Verbier’s neighbours Nendaz and Villars: Switzerland’s secret ski resorts

By NEIL ENGLISH

Picture postcard: The resort of Verbier offers full-on hustle and bustle


Where do you go if you’re looking for the perfect place for some family skiing fun at Christmas? Most Brits head for the famous resort of Verbier, for its wealth of terrain and its high-octane nightlife and full-on hustle and bustle.

However, for many young families all this can be overwhelming, despite the allure of its fabulous slopes.

But there is a Swiss ski resort you can go to – very close by but missed by most of the British Verbier crew – where on Christmas Eve Santa paraglides in and hands out gifts galore to the children and the mood is much more homely and authentic.

The Christmas destination for the discerning skier is Nendaz, located in the heart of the Four Valleys ski area, which includes Verbier on its fringes. It is relatively new to the British market and increasingly referred to as the ‘thinking man’s Verbier’.

Nendaz sits conveniently between Verbier and Veysonnaz and below Siviez, which lies further up the valley at 5,676ft, and the purpose-built cluster of now tired-looking apartments of Thyon, 6,562 ft up the ski slopes. Precious few skiers venture from Verbier over to Nendaz or the other Four Valleys ski sectors, thereby wasting their expensive, all-areas ski passes. Conversely, the bulk of Nendaz’s skiers are well placed to explore the whole area, get to lunch in Verbier if they wish and ski back in time for tea.

Families can have a great time if they stay within the Nendaz ski sector, which enjoys 43 miles of its own groomed slopes, plenty of off-piste and 17,000 tourist beds, mostly in self-catering apartments. Specialist chalet company Ted Bentley added even further value to my Nendaz visit.


Pristine: The slopes and chalets at Villars have opened for the new season


Founded by fellow British ski enthusiast and entrepreneur David Merrifield (Ted is his son), this company has neatly filled a niche in the Nendaz market with a portfolio of four luxurious chalets all managed with friendly but painstaking care to make ski holidays as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.

Ted Bentley will ferry you to the lifts in the company’s own bus. Each chalet offers great views and has a soothing hot-tub or sauna and professional chefs to guarantee delicious fare at breakfast, tea and dinner. There are also fine quality wines, many of which come from these parts as the canton of Valais is Switzerland’s largest wine producing region. The ensuite bedrooms are adorned with Egyptian cotton sheets and there are warm robes for all.

If you are travelling with young children, Ted Bentley have their own nanny service and will happily shop locally in advance, at supermarket prices, for nappies and formula milk products so that you can keep the space in your suitcase free for ski gear and other essentials.

For more information on their chalets, see www.tedbentley.co.uk or call 01934 820854. Chalet Alice, sleeping eight, is available on full chalet board from January 15-22, from £695 per person. Chalets can also be booked on a room-only basis.

Return flights with www.snowjet.co.uk from London Stansted to Sion for that week cost from £179 per person. Flights from London Gatwick to Geneva with www.easyjet.co.uk start from £42 per person. Allow approximately £70 per adult for the return train fare to Sion from Geneva.

Villars Christmas
There is another option for a Swiss Christmas. About an hour’s drive away in the neighbouring canton of Vaud is Villars, which officially opened its Christmas market, ski lifts and slopes for the new season yesterday. And for the first time in its long history the most vulnerable, low-lying pistes have opened with the help of a brand new artificial snow-making system.

To celebrate this expensive upgrade, which is designed to guarantee snow runs in and around Villars, all visitors were invited to ski the opening Saturday for free.

Villars aficionados are already eagerly anticipating the 13th edition of the 24-hour charity ski race which was established and is still supported by Formula 1 motor-racing teams.


Fundraiser: Villars's annual 24-hour ski race


The event involves recreational and semi-professional teams of four to eight people skiing for a 24-hour period in relay, doing as many laps as possible to raise money for excellent causes. Many are British charities, helping the disabled or young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The driving force behind the huge success of the event has been Barbara Pollock, former wife of Craig Pollock, ex-director of the British American Racing F1 team.

Sadly, Barbara lost her long battle with breast cancer in spring this year. In January, when she attended the 12th annual 24-hour event, Barbara said: ‘Regardless of what happens to me, I very much hope this event goes on without me.’ Her legacy lives on in spectacular style.

There are still places to register a team for the 13th event which takes place over the weekend of January 15 and 16.

For more information visit www.bcv24hvillars.com, call +41 2449 54138 or email info@bcv24hvillars.com.


source: dailymail

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Discovering Montenegro, a corner of Europe that remains untamed by tourism

By DAVID ROSE

Off the tourist trail: A castle overlooking Kotor Bay in the newly independent Montenegro


Its fur was white with a streak of grey and it sat magnificently by the roadside, staring into the distance. We had no doubt what it was. On a lonely route high in the Durmitor mountains of Montenegro, we had just encountered our first full-grown wolf. We stopped and fumbled for our cameras, but by the time we were ready it had ambled into the undergrowth.

Somehow, it didn’t seem so surprising. Having gained its independence from Serbia as recently as 2006, Montenegro can often feel untamed, its tourism far less developed than it is, for example, in neighbouring Croatia.

As for the interior, a dizzying assembly of lakes, mountains and precipitous limestone canyons, it is truly wild and often empty, with few tourist facilities at all.

Meanwhile, anyone contemplating a holiday in Montenegro needs to know that driving on its narrow, winding, single-carriageway roads requires care.

Unprotected drops of hundreds of feet are common, as are bus and taxi drivers who seem to think that driving on the wrong side of the road when negotiating a tight blind bend is acceptable. On the other hand, to see the country properly, driving is pretty much the only feasible way for a family to get around. Just make sure you have strong nerves and good insurance.


Untamed: Wolves roam the Durrmitor mountains


Having flown to Dubrovnik in Croatia and picked up a rental car, my wife Carolyn, our sons Jacob, 11, Daniel, six, and I drove across the border and spent two-and-a-half weeks in Montenegro last August.

The package holiday industry here is in its infancy, and apart from just one big resort, Budva, much of which resembles a garish Adriatic Blackpool, there are relatively few hotels. However, we found a good selection of self-catering accommodation on the internet and, determined to experience as much of the country as possible, we divided our holiday between two spacious and well-appointed apartments. Neither cost us more than £550 a week, and both came equipped with stunning panoramas and large shared pools.


Delightful backwater: David, Daniel and Jacob take a boat trip


In the sea, the water was always crystalline, and the beaches spotless. Moreover, the weather was perfect the whole time, with cloudless days and maximum temperatures in the low 30s. But there is much more to Montenegro than buckets and spades and snorkelling.

We spent our first week at Muo, a village deep inside the Montenegrin coast’s jewel – the Gulf of Kotor, a 15-mile-long fjord with white limestone walls that at their loftiest, beneath the summit of Mount Lovocen, are almost 6,000ft high. Kotor itself, at the far end, is a small walled city, an ancient stone Venetian-Gothic labyrinth of shady alleys and sunny piazzas, most with pavement bars and restaurants.

Their Italian-style ice cream is as good as it gets. There is also a Byzantine cathedral dating back to the 9th Century.


Venetian: The island of Sveti Stefan which is linked to the mainland via a causeway


The beaches in this area were the best we found, while Przno’s fishing harbour proved to be a delightful spot in which to watch the sun set from its waterside restaurants. There were further cultural attractions nearby, too, such as Bar Stari Grad – a semi-ruined Ottoman city. Our last night was Carolyn’s birthday, and we booked a table at what was reputed to be Przno’s finest restaurant, Bianca. It looked delightful, perched on a cliff overlooking the end of the beach, with a lovely terrace and starched white tablecloths. The menu was tempting, the wine superb, and the bread and olives on which we nibbled were of the highest quality.


Travel facts
Thomson Airways (0871 231 4787, www.thomson.co.uk/flights) offers flights direct to Dubrovnik from London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham throughout the summer. Return fares start from £179.

For car hire contact Gulliver Travel (www.gulliver.hr).
Package holidays are available through Travelsphere (0844 567 9960, www.travelsphere.co.uk), Balkan Holidays (0845 130 1114, www.balkanholidays.co.uk) and Inghams (0208 780 4433, www.inghams.co.uk).
For information on Montenegro visit www.visit-montenegro.com


source :dailymail

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Christmas lights illuminate the Town Hall at La Grande Place

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.




BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate the Town Hall at La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.




BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.




BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate the Town Hall at La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.



BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate the Town Hall at La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.



BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate the Town Hall on La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.



BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.



BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 20: Christmas lights illuminate the Town Hall at La Grande Place on December 20, 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.


Holiday season in Brussels / Parfum de Noël à Bruxelles



source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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Lunar landscapes and luxury hotels, why Tenerife is the perfect winter warmer

By PETER HARDY

Another world: Neil Armstrong once described Tenerife as 'the closest thing to the lunar landscape I have ever seen'


Neil Armstrong described the harsh volcanic landscape as 'the closest thing to the lunar landscape I've ever seen'.

As the first man on the Moon, he should know what he's talking about. And perhaps that explains why Tenerife is said to have been used as a location for films such as Star Wars and Planet Of The Apes.

The good news for the rest of us is that Tenerife is a modest four hours' flying time from London, proving once and for all that you don't need to endure a long-haul flight to find winter sun and spectacular scenery.

Between October and November, the average temperature is a comfortable 22-24C and even in December and in the New Year highs of 20c are normal at sea level.

All this makes it a popular destination for sun-starved British holidaymakers wanting to escape the gloom - and the snow - at home.

We wanted such a winter break and with only four full days plus flying time to spare, it seemed conveniently close. Reasonably priced beach hotels and budget flights abound and Travelsupermarket.com ranks Tenerife at number one on its top ten list of winter sun destinations.

But I had misgivings. Tenerife for me conjured up images of all that I didn't want in a holiday - an Atlantic version of Majorca's Magaluf or Cyprus's Ayia Napa, a concrete desert where all-day English breakfasts and duty-free alcohol are the principle attractions.

The 20-minute drive from the airport to our hotel on the Adeje Coast did little to dispel this impression. Over-development of the south-western corner of the island is inescapable.

The infamous Playa de las Americas did indeed remind me of Miami. But then, I like Miami - and on arrival at our hotel we quickly discovered exactly what we were looking for.

The big surprise was that Tenerife in winter attracts a very different and older clientele from summer, when the Playa vies with Ibiza's San Antonio as a venue for European youth culture.


Colonial heritage: The pool area of the Iberostar is fittingly grand


'The island has changed a lot in recent years,' said Sally Molloy, Sovereign's permanent rep on the island.

'The sort of visitors coming here - especially outside the main summer months - are becoming increasingly discerning in their tastes. Every year there are new first-class hotels being built and this is one of the best.'

Iberostar El Mirador is built in grand colonial style with a giant pool - actually, more of a lagoon - with views of the island of La Gomera and the Atlantic beyond.

A private walkway led down to the beach. We'd come to relax, get some sand between our toes, read books and eat alfresco. This fitted the bill to perfection.

Eating and drinking in a five-star hotel is normally a heart-stopping financial business, but not here. Tenerife is duty-free and prices for all holiday needs are bargain basement.

Along the beach, that all-day English costs an astonishing £1.50 and you can wash it down with a pint of beer for 85p.

Even in El Mirador's three restaurants, lunch for two costs less than £40 and the standard of the food was way beyond all expectation.

For dinner, we preferred the half-board buffet with its nightly choice of fresh seafood and grilled meats.

The hotel is child-free and having left all our own at home in order to enjoy a brief bit of quality time together, this suited us perfectly.

The majority of our fellow guests were couples from mainland Spain presumably doing exactly the same.


Sunseekers: Tenerife attracts a different crowd in the winter months


The weather was glorious, the beach was inviting. So the first couple of days slipped by.

It was good to discover you really can read a Kindle in bright sunshine and Amazon' s electronic book does away with the whole bulky business of carting around a portable library on holiday.

However, by the third afternoon we were impatient to explore. A rental car costs around £40 a day and we set off for the interior, the national park and Mount Teide, with its distinctive cone and serrated black volcanic flanks.

The climate's much colder up here and only a few exotic alpine plants cling to the cinder floor.

At a lower altitude, the vegetation is greener, with cacti and wild flowers peeping up through the rock, and there are some spectacular hiking routes.

The highlight of our travels was a trek to the so-called hidden village of Masca.

Thirty years ago, the only way to reach this collection of traditional Canarian farming cottages clustered around a tiny church was by boat and donkey.

The tortuously steep one track road that snakes down to it will test your driving skills to the limit. It's not an outing I recommend for anyone who suffers from vertigo or who has difficulty judging widths.

We returned our car to the Avis office at Playa de las Americas and took a leisurely four-mile stroll back along the seafront to our hotel.

We passed many bars and inviting restaurants, and browsed boutiques selling bargain-priced designer clothing and electronic goods.

The cocktail hour found us relaxing over mojitos while watching the sun sink into the Atlantic at the Hacienda, a cool Mexican bar, before the final climb to our hotel and dinner.

In the heat of summer this corner of Tenerife might not be my cup of tea, while heavy traffic on the track down to Masca would surely be the stuff of nightmares.
But for a brief winter break in warm sunshine, I've yet to find anywhere better.


Travel Facts
Sovereign (0844 415 1984, www.sovereign.com) offers a wide choice of hotels on the island. At el Mirador, on the Playa del Duque below the hill town of Adeje, a four-night stay in December costs from £499pp B&B. Price includes easyJet flights from Gatwick and accommodation.


source: dailymail

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