Skiing first time? Well yes, me too. I was never a what you might call a sporty kid. Netball was a no-no due to my challenged hand to eye co-ordination. I was always stuck in goal on the hockey field, decidedly ungainly in gait as I staggered around swaddled in thigh-high leg pads. My tennis style was described as ‘wild’ – and not in a good way.

Cross country runs were spent bunking off at a fellow failed jogger’s gaff who just happened to live en-route, and I distinctly recall being told by the games teacher that no athletics discipline would ever be ‘my sport’. I wasn’t fussed. I was good at other stuff, and positively distinction level when it came to sneaking a crafty fag behind the back of the bike sheds.

I distinctly recall being told by the games teacher that no athletics discipline would ever be ‘my sport’

There was, however, one sport that my teenage self always secretly longed to try. Skiing. To be honest, I think it had more to do with imagining myself hanging out with the beautiful people on some snow-capped mountain – 1970s and 80s Martini advert-style. That and the vision of a 19th century me channelling my own inner Anna Karenina. A vision moving silently across a moon-lit snowy landscape in a horse-drawn troika while swaddled in rugs and blankets.

Or in another incarnation, I resembled a nostalgic Christmas card as I perched, in full Edwardian period garb, primly on a sledge as I prepared to launch myself down a snow-covered mountain. And then there was all the yummy Alpine food to sample – fondue, raclette, goulash, and schnitzel with noodle.

Help! I need the slopes

I could have hit the snows in my 20s, 30s, 40s… but life always got in the way, somehow. And besides, whenever I thought about a winter holiday, sunshine always won over snow. But then, at the end of last year, I happened to watch the Beatles’ film Help. The sight of the Fab Four, or rather their stunt doubles, swooping down the oh-so-picturesque Austrian Alps to the strains of Ticket to Ride picqued my interest enough to finally try the ski and snow thing.

I read up on where Help was filmed, and discovered to my delight that you could stay in the hotel in the ski resort where John, Paul, George and Ringo had performed an impromptu gig for a crew member’s birthday party. Their only ever gig in Austria, incidentally, almost 60 years ago… Well, it was a done deal!

Summer travel more your thing? Read – Jacqui’s Cyprus trip honouring her mum

The Alpine comforts

While my retro ‘rubber’ soul longed to stay at the Marrietta (the name of the hotel where the Fab Four performed) circa mid 1960s, my 2024 body was highly delighted that in the early 2020s the hostelry had been extensively modernised, having been taken over by the Croatian-based company Valamar group and renamed ‘Places’.

No doubt the Marrietta was the place to be in its prime, but as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, Places ticks all the right modernist, style, and creature comfort boxes. The interior has been redesigned with a vibrant yet minimalist aesthetic. It feels luxurious but in a chic, funky kinda way. However, it’s touching that Places hasn’t forgotten its unique place in music history. There are several signed photos of the Beatles, in situ on the snowy set, in the lobby. Even more impressive is the fact that the drum kit actually used by Ringo Starr for the concert is on display in a corridor behind the lobby, along with more fascinating mop-top memorabilia.

When it comes to the bedrooms, think traditional alpine with a modern twist that feels like a warm cuddle. And, should you be in the mood for rather more than a hug, the complimentary pleasure boxes containing condoms and lubricant could well come in handy. On the other hand, should you be sharing the bed with a snorer, the complimentary earplugs will come as a godsend!

Not just a snowy landscape

Obertauern, which lies 5,708ft above sea level and is 55 miles south of Salzburg, is the winter holiday resort with the best snow record in Austria. But the skiing, the frolicking amidst the flurries, could wait. I wanted to explore Places.

There’s a stunning, subterranean indoor pool – kidney shaped rather than rectangular. Fine with me. I wasn’t planning on doing any laps. We’re talking serious unwind time, here. The lights are low, with loungers positioned on several levels. Plus, there are star-shaped floating bean bags! A first for me. Nearby is the stunning spa area and sauna, and the massage I treated myself to certainly didn’t disappoint.

The hotel boasts a trendy lounge and bar, think posh private members’ club vibe, and probably the smartest self-service restaurant I’ve ever been in. Guests are able to eat as much as they like in the evenings. Meat dishes, fish, salads, fab veggie options including gourmet handmade pizzas.

Opt for the ‘Places Flexi’ package and dinner is free, with each person given a 30-euro (£26) allowance a day to spend on food and drink at the bar as an alternative. Payment is made via wrist-worn electronic ‘watches’, which also open bedrooms and doors to various public spaces. Hi-tech or what?

But Place’s ‘piece de resistance’ is to be found on its top floor. There’s a seriously fun 400-sq-m (4,305-sq-ft) top-floor gaming area complete with a soft-play complex and all manner of computer games and consuls. Next door is a rooftop bar with jaw-dropping valley views. I enjoyed a Campari-spritz on the balcony while taking in the vista, warmed by a table-top open fire. Now, that was a Martini moment for sure.

So. . . what about the skiing?

Well, I got myself decked out at the Freudenaus Sport Rental next door to the hotel. Skis, helmet, sticks, ski boots… you know the drill. Except that, er, I didn’t. Not really. In all my ski-land visualisations, I’d never pictured myself actually skiing. The nuts-and-bolts stuff. And if I’d thought hockey goal keeping garb was stagger-worthy, blimey, I didn’t know the half of it. Give me thigh-high, Michelin man-like leg pads over ski boots any day! Clomping about, I felt like a clone of Frankenstein – and that was just outside the hotel.

Prep for your skiing trip with a quality pair of waterproof boots. Like these tactical boots which are even up to military standard!

I had a lesson on the nursery slopes with an instructor from the Obertauern Frau Holle ski school – he was very patient but by the end of the session, he gave me a broken English echo of my school games’ teacher’s words. Skiing clearly wasn’t ‘quite my sport’.

Alison (far right) and friends before heading down the slopes

The sledging fantasy

So let’s try sledging or sledding. Arranged by the uber efficient Valdermar folk, I pitched up at dusk at the Gnadenalm Alpine experience, about six km from Obertauern.  The toboggan taxi – a snowmobile with old-fashioned wooden toboggans attached to the side – zipped us up to the top of a mountain. At least it felt like the top to me, and the start of the flood-lit 1.5km long run. We were dropped off with the sledges. ‘Now what?’ I said, somewhat naively. ‘You go down,’ came the reply. As the driver sped away, there was no option but to follow his instructions. Reader, it was the ride of my life. Scary, yes, but incredibly exhilarating.

Zooming down snow-covered peaks and mounds, I felt more Bond girl in the Spy Who Loved Me than lady on front of an Edwardian Christmas card. But no matter. I had a real sense of achievement on reaching the bottom. My Anna Karenina fantasy followed as I climbed aboard the troika or carriage, attached to two massive cart horses, and made myself comfortable against the cushions and under the blankets. Sleigh bells rang out as we wended our way across the snow-covered countryside by moonlight while sipping on shots of Schnapps. It was possibly one of the most romantic moments of my life!

Great grub, to top it all off

It had been an incredible evening but it wasn’t over yet. A full-on Alpine feast comprising of fondue, raclette and cheese dumplings followed at the Restaurant Wirtshaus Gnadenalmin, the most Heidi-esque eaterie imaginable. All roaring fires, pine wood panelling, red and white check cushions and table cloths, and heart-shaped dining chairs.

Skiing may not be for me but this trip made me realise that I have fallen for the snow in a big way. Next visit I intend to channel Julie Christie in Dr Zhivago – but I guess I’ll need to find my Omar Shariff first.

Going on your own Alpine adventure

Getting There

Wizz Air – return flights in January 2025 from London airports to Salzburg from £57.00
Easy Jet – return flights in January 2025 from London airports to Salzburg from £54.00
British Airways – return flights in January 2025 from London airports to Salzburg from £139.00

Taxi transfer from Salzburg to Obertauern – approximately €165.00, good value if there’s four of you

Accommodation

Places by Valamar – from €316.00 per night/double room

Ski Stuff

Ski Equipment Hire from Silver Ski Equipment

Boots – €27 per day
Helmet – €16.20 per day
Skis and sticks – €34.50 per day

Ski pass – €65 per day

Ski lesson for beginners at the Obertauern Frau Holle ski school – €121.50 per day, €252.00 for three days

Carriage Ride and Sledding

One hour carriage ride for four people – €90

Toboggan rental: € 9 per toboggan
Toboggan taxi: € 8 per ride & person

Alison James

The post Winter wonderland – skiing for the first time appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Fancy a holiday with all generations of your family? Bluestone National Park Resort is a great base for exploring the stunning Pembrokeshire coast, and has plenty to offer. There’s tons to do, but even if you don’t stray too far from your digs, you’ve still got more than 500 acres of woodland, fields, lakes and more at your disposal.

We got the train to Narberth, which is the nearest town and station. It’s about 15 minutes’ drive from Bluestone, but my non-driving partner and I took a taxi. As well as being a handy spot to do a big shop before going to Bluestone, it’s a great spot to check out Skomer Island. Hailed as “exceptional” by Sir David Attenborough, the island is littered with puffins at certain times of the year.

But what about the resort itself? We were mostly surrounded by families, but with good planning, especially at busy times, we found we weren’t too bothered by the noise and bustle. There are a lot of buildings at Bluestone, but they’re set out so that most of the cabins, shops, restaurants, and activity areas are fairly close together. This means that if you venture off for a walk, you don’t have to walk far before you feel fully immersed in nature.

One of my favourite areas to explore was the rather obviously named Steep Ravine, a criss-crossing staircase that takes you down into a massive pine forest, full of dirt tracks and secret areas. We visited in September amid a massive storm, so while we didn’t get too lucky with the weather, there was plenty for us to do onsite.

Bluestone’s spa bliss

Well Spa Retreat

There are plenty of activities that are better suited to adults than kids, such as the spa, which suited me and my partner just fine.

At the Well Spa Retreat, you can book treatments that come with a two-hour pass to the spa itself or, you can get a two-hour pass to simply chill out at the spa, which might be all you need.

There are so many different rooms for you to explore at the spa, including two steam rooms, each pumping out different herbs and two saunas, a Celtic sauna and a brick sauna. The Celtic sauna was bigger and hotter and illuminated in green, while the brick sauna was smaller, but still lovely with wooden benches, so you weren’t perching your bum on bricks.

There’s also a salt room, ice pod, meditation room, reading room, waterfall showers, a hydrotherapy pool and, a big chill-out room with free tea and coffee and lots of comfy chairs.

By far our favourite experience was flitting between the saunas and steam rooms, then covering ourselves in ice in the ice pod. It really gets your heart going and is great for your skin!

Getting active, despite the weather

Gorgeous outdoor spaces to explore

Wales in September is always a gamble with the weather, but we tried out mountain biking, which was one of Bluestone’s WYLD off-resort adventures. We were lucky enough to be the only ones doing it in the pouring rain (I wonder why…), so we got to spend time with Declan, who heads up the WYLD activities. He is very passionate about his job and clearly cared a lot about what he was doing.

The mountain bikes are super fancy e-bikes with some real power. This meant that going up steep hills felt like a breeze and three hours of intense distance didn’t feel all too bad. This activity is not for the faint-hearted though. Some of the hills we went down almost had me flying off, even though I cycle most places and ride a motorbike, and have pretty good balance.

Storms ahoy!

Blue Lagoon Waterpark

Even though we were unfortunate with the weather, we weren’t easily put off from exploring. The only bummer was that during a storm, when the winds were really high, a good chunk of the resort was shut off for our safety. We were a little annoyed, but when we went walking the next day and saw that a large tree had come down, we understood why.

Our planned canoeing trip was cancelled, but we weren’t too upset. Looking out at the grey sky and seeing the pouring rain, we didn’t really fancy it. If you’re wondering what else there was to do when everything outdoorsy was shut, the short answer is: plenty.

Between The Hive, The Blue Lagoon Water Park and Serendome there’s always something to do indoors. The Hive is definitely aimed at kids, but has a bar and neon bowling to keep the adults happy. Likewise, Serendome is kid-friendly, but has takeaways for the adults and a bar, so you’re never, er, parched.

Being a water baby, The Blue Lagoon Water Park was my favourite, and we spent a lot of time there. It was a giant domed building with a massive pool, wave machine, outdoor lazy river, outdoor and indoor jacuzzis, a shallow pool for small children, a pirate-themed sensory pool with lots of jets and streams and the four, fairly fast paced, flumes, which we loved. There were two pitch-black total thrill rides, one being super-fast and long and one open-top ride for two people that went outside with two hidden pools along the way. Tons to do for all generations.

What about the accommodation?

Ramsey Lodge

Our cabin was bliss. it was unattached and so, if the windows were closed, you would have no idea you were in a resort with thousands of other people. We stayed in Ramsey Lodge in Forest View, which was close to the village, but far from the entrance and the three main indoor activity centres. This is definitely a better choice if you’re arriving by car, unlike us. We had to get down there on foot with all our stuff, which was not so great. There is a guest transport bus that goes around the resort every half an hour, but for the five days we were there, we never managed to work out the timings. Plus, it didn’t run on a Monday, which was the day we arrived, of course! But, epic walks aside, having our own cabin in the woods to snuggle up in after being out in the rain was really nice.

Dining at Bluestone

Grilled vegetable gnocchi at The Farmhouse Grill

We were never short of things to eat. Even though we arrived with snacks and lunches from our big shop in Narberth to save a bit of cash, we ate more food from the resort than we intended. This is because they had deliveries to the lodges. For a couple who lives off grid in an old converted caravan in the woods just outside the Devon moors, this was a total luxury for us!

We ate out for dinner one evening at The Farmhouse Grill. This seemed to be fairly popular and had cosy vibes. There was a separate bar for drinks and chips. Despite the meaty sounding name, I was happy to see they had a good selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes.

I asked the server what she’d recommend for a veggie and after a rave review of the grilled vegetable gnocchi, I decided to go for that at £16. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was rich and filling. My carnivorous partner decided to get a frankly ridiculous hunk of braised beef short rib for £24. For the sheer size of the tender slab of meat, we didn’t mind paying that price. His glowing review was total silence while eating it, a brisk hobble home, and straight to bed after he’d finished it. I think that means it was good, right?

And as for takeaway, we felt spoiled! There was a good selection of options for eating in front of the telly on the wet nights. The menu was categorised into different cuisines, fish and chips, curry, pizzas, sides, and desserts, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. For both of us, a main, drink and dessert worked out at about £25. It was pretty reasonably priced, it came quickly and arrived with a good range of sauce sachets.

If you plan to do a lot of self-catering, make sure you stock up on a few pantry basics, like oil and condiments as there are no ingredients in the cabin, not even tea bags. There are cleaning products and bin bags, but no food to cook with, so I would definitely recommend ordering in one of their hampers before you arrive. I’d personally recommend the Standard Family Hamper.

Getting the best out of Bluestone

Serendome

The best thing about Bluestone is the site itself. Apart from all the free activities, the best part for us was the acres of woodland and grassland. We’re lucky enough to live surrounded by nature on the outskirts of Dartmoor, but at Bluestone, we found ourselves wandering around in awe of the breathtaking beauty, even when it was pouring with rain.

It’s a great place for anyone who lives in the city, or anyone wants to be surrounded by beautiful landscapes, but still wants loads of indoor entertainment and creature comforts, such as takeaways.
The site is much better if you have a car. Most people coming to the site are families, so presumably at least one person in most groups would have a driving licence. But for us, we had to do a lot of walking.

Once we arrived by taxi from the train station at Narbeth, we were the only people on foot. We found the transport bus timetable baffling, so we did a lot of cycling. There are buggies for rent, but these require a driving licence. We found ourselves very jealous of people driving, albeit slowly, up the resort while we walked or cycled.

But overall, we had a fantastic holiday and it was well worth a visit. For the festive season, they’re offering special ‘Christmasland’ breaks, where you can save up to 35% on activities and stays start at £18pp per night. Seasonal highlights include shows at The Cloud Theatre, Christmas film screenings, hot chocolate and popcorn, and a chance to visit Santa’s Workshop and Rudolph’s Breakfast Barn. The Serendome will be turned into a Christmas wonderland, The Blue Lagoon pool will be transformed into The Elf Lagoon, kids can enjoy a VR sleigh ride, and the village park will turn into the reindeer village!

Christmasland runs from 6 November 2023, to 4 January 2024

Lili Lowe

Lili works across all the channels; writing articles, taking photographs, creating content, and designing eye-capturing imagery. She’s an animal-lover who cries just seeing a picture of a baby sloth.

The post A Welsh wonder: Spas and spectacular scenery at Bluestone Resort appeared first on Silver Magazine.