we went end of jan 09. we booked the transfer from salzburg airport to club la costa at 110 euros one way, if we went again, now being more familiar with the place i would go by bus or train. bus is a more direct route, there is a bus stop near to the resort about 5 -10 mins walk. we took the train coming back, there was 2 changes to get to salzburg train station and then a short bus transfer from the airport. we had an evening flight booked so got the train from zell am see to salzburg costing 12 euros for 2 adults (children under 5 go free) took about 2 hours with a change, quite enjoyable although there was a lack of information from the ticket sales person.
i would say that next time i would take the bus from the airport to the bus station in salzburg and then the next available bus to harham (stop is called Lhantal). There is good information at the bus/train station in salzburg and they have lock ups for luggage which we used and spent 5 hours exploring salzburg, sound of music sites were easy to find, we had a beautiful walk there before getting our flight home.
The club la costa alpine centre is next to a busy main road, although the noise levels are not noticed once inside. i would say that during the summer months with windows open the noise from traffic would bother me. however the resort is lovely and clean and nice rooms. the kitchen facilities are limited due to the fact that the smallest kitchen ever is fitted into the hallway space. our room, 204 had an oven, dishwasher, kettle, toaster, coffee maker, all utensils and crockery required, plenty of things really just no room to move or prepare food if your thinking of self catering with a family this would be difficult - take the half board option.
we did not have a hire car. we did not use the ski bus from the resort as it did not go to the part of zell am see we needed and was expensive.we have a 3 year old going to ski school at smittenhoe therefore we got the bus fromt the nearby bus stop paid 18 euros for a weekly bus pass that you get from the bus driver, meaning you can use it as much as you want all week. we left early and got to zell am see bus station where you then get a ski bus costing 2 euros each but free if you have a ski pass for more than 3 days, took a while for us to work this out! the ski bus takes you up to the ski resort. the buses did get quite busy.
we were able to leave our stuff including skis and boots at the rental shop at the bottom of smittenhoe ski resort part of zell am see.
we have not skied before so had private ski lessons, booked at club la costa costing about 140 euros for the 2 of us for 2 to 3 hours. this was worth it. got us skiing on the blue runs quickly. the shop at club la costa is the same as the one at smittenhoe at zell am see so everything was sorted when we got there, including the creche and ski school which were fab and our instructor met us there.
we stll got our 5% discount for being at club la costa.
due to the pound being so weak at the moment be prepared. it is expensive. eating out is very expensive. there is a spar supermarket in zell which was resonable. we took the half board option at club la costa costing us around 300 euros for the week for the 3 of us to eat lots and lots. it was worth it.
breakfast was usually buffet including cereals, toast cold meats etc....and cooked eggs and bacon with fresh coffee and tea all included.
the evening meals were varied and fairly good quality. sort of equal to pub food really, but adequate for our needs. alcohol was as expected very expensive. my only problem with the evening meal was that some evenings food was not ready until 830 pm much too late for our little girl and us after a day of skiing. this appeared to be down to the staff not starting the late shift until late. the staff however were great and most helpful. they were great with the children, provide them with a dvd to watch and ice cream one evening, nice touch.
i would agree that this is around 3 star rating, a good 3 star.
there is a lovely pool and sauna downstairs which again was clean and well maintained. the place was warm and towels were free.
the rooms were cleaned every day, lovely beds.
there are plenty of excursions available from the resort although they all do appear to be miles away. i did feel that if i went skiing again we would stay on the slopes as all the travelling by bus every day was a bit of a pain. if you are thinking of car hire, this worked out to be very expensive form club la costa. i did price up before we went and other hire companies can get you a hire car for the whole week at a competitive price. there is limited parking on the ski resorts so you may find having a car is pointless if you are just going skiing as you have do get the ski buses up and down the mountain anyway and pay for parking.
the bus service are very good and amazingly exactly on time!!
the cost of this holiday in comparison to a well known tour operator? well club la costa say they are not the cheapest but praise themselves on quality. i would say that you are paying 5 star prices for 3 star quality.
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Thanx for a detailed report.
we do not plan to ski, hence will spend most our time visiting touristy places or seeing the landscape.
since you have used the bus service from outside teh resort could you please tell us if it will be possible to do all the %26#39;must visit%26#39; places by the bus from outside the resort (lhantal)? or will a car hire be critical?
thanx
mubeen
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you can get around on the buses and there are organised trips details can be found within the resort. i think if you are planning on alot of sightseeing then get a car as it will be alot cheaper.
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thanx for the advice
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