Hello,<BR><BR>My husband and I are hoping to spend a few days skiing / snowboarding in Austria in the last week of March. I would welcome recommendations about good resorts and hotels. Here is my wish list:<BR><BR>1. Suitable for a novice snowboarder and an upper intermediate skiier<BR>2. Good rentals<BR>3. Good snow coverage at that time of year<BR>4. Charming and romantic without being overly pricey<BR>5. Reasonably easy access by train (or car?)from Munich<BR>6. Accomodation in slopeside village with good dining options<BR>7. Not too party-oriented<BR><BR>I have researched on ski-europe.com, some ideas I had were Saalbach/Hinterglemm and &quot;the Gurgls&quot; but I am open to all ideas.<BR><BR>Many thanks!

We skied Lech last year and adored it. We stayed at the Hotel Post in St. Anton which is very, very nice and had a great package; the hotel also has a gorgeous spa and pool area. We drove over to Lech each morning as the ski conditions were better there (less crowded, higher altitudes, meaning ski down to the town with no slush). It worked out great and is easily driveable from Munich. We drove there from Stuttgart in about 4 hours. Lech is not a wild party town at all, it is very classy and though it has a lively apres ski scene, nothing wild or drunken. St. Anton was too male dominated for my taste -- too many boys ski trips from the UK -- but the Hotel Post was worth it and we loved the drive each morning across the scenic snowfields. I think the Gurgls are pretty deadly quiet and I think Saalbach is pretty wild from my research though I have never been to either. I can tell you that Lech has very reliable snow and is considered, along with neighborhing Zuers, to be the classiest of all the Austrian ski resorts. The ski conditions were lovely and they limit the # of lift tix sold so very uncrowded. I would recommend a hotel in Oberlech and you have guaranteed ski-in=ski-out. The on mountain restaurants were great. Skiing is geared to all levels and is linked to Zuers. We are good skiers however we like well groomed and well planned runs which Lech has, and would also suit snowboarding. All the Alpine resorts sell 7 day packages, perhaps in late March you could go for fewer days. You should be able to get a good deal then in any resort so price should not be an issue. We really loved the region highly recommend the Hotel Post in St. Anton, which also had very fine food and an excellent wine list and very high class service. The hotel also has a disco (which is in the basement and cannot be heard in the rooms) in case you do decide to cut a bit loose in the evenings. We have skied all over Europe and the States and would rank this resort right up there, with Meribel (Trois Vallee) in France or Vail in Colorado from an all-around perspective.

I wish we'd consulted schuss away before our recent trip. We stayed in Innsbruck over Christmas and skied at the Gletscher and Axamer Lizum. Maybe we're spoiled by Whistler, but these weren't so great. Lack of snow didn't help, but also the terrain and lifts were a bit of a disappointment. Beautiful towns, though. But still can't get over the food. Austria and Germany are right next to France, home of the best food in the world. Why is it so awful next door?

Zadoc, Sorry to hear that you had a bad food experience in Austria! That is very surprising! I never liked Innsbruck as a base for skiing...the only place I like around there is Seefeld which is a cross-country mecca and has beautiful scenery. No good for downhill. Even Kitzbuehl in recent years has had poor snow...some people seriously believe global warming is starting to affect the lower level European ski resorts and it could be true. Anyway, I had the best lobster bisque of my life in Oberlech! I could not believe it. We went back every single day. The better resorts in Austria hire the better trained chefs and purchase the better raw material, I suppose. I would think it impossible to get less than a terrific meal in Lech or Zuers, and the elevation guarantees snow. If you like cute Austrian towns, you would adore Lech with a little sugar topped mountain right next to an onion domed church and all the beautiful people in gorgeous ski clothes, gold watches, blonde hair, dark tans and expensive sun glasses!!! Give that a try next year and you won't be disappointed. If you want to absolutely DIE for the glory of your dinner, go to Meribel and stay at the Hotel Alba. It is a ski-in/out, modern chalet style hotel with an amazing kitchen and super wine list. The region is also spectacular -- imagine 10 Whistlers -- you literally could not ski every single slope in a week, it is too huge (largest in Europe) with views all the way to Mont Blanc. The town is a big nothing, though (Courcheval even less scenic) and the hotel has no spa or pool, just a small sauna although the rooms are nicely decorated. 5 courses to die for every night with a final cheese course that made us swoon! Check it out sometime in late January when the rates are low.

Just to finish this..the Burg Hotel in Oberlech (on mountain) is where we had the amazing lobster bisque and looks like an all around great hotel (4 stars). We also liked the Hotel Arlberg (5 stars) in Lech Village.

I was disappointed (but glad to know) to hear that Innsbruck is not a good place to stay for skiing. We had a group of 10 family members scheduled to go there after Xmas, Dec.,'01, but family emergency cancelled the trip. We were planning it for another year. <BR><BR>Since only half our group are skiers, we thought Innsbruck would be the best of both worlds for the varied interests of the two generations of our family. So the skiing from there is generally not so good? How about the Stubai? <BR><BR>For those of you who like Lech, are there things to do there for non-skiers? Maybe we expect too much from one place!

Lianne:<BR><BR>Schuss has said it all! Lech is a wonderful resort. Try the Gastof Kirstberg. It is a 4 star property in Lech run by the famous Egon Zimmerman of<BR>Olympic fame. You can get a wonderful ske week package that will include hotel, meals and lift tix! I paid 12000AS back in 1999.<BR>Hey Schuss, do you live in Austria??<BR>JOHN

John,<BR>Here's a hot one--I live in Brazil. For family ski trips which are tricky I recommend the following:<BR>St. Moritz or Zermatt<BR>The Kulm Palace in StM is a resort in itself with a huge pool, spa, gym, dress up for fine dining in the evening, the town and the hotel have spectacular Alpine scenery with two huge frozen lakes, non-skiers can walk extensively, horseback ride, take sleighs, shop, etc. Terrific and scenic on-mountain restaurants where non-skiers can meet you at lunchtime...sit outdoors under blankets in the hot sun sipping champagne and eating truffles...Expensive and worth it, this is a very sunny place on the Italian border. Zermatt is fantastic, the Hotel Julen is my favorite, a real old chalet hotel with a full pool now, great food, cozy, Zermatt has less to do for non-skiers than St. Moritz but it also has lots of great shopping, walks, great on-mountain restaurants (though hard to get to for non-skiers) but Zermatt is so scenic, the Matterhorn so fantastic, that is the non-skiers bring plenty of books, they will enjoy it anyway. For skiers, the mountains are very challenging and you can do a day trip down to Cervinia, Italy which has to be the most spectacular view of in the Alps (from the top of Little Matterhorn) of over 100 peaks! Meribel, France has chalet holidays which would be very affordable for 10 people, look at www.purpleski.com -- this is a gorgeous region but little to do for non-skiers. Lech would be okay if the non-skiers were inclined to sit around the fireplace and read, take walks in the snow, that kind of thing. Probably the best place for non-skiers plus skiers is Vail! or Aspen! towns that are totally geared for non-skiers as well as skiers. If it must be Europe, though, I would go for St. Moritz or Zermatt or even Chamonix, but Chamonix is a pain for skiers because every slope requires a bus or a car. If you can afford St. Moritz, that is the ticket. I have also heard great things about the Carlton and there are some 4 and 3 star hotels there that are more affordable although quite honestly the 5 stars are what make it special. You cannot go wrong with Zermatt either. Good luck!