Ischgl

micko123

Hi guys, thinking of Ischgl for January.

Any advice on pros and cons?

I have been told that it is quite expensive - can anyone advise how expensive we are talking here i.e is it Swiss/high-end French resort prices i.e €7 or more a beer or is it more in line with standard Austrian prices?

Thanks

mal_1

I was there a few years ago (and considering going back pre-christmas) it was slightly more expensive than the standard Austrian prices, similar to Lech and St Anton. But not excessive.

olaola

Hey, have been twice - and 2010 was the last time we were there.

Apart from the accommodation, everything is more or less the same price as other resorts. A fiver or thereabouts for a beer, I don't know if we ever ate out of the hotel, but mountain fare is the usual prices too. There's a SAVAGE run down into Switzerland (Samnaun), and there is a fantastic pizza place just at the bottom of the slope. You can pay in EUR and it's still cheaper than anything you'd get here.

Skiing is generally excellent, lots to choose from. You have to get the gondola up, and from there (Idalp) you can explore with a huge range of lifts on offer. Skiing down to the village is generally quite hairy, the slope can get very icy in the evening. A popular après ski activity is to drink outside Schatzi bar at the bottom of the slope and watch the people snot themselves as they make their way down. There are usually queues at the lifts in the morning – they move quickly. But we go in Jan, so I’d say at more popular times they’d be quite long. But if you get there before 9.30 you’ll walk straight in.

The town is a funny beast, it’s built on and around a mountain, with a tunnel connecting the two sides. There are three gondolas up, two on one side and one on the other. So in some ways, you’re never really in the centre of the town – if you get me! Après ski is very good, some great cheesy Austrian bars with all the usual après hits! We used to book a table in the Kitzloch each evening and it was pretty good craic. A highlight being when the DJ put on the Eisbar song and got dressed up as a polar bear and legged it around the bar. If you want to carry on until the wee hours, there is a Pascha nightclub too. Be warned though! The clientele of the resort would be mainly male.

One word of warning, some of the lads got some hassle with a coat-stealing racket in the Kuhstall – and the staff got a bit funny.

Pros: Great skiing, the run into Switzerland is a great memory
Lively Apres ski

Cons: Accommodation is expensive
Male dominated resort

If you’re looking at accommodation and you’re not sure where exactly it’s situated – I don’t mind having a look.

olaola

Sorry, we were there THIS year, 2011! Anyhoo...