Help, holiday company cancelled ski holiday

dublingirl83

Hi,

Just looking for some advice, was due to be going to Livigno 6th March (going there the last three years). Got phone call from the holiday operator today saying that due to low numbers of travellers they are cancelling the holiday. options are full refund or some resort in bulargia (Bansko)???

Dont know what to do, been looking online and there seem to be some other resorts available like, Arinsal, Saalbach...
any body been to any of these places, any helpful info?

I would like as resort that has mixed levels of difficulty, good night life/ apres ski would be important.

Any help would be really appreciated, as have to ring them back tomorrow....

or should i just forget about skiing and blow my cash in Vegas

flikflak

Get the full refund. Bulgaria is not having the best snow year apparently.

Arinsal is good fun although the 4 hour transfer can be a killer. Soldeu is also a good spot in Andorra.

Saalbach is a great resort too lots of intermidiate runs and good Austrian apres (which imo is the best!).

Go to the travel agents and see what kind of deals you can get. I know that if you were going from the UK they had some deals to Canada for £299 but you would have to get to Gatwick first.

Some good deals around so dont put up with Bulgaria I am sure you can find something much better.

Censorsh!t

I'm going to Bansko next week. Have been told there's pretty good snow this year.

juke

According to Ski Club of GB

The deepest base depth is at Bansko (175/195cm) still. The snow was affected by the warmer weather but they haven’t reported a drop in the base depth. As with Pamporovo, head to the upper slopes where the lower temperatures have kept the snow in the best condition.

and says 10/14 lifts are open.

If I'd my holidays booked from work and arrangements made, I'd be inclined to risk it.

flikflak

I was only going from what I had read here http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1431136&highlight=bansko#1431136

Looks like it might be a bit better now though. Check out the snow forecast for the next week and see what you think. Google snow forecast for an up to date outlook.

dublingirl83

Thanks for all the replys and help, what is arinsal like as a resort, big/small, expensive, good night life etc?
I know im asking a lot of questions, jsut not sure what to do as have to let them know tomorrow.

Transfer time wouldnt really bother me as it about 4hrs too to Livigno.

Censorsh!t

Not sure about arsinel, but one place I was that had a lot of slopes and great apres ski was Cervnia in Italy. It's on the border with Switzerland.

c montgomery

Hey Dublingirl83,

Im in the same boat. Panorama called me yeaterday and in a very unapologetic phone call informed me that my holiday had been cancelled as they were not making enough money from it. I was going with my dad and sister who had never been skiing and were really looking forward to it. I go to livigno every year and have some friends living close by that we were hoping to visit.
I actually thought it was a joke at first such was the tone of the agent that called me. All she kept repeating to my many questions was "terms and conditions"! If this is the was they operate i have no doubt it wont be long until i see them going into administration as i nor any of my family will ever be uning them again. On that day i will have the last laugh.

As an alternative we are looing at going to austria as we can fly direct from cork where i am from. Weisendorf (incorrect spelling) is the name of the resort that is available to us. Has anyone any info on this resort and what the conditions would be like this time of year. Also what are the prices of food and drink in the area and are they snowboard friendly.

Many thanks and f~*k panorama!!!!!!!!!

flikflak

^ Do you mean Westendorf? If so then thats a great place. Its part of the Ski Welt so your lift pass will include Ellmau, Scheffau, Soll and a few smaller places. You could also get a Kitzbuhler Alpen pass which then opens up the whole area (Kitz, St johann, Waidring and lots of others).

Check out http://www.skiwelt.at/en/

You can have a look at the piste maps and other info on there.

Have skied Westy many times and its a good place for cruising the blues and reds. The town is not as busy as Soll but if you fancy some apres in Soll then you can ski over stay for the apres then grab a taxi/bus back round the mountain or you can get the train to Kitz for a night out. Lots of options from Westendorf.

c montgomery

flikflak wrote: »

^ Do you mean Westendorf? If so then thats a great place. Its part of the Ski Welt so your lift pass will include Ellmau, Scheffau, Soll and a few smaller places. You could also get a Kitzbuhler Alpen pass which then opens up the whole area (Kitz, St johann, Waidring and lots of others).

Check out http://www.skiwelt.at/en/

You can have a look at the piste maps and other info on there.

Have skied Westy many times and its a good place for cruising the blues and reds. The town is not as busy as Soll but if you fancy some apres in Soll then you can ski over stay for the apres then grab a taxi/bus back round the mountain or you can get the train to Kitz for a night out. Lots of options from Westendorf.

Ya sorry i meant to say Westendorf. Cheers for the info, ill check it out and see what the options are:)

T-rev

Book it yourself. Fly to milan with Ryanair and try www.livignosnow.com for last minute accomm. Nikki over there is dead sound.

bcirl03

dublingirl83 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replys and help, what is arinsal like as a resort, big/small, expensive, good night life etc?
I know im asking a lot of questions, jsut not sure what to do as have to let them know tomorrow.

Transfer time wouldnt really bother me as it about 4hrs too to Livigno.

Sorry to hear about the cancelation, not nice at all. Appreciate 'c montgomery' for naming the company - stopped using this crowd years ago but defiantly wont touch them with a barge pole again.

Arinsal is a great place if it's your first or second time. After that the area is too small, whilst it's linked with Pal it's still a small area. Prices are cheap enough in comparison with other resorts and the night life is (was) good. As mentioned Soldeu is a great place and I'd defiantly recommend it for skiing \ ski school. Night life was dead last year when I visited but that may be the same for all resorts given the times we live in.

If you are going to Soldeu feel free to PM me with any other questions.

De_man

dublingirl83 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replys and help, what is arinsal like as a resort, big/small, expensive, good night life etc?
I know im asking a lot of questions, jsut not sure what to do as have to let them know tomorrow.

Transfer time wouldnt really bother me as it about 4hrs too to Livigno.

very quick reply,....

arinsal very small village lively apreski though, main bar quo vadis at least it was when i was there last. for skiers/boarders really suited for beginers - low level intermediates (2 trips) otherwise, link to pal is not bad. must say i enjoyed the place when i was there a long time ago

shopping andorra la vella approx 30mins in taxi

hotels....st /gothard , princess park forget about s/c

apologies for short reply

btw i found drinks very cheap in the shops...but the bars were comparable to irish prices at the time...just read the post above:)....i'd recommend soldeu anytime...sport hotel for convenience if you can get it

olaola

Really can't recommend Saalbach enough - 1hr 30 from Salzberg, 2hr 30 from Munich. Great mix of runs, and all paths lead to home.
Great snow there at the moment too.

c montgomery

Anyone know what the snow is like in soll at the moment and also what are the food and drink prices like there??

bcirl03

c montgomery wrote: »

Anyone know what the snow is like in soll at the moment and also what are the food and drink prices like there??

Best to look at http://www.skiwelt.at/en/ for snow - looks good 140 upper \ 75 lower. Daily report can be found here http://www.skiwelt.at/snowreport

Great place and the Wilder Kaiser region is huge. Dont get lost or end up in Brixen when all the lifts have closed

Was there with the family and food \ drink was cheap enough.

k123456

Some goods offers with inghams for your weekend
http://www.inghams.ie/#tcontent_latest

Also check ring and check on web the other TO's , directski etc
Worth checking is aertel last minute ski offers

dublingirl83

c montgomery wrote: »

Hey Dublingirl83,

Im in the same boat. Panorama called me yeaterday and in a very unapologetic phone call informed me that my holiday had been cancelled as they were not making enough money from it. I was going with my dad and sister who had never been skiing and were really looking forward to it. I go to livigno every year and have some friends living close by that we were hoping to visit.
I actually thought it was a joke at first such was the tone of the agent that called me. All she kept repeating to my many questions was "terms and conditions"! If this is the was they operate i have no doubt it wont be long until i see them going into administration as i nor any of my family will ever be uning them again. On that day i will have the last laugh.

As an alternative we are looing at going to austria as we can fly direct from cork where i am from. Weisendorf (incorrect spelling) is the name of the resort that is available to us. Has anyone any info on this resort and what the conditions would be like this time of year. Also what are the prices of food and drink in the area and are they snowboard friendly.

Many thanks and f~*k panorama!!!!!!!!!

I know hating them right now, offered me somewhere in bulgaria supposably for the same price but when looked online with another company it was 200 less. or the offer of France for about 300 dearer- Thanks Panorma, your too kind...

came across a resort called Pas de la Casa....anyone any info on this resort??

Thanks

bcirl03

dublingirl83 wrote: »

came across a resort called Pas de la Casa....anyone any info on this resort??

Part of the Grandvalira area (Soldeu, El Tarter, Canillo, Encamp. Grau Roig) region.

I have only skied over from Soldeu so cant speak around hotels \ bars \ food etc. The ski are is massive - check out http://www.grandvalira.com/en__inici.html and the ski area http://www.grandvalira.com/en__pistes__planol_interactiu_ca.html for more info.

Be warned 3 to 4 hour transfer.

juke

dublingirl83 wrote: »

came across a resort called Pas de la Casa....anyone any info on this resort??

Thanks

I was there about 7 years ago. The slopes were great, but there wasn't enough snow, so it was very icy. No idea what snow is like this year.

As for the town - I didn't like the resort at all. It was a bit like Ibiza with snow - so if you are 18-25 and like that kind of scene you might love it.

Food/drink was good value and we had a few great meals. We stayed in the Olimpiades apartments, which location wise on the slopes was perfect, but it was a filthy dump, and the rooms were vile.

Different accommodation and more snow - I may have felt differently :rolleyes:

robinph

I've done Andorra a few times and Pas de la Casa is grand for what it is, as said along the lines of Ibiza on ice. Not that I've ever been to Ibiza. You have access to a huge ski area though and it is a good area for learning, really advanced skiiers/ boarders may not feel challenged enough, but as said again the area is huge so they would have plenty of chance to go off exploring.

Andorra is not as cheap as they try and make out though due to their tax free status, but they are no more expensive than any other European resort.

flikflak

Agree with the last two posters that Pas is an awful looking resort but if mad nightlife and concrete high rises are your thing then go for it. The ski area is good though.

Soldeu (on the same lift pass) is a much nicer place and also has a fantastic spa - bliss!

El Tarter is also on the lift pass but is a very quiet place.

I would totally take the refund - there are better deals to be had out there. Check out crystalski.ie there are some deals leaving on the 6th March to France from €269. You will have to have a look at the resorts to check suitability. Deals availble to Tignes, La Plagne, Val thorens and a few others for €299.

dublingirl83

T-rev wrote: »

Book it yourself. Fly to milan with Ryanair and try www.livignosnow.com for last minute accomm. Nikki over there is dead sound.

Would love to do that, but afraid that with panorama and few other irish operators after pulling their flights would the resort be deserted??

robinph

Empty resort is a good thing surely as you get the slopes to yourself?

I don't think Panorama have their own planes, they will just buy seats off another airline. No telling where those planes will be going now.

De_man

some great suggestions....Pas de la casa was described exactly!!!;)
but of the whole lot i'd have to go with olaola

Saalbach-Hintergleim excellent, followed by Soll suits all levels, in fact
anywhere austria you'll have a great time

for those thinking of livigno via milan (Ryanair) and driving up themselves...
i'd recommend you fly into innsbruck (austria) it's a quicker drive


take the refund asap if you can get it...

bcirl03

De_man wrote: »

take the refund asap if you can get it...

+1 on that, dont give Panorama any more money.

I spoke with all my fellow skier friends and warned them not to go near Panorama for fear of this happening to them.

Overflow

Saalbach, Saalbach, Saalbach !!

Im going there on Saturday myself, i cant wait, been there 3 times now, excellent place.

Let this be a lesson to stay away from those damn tour operators! Sorry i just dont like them. As ive said before on here organize it all your self and reduce the risk of anything like this happening again.

dublingirl83

Overflow wrote: »

Saalbach, Saalbach, Saalbach !!

Im going there on Saturday myself, i cant wait, been there 3 times now, excellent place.

Let this be a lesson to stay away from those damn tour operators! Sorry i just dont like them. As ive said before on here organize it all your self and reduce the risk of anything like this happening again.

just been looking at saalbach, seems really good, quite expensive though. cheapest i have found is approx 500 (flight and acom) and thats accom decided upon on arrival...not sure if i would take that chance.

Overflow

dublingirl83 wrote: »

just been looking at saalbach, seems really good, quite expensive though. cheapest i have found is approx 500 (flight and acom) and thats accom decided upon on arrival...not sure if i would take that chance.

I take it that is a package holiday with a tour operator ?

Call the Saalbach Tourist office, you will get the number off the Saalbach website. They should be able to help you find some accommodation.
Then book your flights through Ryanair to Salzburg.

I find every thing in Saalbach, food, drink etc is very reasonable.

c montgomery

dublingirl83 wrote: »

just been looking at saalbach, seems really good, quite expensive though. cheapest i have found is approx 500 (flight and acom) and thats accom decided upon on arrival...not sure if i would take that chance.

I just booked westenburg with top flight. 430pp euro for the 3 of us to stay in a 4 person apprtment. Appartment is nothing special but its 30m to the ski school so the location is perfect. If there were 4 of ye you could get it even cheaper. Flying out of dublin on 6th mar at 15:00.
Not a bad deal this late in the day. You gotta call them for that price i think.

bovril

bcirl03 wrote: »

Best to look at http://www.skiwelt.at/en/ for snow - looks good 140 upper \ 75 lower. Daily report can be found here http://www.skiwelt.at/snowreport

Great place and the Wilder Kaiser region is huge. Dont get lost or end up in Brixen when all the lifts have closed

Was there with the family and food \ drink was cheap enough.

Just back from Soll lastSat, snow is melting quickly. The weather at mid station was 7 degrees towards the end of the week and any of the slopes that face the sun were slush by lunch time. I don't imagine there will be much snow there by mid march unless it gets a lot colder and there is a big dump of white stuff.