and the rest of the lifts are of the drag variety, that said the chair takes you almost to the top so you can get a good run all the way to the bottom via blues and reds back to the chair.

Ski passes can be bought from increments of 1/2 days up to several days and you should obviously check out the tarriffs for the best deals, there are special family days (1/2 days excluded) and student passes are available at reduced cost. Ski equipment, snowboarding equipment and toboggons are all available for hire at reasonable cost and in the case of Ax Les Thermes you can get your equipment either in town or you can wait until you get up to Bonascre where the first of the slopes is available.

For apres ski, Ax Les Thermes has a lot to offer, being a spa town with hot springs it is just as well visited in the summer as it is in the winter and so there are plenty of facilities on offer including shops, bars, restaurants and cafes. You could probably get a hot tub somewhere as well if you wanted, I have never actually done that but it is a spa town so I am sure there will be facilities somewhere in the town.

I hope you have found this review useful and that it has given you a flavor for a couple of my local ski resorts in the Pyrenees, I have skied in a few different places and countries, including Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany and Canada but I can honestly say that I have enjoyed my skiing here as much as anywhere else, obviously there will be personal favorites but as far as I am concerned as long as you look for the positive and don’t get too hung up over minor irritations you can enjoy any resort.

You can get further information and details on skiing in the Pyrenees on my website Skiing and Snowboarding in the Pyrenees and if you need some help with finding flights and travel information to Europe you can visit my travel advice page on French Travel Advice which has some very useful information for France and Europe generally, whether you are flying, driving or looking to go by rail.

If you enjoy the information in the website on the Pyrenees don’t forget to give it a thumbs up rating at the bottom of the page or to share it with other skiers or snowboarders who might find it interesting.

If you’re looking for a snow covered slope, perfect for gliding down without breaking the bank, here is your guide to some of the best budget ski resorts across the globe.

1) Bansko, Bulgaria
The savvy skier is quick to realise that there is no need to throw buckets of cash to slide down a slight selection of slopes in the Three Valleys resort or Espace Killy. This is where smaller and cheaper resorts like Bankso come in. Food wise it is a good resort to eat offering good meals at a cheap price, with a selection of cuisines. It is also an ideal location for families as childcare is very cheap.

2) Courchevel, France
Courchevel may not be the first place to come to mind when thinking of budget skiing in Europe, certainly it has its expensive side but those in the know can get some really great deals here in France. You can get to the area for a good price and there are some good budget eateries around 1850, there is also a good happy hour at the Bubble Bar in 1650.

3) Cerviina, Italy
Over the mountain from Zerhmatt you will find Cervinia, a less known smaller and cheaper base to experience Matterhorn ski area. Though skiing on to the Swiss side can prove quite pricey and if you’re not careful about where you eat you will find your whole weeks spending money swallowed up.

4) Lake Tahoe, USA
You can really take advantage of the weak dollar and spend a few day on the slopes in California. Lake Tahoe has a diverse range of slopes catering to all tastes, it attracts skiers and snowboarders alike. With nearly five hundred runs you can cover a great deal of distance for your dollar. Here you can take advantage of the Lake Tahoe vacation rentals and save money on hotel expenses and also cut costs by self catering. Furthermore there are some stunning views from the mountain, with the lake stretching out in front like a beautiful crash mat.

5) Schladming, Austria
Tucked away in the Enns Valley, Schladming is one of Austria’s best kept secrets. Being only an hour away from Salzburg there are a range of cheap flights from all the budget airline companies. There are many good holiday rentals to take advantage of around here and some good places for hearty local cuisine, sold at a very reasonable price.

6) Flaine, France
Not the most beautiful resort in the world, but a price that reflects it. The resort has become popular with families for its great prices and relative easiness. For an intermediate skier this is a great destination offering childcare at a very good price.

7) Soldeu, Andorra
Andorra is one of the world’s prime locations for budget skiing, perhaps the original cheap slope based destination. Soldeu is a great location for beginners with some great mild slopes to cut your teeth on. There are also a great number of cheap eateries around the area too, for food look no further than Fat Albert’s, which also has a great bar upstairs.