Advice

The Italian resort of Livigno is set in a high, wide, remote valley close to the Swiss border, meaning that airport transfers to get here are long and winding. Most of the slopes are above the tree line, and Livigno is known as ‘Little Tibet’ because of its height and remoteness. For centuries it has

Livigno has a vast number of hotels, mainly with three- or four-stars – there are no five-stars –  as well as a good choice of self-catering apartments. They are widely spread along the 4km length of the resort village and it’s best to stay at one end or the other, where it’s easiest to get

Sitting on a sunny shelf, Wengen shares a ski area with Grindelwald, and most of the slopes are above its neighbour, under the towering north face of the Eiger. Until the early 20th century, Wengen was an Alpine farming community, and had been for centuries. Then intrepid British visitors started skiing here and persuaded the locals to keep

The majority of visitors to Wengen stay in hotels, mostly three- and four-star and varying a lot in character. The main street is by far the most convenient place to stay – some accommodation, including most of the rental apartments, is up or down steep hills from the centre and the lifts. If splendid isolation

As well as being a ski resort, Morzine is a proper little Alpine town that has a year-round life stretching far beyond having fun on the mountains that surround it. That said, winter sports enthusiasts from France and other countries – Britain in particular – have been coming here since Edwardian times. They spent their

In recent years, older buildings in La Croisette, the original resort centre, have been revamped and reclad, while the modern largely ski-in/ski-out satellites of Reberty and Le Bruyères have wisely been constructed in a much more sympathetic chalet style. The majority of accommodation here is in self-catering apartments and catered chalets. However, the four-star Ours

After it was founded in 1964, for the first 40 years of its existence, Les Menuires was always dubbed the ugly duckling of European ski resorts. Now celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023/24, and while never a swan, it has matured into a pretty presentable drake. What is more, it’s become a mainstream player as

Traditional foot-stomping après-ski might be falling out of favour for some, but for the majority of skiers and snowboarders hitting the slopes is only part of the joy of going on a ski holiday. Getting the most conducive après-ski scene is often almost as important as finding the right slopes. While spas, ice skating, ziplining

Spread along Mount Bonvin’s broad slopes, a towering massif rising to nearly 3,000m, Crans-Montana, in the Swiss canton of Valais, lies quietly under the radar when it comes to British visitors. The ski area is extensive and varied, especially suiting intermediate-level visitors. There are runs with long, panoramic views, as well as some sheltered wooded slopes, and it is

All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating. Our expert writers are usually hosted on a complimentary basis in order to gain the first-hand experience necessary for their review. For those with a desire to experience something

Few months spark a yearning for somewhere brighter and hotter than December. And with the UK in the midst of a wintry spell, it is once again time to start dreaming of swaying palm trees and whooshing waves to ring in the new year.  Enter the Caribbean, clad in its best high-season apparel, and offering

Avoriaz was the brainchild of Jean Vuarnet, 1960 Olympic Downhill Champion and subsequently of sunglasses fame. He grew up in Avoriaz’s neighbouring resort Morzine, and dreamt of developing the pastures high above his home town into a ski resort.  Vuarnet enlisted the help of Gérald Brémond, who later founded and ran the Pierre et Vacances

Cortina is one of the oldest ski resorts in Europe, in Italy’s north-eastern corner, with grand hotels dating from Victorian times, and is set among the stunning scenery of the Dolomites. It is also one of the few resorts in the Dolomites with an entirely Italian atmosphere, and almost none of the Germanic and Austrian

Want to try a cruise but not sure it’s for you? It’s a bit of a ­gamble, after all. What if, after a few days, you decide you’re not keen – but still have to stick out a week or more on-board, and possibly 3,000 miles from home? It’s a tricky conundrum for prospective cruisers

All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating. Our expert writers are usually hosted on a complimentary basis in order to gain the first-hand experience necessary for their review. If there’s one thing Edinburgh isn’t short of,

All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating. Our expert writers are usually hosted on a complimentary basis in order to gain the first-hand experience necessary for their review. With their dazzling volcanic beaches, wildly contrasting landscapes

Are cruise ship designers OK? Maybe it’s all that sea air, or a touch too much sun, but the world of “floating resorts” is getting weirder by the minute.  Over the years we’ve witnessed on-board ice rinks, waterparks, robot bartenders and “magic carpet” restaurants: now, enter the Aqua Slidecoaster, a hybrid rollercoaster-waterslide – the world’s

There’s a wide choice of hotels in Zell am See-Kaprun, mainly family-owned, three- and four-stars, including some very sumptuous options. Apartments can be booked locally but aren’t featured by most UK tour operators.  The best place to stay is in or near the picturesque car-free medieval centre of Zell am See with its splendid church,

With its charming town and year-round appeal to mountaineers and walkers as well as skiers, Chamonix has no shortage of hotel accommodation, but fewer chalets on offer. Since there’s so much competition, whether in search of luxurious heights of five-star accommodation like the longstanding Hameau Albert 1er, in situ since 1903, hip modernism like the

Of Courchevel’s six villages, Courchevel (also known as 1850) has by far the biggest selection of hotels. The resort has a wide choice of five-star establishments of which a clutch of the most exceptional have been awarded France’s prestigious and relatively rare accolade of “palace” status. These top hotels, and the ultra-luxurious chalets lining the