Skiing for all abilities (Sestriere)

Member Name: CazW

Product:	Sestriere
Date:	05/03/02 (710 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Part of the Milky Way., Extensive skiing for all abilities

Disadvantages: Night life quiet during the week.

Sestriere is nestled within the renowed Milky Way and it has a wide range of excellent slopes for all abilities.

I stayed at the Hotel Du Col, booked via Thomson, and found it to be both comfortable. The rooms are of an o.k. size and they had both a shower and bath (the bath was on the small size though). The hotel bar is extremely small for the size of the hotel. Take a look at the photo in the Thomson brochure and that is basically the size of it. This meant that it wasn't always possible to relax in the bar as there was no where to sit. The restuarant was roomy though and you were assigned a table which was yours for the duration of your stay, so you didn't have to wait to be seated. Breakfast was buffet style, with hot food including omelettes, bacon, and there was cereal and fruit etc. Dinner was a 4 course buffet with a wide choice of main course so there was always something to please everyone. Via Thomson you also get free unlimited wine, water or soft drink with your evening meal. We also got a free packed lunch, this lunch was basic ( bread roll, slice of ham & cheese, piece of fruit and bottle of water.
The only problem with the meals was that they were served between 7.30 & 9.30 pm but with it being buffet style if you didn't get there at before 8.30 there simply wasn't alot left. This was especially the case with breakfast and if you wanted a lie in then this would definately mean you would miss out on any hot food and croissants.

Apart from this the hotel was in such a perfect location you didn't let it get to you. It was 50m from ski school and the nearest ski lift, and weather permitting you could ski to the ski lifts. And it is perfectly placed to access the 400km of skiing available in the Milky Way.

Sestriere is a snow sure resort, which means they have snow cannons situated along the runs to pump out snow when there isn't any real stuff. The only problem with this is that the snow c
annons can only work if the temperature is between 0 and -3 degree centigrade. Otherwise the water just turns to ice or doesn't turn to anything and just runs off the slopes. Luckily we didn't experience any problems with this and despite the fact there had been no decent snowfall for about a month the runs were well maintained and in pretty good condition though a little icy in the afternoons.
When we did get snowfall the piste management team groomed the runs in time for the lifts to open as normal and it didn't affect our skiing at all.

Sestriere itself is quite compact and the Hotel Du Col is located in the centre of Sestriere and everything is within easy working distance. There are some pleasant shops in the town centre, one particuarly nice chocolate shop, but not a great deal of places to spend your money in.
There are a good splattering of restuarants and crepes places and pizzeries. The bars on offer are a mixture of lively and chill out and relax places. The Osteria Barabba wine bar is a must for its Vin Brulee.

things to like about Sestriere:
it is ideally placed to access a wide range of excellent slopes for all abilities and it has one of the most advanced lift systems in the whole of the Alps. Easy to ski from Sestriere to Sauze d'oulz via the Milky Way system of runs.
Compact town which should suit all tastes.
Only 2 hours transfer time from Turin airport.
Not overly expensive - a cup of tea/coffee will only set you back approx 80p.

Things which might put you off:
Night life if not exactly jumping, if you are after an extremely lively night life with plently of clubs and pubs then Sestriere might not be for you.

Sestriere is well worth a visit as its skiing is amazing and it comes as no surprise that it has been selected to host the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Summary: