Hello everyone,

So I am just back from the lovely and snowy St. Anton. John and I had 5 days there and it was amazing. I love ski holidays anyway but St. Anton is just as good as the reviews make it out to be.

I'm going to use this mini blog as a way to share the places we loved and things I'd recommend/advise on. If you want to check out my blog on general ski tips then click here. I also have one on Ski Gear Ideas which you can find here.

We were actually due to go to Whistler in Canada the previous week and then onto New York but we had to cancel that so we didn't actually expect to go away at all. We booked St. Anton the Sunday before leaving Monday and it was a great last minute plan and good to know that you don't have to be super organized in booking! 

We flew to Munich and then rented a car to get to St. Anton. Renting a car is easy and not that expensive when you price it up but you need to make sure that you or someone you're with is comfortable driving. The drive took roughly 3 hours and for the second half, it's a lovely drive full of views and snow. 

Accommodation:

We booked Hotel Post based on its location reviews and it was so worth it! Naturally, everyone's budget varies but this was a 4 star right in the village just beside the slopes so it made getting around so easy. I'd highly recommend prioritising location when booking a ski trip. The rooms itself were spacious and classic kind of Austrian ski resort and they had a lovely spa. The jacuzzi was heaven after a day on the freezing slopes and the breakfast spread was also fab! 

All round I was impressed and happy we stayed here. 

Ski Gear:

We rented ski gear from Alber which are everywhere in the village and depending on your hotel you may get a discount - we got 10% off. The rental was probably slightly more expensive in comparison to previous years in different resorts but I think that's just because St. Anton is that bit pricier.

Ski Passes/ Slopes: 

Our ski passes were €250 for the 5 days which is standard I think. We skied every day but we actually had so much snowfall that not all the slopes opened every day due to the avalanche alerts - sometimes there was poor visibility which can be a little unnerving but ultimately the fresh powder skiing was unbelievable. It did mean though that it was absolutely freezing so make sure you are well wrapped up! We had -12 degrees some of the days. All my tips on what to pack are here.

When it comes to the slopes I did feel that they were more difficult than your average so I think if you're an absolute beginner the blues in St. Anton are not as easy as a typical blue would be.

The slopes are graded in Blue, Red and Black. (Blue being the easiest)

I'm by no means a pro skier - I've only skied probably 18 days of my whole life spread out over years haha but I did think the slopes were harder. Totally manageable though and a bit of a challenge is always good. You could also book a lesson straight away if you wanted - we saw so many instructors on the slopes and that would definitely put you at ease! 

Is it suitable for kids?

There were plenty of families there - I wasn't personally travelling with kids but I did see lots of them. I would have said at the beginning that if kids are only starting the slopes may have been too difficult but then kids pick things up quicker and they did have lots of ski schools and a 'KinderWelt' which is children's world at the base of the slopes so they were definitely well catered for! 

Another thing I noticed compared to past resorts was how long the ski runs were. In the past, I found the runs shorter with more chair lifts or gondolas in between whereas in St. Anton they seemed longer which is great because you get a longer ski go all at once! They also have an app which is so handy to check what's open and sort your route out if you wanted to ski further to Lech or St. Christopher. 

I would definitely recommend skiing to St. Christopher, it's an easy blue down from St. Anton and it's a beautiful route too! When you're there if you're peckish stop into Hospiz for lunch - it's a very traditional Austrian lunch spot and they have a slide to the toilet which I just thought was the coolest thing ever. Anyone that has skied before reading this will know how difficult to go downstairs in ski boots! It's a slow process :) 

Restaurants:

We ate in Bodega one night which is in the village and is a lovely wine and tapas restaurant. It's small and cosy and the menu is lovely.

if you're looking for something more casual we also had pizza in Anthony's and it was delicious!

There are also plenty of places to stop and eat in along the way on the slopes. Hospiz like I mentioned above, Galzig Bistro is lovely and just as you come off the slopes or before you head on them. There are a few places to choose from up by the Galzig Bahn and you can not leave this place without getting at least one Apple strudel - they're divine!!

Other activities:

We had a pool in our hotel so that was nice to have and then we also made great use of Arl Rock which is like a sports centre type thing just across the road. We played bowling, tennis & squash here so it's nice to have other options too especially if you're not doing après ski because you're off the slopes really by 4 pm.

Would I recommend it for a long weekend?

Its a gorgeous place and definitely a great one to visit but it does take time to get there by the time you fly and then drive so I would make the decision yourself on whether you wanted to spend the guts of a day or two of the weekend travelling or if there was another resort handier for you.

Overall, St. Anton was adventurous, busy, covered in snow and an absolutely beautiful setting. I loved the mix of good ski and night life along with the extra activities too. Would highly recommend it just do your research on the snowfall etc beforehand.

And lastly, if you're going, enjoy & be safe!

Aimee xx