If the credit crunch and the euro have put the slammers on your ski holiday
plans this season, there is help at hand. We've asked the budget
accommodation website Hostelbookers.com
to let us in on the secret of an affordable skiing holiday. Here are the ten
best rated skiing hostels and affordable hotels on the website, as rated by
real skiers and holidaymakers...
1. Cube
Savognin, Savognin, Switzerland
The Cube is so called because of its modern symmetrical exterior. The
contemporary design continues inside with bright primary colours and minimal
design. The bar serves drinks and snacks 24 hours a day plus there's a
restaurant, chill out lounges on every floor and a relaxation area with
sauna, steam bath, massage and fitness area. The hotel has internet access
and PlayStation terminals, plus darts. There's free parking for guests in
winter.
It is 50 meters to the cable car, and has 266 beds in 76 rooms. Savognin has
panoramic views from its 2670m location, and over 80km of pistes, plus free
ride areas, 140 km mountain bike trails and a swimming lake in the summer.
Average Hostelbookers.com user rating: 95 per cent
Nearest airport: Zurich/Milan.
Price: Rooms start at £36 half-board in a private room including a
one-day ski pass for Savognin per booked night.
2. Euro
Youth Hotel, Bad Gastein, Austria
This hostel has 59 private rooms for between one and five people, all en-suite
with bath and shower and television. It also offers free wireless internet
access and balconies with views of the mountains. There's a bar and
restaurant and a chill out room with television, internet, pool, table
football and darts. The hostel can organise tobogganning, paragliding and
spa treatments.
Bad Gastein is in the Gastein Valley ski area, which has four ski areas, of
which Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein are linked by lifts. The skiing suits
strong intermediate skiers and there's off-piste for more advanced skiers on
the Kreuzkogel. Boarders have access to a park and half-pipe, but numerous
draglifts may be off-putting.
Average Hostelbookers.com user rating: 94.3 per cent
Nearest airport: Salzburg, Klagenfurt or Innsbruck. Trains run
regularly to Bad Gastein, taking 1.5 hours from Salzburg. The hostel is 80
metres from the train station
Price: Rooms start at £14 per person per night for a shared room; £17
per person for a private room
3. Good
Bye Lenin Hostel, Zakopane, Poland
Good Bye Lenin hostel is a wooden house surrounded by forest at the foot of
the Tatra National Park. The nearest ski area is Nosal, 500 metres away. The
hostel has modern bathrooms and inside there's a rustic chalet feel. There's
also a lounge area, free movie night, and can organise activities including
horse-drawn sleigh rides and paragliding.
