Sauze d'Oulx, Italy

Visitor reviews for Sauze d'Oulx

• March 24, 2008
  Jimbo from ITALY
  

  Just got from back from Sazue d'Olux, where we had good spring skiing and some powder skiing as well thanks to some snow overnight.
  The resort itself...from a skiers perspective:
  Many of the lifts are out of date and could do with a serious upgrade or replacement (still..better than the lift in Sestriere which injured 12 people this week....) The single man chair over to Sestriere is.,..character forming ! (it's one of those things you'll laugh about later in life, perhaps). Other lifts are two man, plastic chair affairs and quite slow.
  The pistes are not well signed at all and the piste map doesn't include basic information on it, such as where the restaurants are. Most of the runs we did were reds (managed to find one decent black) and were not taxing at all. I think the reds are really blues: nice for blasting down the slopes but not challenging. Beginners will be able to handle most reds with ease after a couple of lessons.
  It's an ok ski area I suppose, just badly sign-posted. The link with the Milky Way isn't great - one step up from a tight-rope really.
  The restaurants on the mountain are ok. Food is basic but reasonably priced (when compared to France anyway!) but where is the spag bol ?!!!!! It's all paninis and rolls. I expected really good pasta dishes but was disappointed. The Bombardino hot drinks are nice though !
  We stayed at Hotel Sauze which was (almost) ski-in / ski-out. The food in the hotel was very good. The rooms good although the one weakness was the bathrooms - they seriously need updating. Very friendly, helpful staff though.
  The old town in Sauze makes a pleasant change from the custom made concrete jungles of Val Thorens or Val d'Isere and there are some nice places to eat there as well. There are some typical Brit bars which we avoided.
  One place which is is SUPERB to eat at is Chalet Caprincorno, just up the slopes from the main lift out of town. Superb food, reasonably priced (~E15 for a main course) and great atmosphere. In the evenings you have to get there by skido - it costs E10 per person for the trip from near the bottom of the slopes and is well worth it - it's a great way to arrive at a restaurant !
  Transfer time of 1 hour from Turin airport was good.
  Would I go again ? Maybe..if the snow conditions were really good and I managed to find a good deal. I wouldn't pay more than £400 for a half-board holiday though (including flights) - there are better places to go for that sort of money (or for £50 more).

• March 12, 2008
  Jose from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Steve, I totally agree with you. I was ripped off on my first day. Per Baco restaurant!! 8 slices of ham, a leaf of lettuce and 5 olive; 32 Euros. No way José! I said to them to phone the police straight away as I was not going to pay for it. They reduced the bill by 11 Euros....rude locals as well!

• March 11, 2008
  Steve from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  My goodness, is all I can say! I have never been to such a god awful hell hole in my entire life! The resort is full of the rudest locals and possibly the worst kind of Brits abroad you could ever meet! I now know why the package I bought was so cheap and I was kicking myself everyday since my arrival! Sauze D'Oulx is an out of date, abused, beaten up and 'long overdue a face lift' resort probably in the entire Alps. Don't get me started on the food and the pints that aren't even cold,fizzy or full!!! Be sure to take plenty of Euros as it is 6Euros for a bottle of Becks in some places, that is unless you manage to find an honest enough English barman who is prepared to honour the 'Happy Hour' prices as opposed to just charging you full price for more beers than he actually gives you. Pay for 9 get 7, when you only wanted 8 in a bar called the Grot...how appropriate! It seemed that everyone there was trying to fleece us for us much as possible! Despite my ranting there are a few good points:
  1. The Village (Bar), it does the nicest steaks and the staff are very friendly.
  2. Skiing in Sestriere was comparable to some very good resorts that I have been to. It's certainly more of a challenge than the 2 runs that were open in Sauze D'Oulx.
  Final note, watch out for the Brits and The Lounge (daylight robbery merchants). Perhaps if there had been more snow the ridiculous prices and desperately rude locals and tourists would have been diluted?

• March 10, 2008
  trish and eamonn from IRELAND
  

  Back from a great week in Sauze, Feb 2008. Had been here four years ago and it was just as good as before. Stayed in a lovely homely, friendly hotel; Hotel Martin in Jovenceaux. It's about 1 mile from the centre but a bus can bring you up or Max, in the hotel, will bring you up at night ( all downhill on the way home). The ski hire is outside the door and the ski lift is about a four minute walk!
  The food was lovely and the atmosphere; great. The walk down each evening was brilliant, lots of apres-ski. I can't praise the resort enough. The snow was very good and the weather; lovely. Can't wait to go back.

• March 03, 2008
  Jose from ITALY
  

  Just got back from Sauze. The resort is ok but would not recommend it to friends. The lifts are old fashioned and some of the Italian people could be nicer to tourists because if they carry on the way they are doing they might find that their slopes/hotels/apartments might be a bit emptier in the near future. The food was either excellent or poor. Cold lasagne, cold coffee, rotten lettuce and hard bread... Zias restaurant was fantastic but avoid Per Bacco as they tried to charge our group 32 Euros for a starter that included 8 pieces of ham, a large piece of lettuce and 5 olives. It's only when I said that they should call the police as I wasn't prepared to pay the full bill that they subtracted 11 Euros from the bill. still a rip off. If you need to use the internet go to the pool/table tennis shopping centre next to Hotel Derby. Do not go to the one next to the The Cotton Club as they rip you off and somehow charge you to register to use the internet??? Oh, my friend had a little accident on the Friday. I called the emergency services using the 112 number and was astonished to find out that the emergency services and local police could not speak a word of English. Unbelievable, considering most of the tourists there are English! Hotel Besson have a lovely spa facility and the Godfather restaurant is worth a visit as the owner is quite funny. Acceptable but definitely not going back. Austria next year. Forget Italy.

• March 01, 2008
  tom from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I went to Sauze from Feb 3 to the 10. It snowed heavily on the first day which kept the snow great all week. There was off- piste everywhere unless the machines had been over it, and tree runs were fun. The gondola to Sestriere was open. Also, the run to Sestiere which hadn't been open in past seasons (someone tells me at the start of the run) was open too. Highly recommend going to Sestriere. The womens downhill or super G was on and we got a lift behind someone from the
  US ski team. Stayed in hotel Edelweiss which was good 'cause the lift is 100 meters down a run so you can ski down it, BUT this means you have to walk up at the end of the day which feels like trying to pull a Boeing 747 uphill. If you can go to France definitely go it's hell good. It's quite a walk from Jouvenseux to the main town Sauze but it's quite good. We saw Jakki Degg and Lisa Maffia around town.
  The skiing was class when we went, but looking at the reports now, it hasn't snowed since the first day I was there and I wouldn't be happy if I was there now. I would be worried to book there again in case of the snow, but that's a shame because it's a really good resort, five stars when theres been lots of snow.

• February 21, 2008
  marion scanlon from IRELAND
  

  I've been skiing in Sauze for at least 6 years. My husband and I love it there. Last year we went to America to ski, the runs were fab. but the night life was really bad! Nothing like Sauze at all. We've stayed in Des Amie Hotel in Jouvenseux, Hotel Sauze, New Miravelle, and Raise des Alpes. Hotel Sauze is right at the end of the slopes and you can ski right up to the door. The staff are very friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. Some people even come down to breakfast in their pyjamas. The food is excellent too. From here you can ski over to Sesterier, it's a beautiful day out, the scenery is fantastic.
  We're off to Sauze next Sunday, but at the moment the snow report doesn't look too good. I just hope it snows before we go.
  I'm really looking forward to it !!! 20.02.08

• February 18, 2008
  steve from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Sauz d'Oulx..... Never again.

• February 18, 2008
  lesley speake from ITALY
  

  Went to Sauz d'Oulx in Jan 08. Had a great time. It snowed really hard and the resort was packed with snow. We stayed at the hotel Sayorana. It was warm and comfy and the food was good. Prices on resort were ok. I expected it to be more expensive but there is no market. Ice rink or cinema as stated in the brochures so not much to do for the non skier. A visit to Turin is hard work on public transport but it is worth it.

• January 31, 2008
  Lydia from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  J and C,
  I am not altogether surprised that you chose to make your slightly xenophobic review anonymously.
  “Italians were nice and friendly but most of them seriously needed some deo!!”
  Shame on you!
  I suggest you do a little research before you book your next holiday so you don’t inadvertently end up booking a hotel in a village outside the resort if you want to stay in the resort.

• December 20, 2007
  Tony H from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Myself and a mate went on a last minute cheapy, booked 3 days before departure in March 2007. We had to fly from Manchester as part of the deal, hardly on our doorstep (Peterborough) but possibly the best UK departure airport experience I have had!!! Flight was delayed because of high winds, but only an hour or so, and then they couldn't shut one of the doors and had to find a new nut and bolt to fit - Star Alliance airlines, chartered to BMI. Only a little A320 airbus. Needless to say, it got blown about on take off, but after the initial 15 minutes of violence, the flight to Turin was fine.
  Lots of snow over Switzerland, contrary to reports, Turin airport was actually warm and sunny. Around 20c, not good when you want to ski!
  The airport is badly organised - bags from UK flights appearing all over the place, skis and boots on the wrong carousel too. Crystal rep got cheeky with everyone and threatened to leave people behind who had not got luggage, and asked those who hadn't to get on the bus and they would send it on - yeah, right! We were with Panorama (Airtours) booked through skideals.co.uk - £129 for a weeks half board. I wasn't expecting much for that, apart from somewhere to sleep to be honest. You cant fly to Turin on a Sunday for less than that!
  Transfer to Sauze took about 90 minutes, the resort was hot and sunny when we arrived. Headed out for a beer, and had to sit in T shirts and roll jeans up, it was so warm!
  Luckily we had our own skis and boots, as the rental shops in general didn't look good. Lots of old and damaged skis, worn out boots, but mainly because there hadn't been much snow this season. Short walk from where buses drop you to the main square. We were in Hotel Sportinia. For £129, you can't complain, but had I paid full price, I would be quite upset. The receptionist got arrested for doing drugs and turned out to be an illegal immigrant from Brazil, the bedrooms were large but basic, but adequate for a nights sleep, but the place was run by a Romanian family of gypsies, who were neither trusting nor friendly. Very strange people indeed. Food was ok, edible, but not very filling, and we often ended up eating up in town later on as well.
  Found Paddy McGintys and stayed there first evening and every other evening. It's a fun place, good natured, always something going on, god pint of Peroni, and H who runs it is welcoming.
  Next morning, it was minus 10! Sudden change in temp is common up here apparently. Headed up Clotes lift, no sign of any snow until we reached the top, where the pistes were all groomed with some real and some fake snow, but the actual skiing conditions were excellent - lots of long open cruising runs, and we had the best weeks skiing ever.
  Roca Nere restaurant at the Sportinia is the place to eat; friendly family run bar.
  We headed over the 1 man chair to Sestriere, good day out there, and took a day bus trip to Montgenevre - highly recommended, where we did off-piste and skied a river bed too.
  Sauze is fun, and the skiing is good. Italian accommodations is renowned for being basic, but the people, food and nightlife make up for it.
  Go here for good skiing and good fun.

• November 30, 2007
  Ian M from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Avoiding Andy Capps every night proved to be impossible. Members of my ski party could still be found there at 4 in the morning, which is not conducive for a 9:30 meeting at the top of the mountain. Cold weather but a lack of snow meant that the link to Sestriere wasn't open so all the piste was well bashed before we stopped skiing.

• February 12, 2007
  A Cadden from IRELAND
  

  Hi all, just back from Sauze d'Oulx yesterday. Twelve of us were there for a week and the conditions were very good. There was plenty of snow even if some was from snow canons. We had some beginners and some intermediates and all found it excellent. The resort itself is lovely; good apres-ski in Paddy McGinty's & great restaurants. If you want to taste one of the best steaks ever go to the Old Inn. It's not cheap but worth it. Or La Griglia Pizzeria, in the old town. It's very, very cheap, fast and excellent quality. If eating lunch in Spotinia, the Cabana Kind restaurant is the best quality with the best value, also great music. Enjoy.

• January 28, 2007
  bev andy danny catriona from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  On the 7 Jan we stayed at Relias des Alpes. The staff were very helpful and friendly. The rooms were very clean and the food was excellent. A cracking wee resort. The night life was jumping. Great value for money. The hotel was a bit of a hike to the chair lift and the buses were a nightmare. Had to walk it, but it was worth it.

• January 24, 2007
  Tina Lynch from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  We stayed Xmas week 2006. What a fab resort, full of charm and an abundance of pubs and restaurants. Skiing was great for the first two days till it filled up with Italians then became like an ice-rink. It would be superb if there was snow. We stayed at the Sportinia Hotel. The location is fine for nights out but the hotel leaves a lot to be desired. The rooms were very clean but the food was awful. Christmas dinner was 2 slices of turkey, a few greasy potatoes, gravy and lettuce! The rest of the week was not much better. There were many complaints about lack of hot water, fitness room, noise, heating and everyone complained about the food. Such a shame. However, I would strongly recommend this resort. The nightlife is excellent and we had a fantastic holiday overall. We would definately go again but stay in a better hotel and when there is some snow! Must recommend the little takeaway on the corner which sells excellent chicken kebabs, its owned by a Londoner so he knows what we like! Just need a curry house and I'd move there!

• January 22, 2007
  cliff from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just back from Sauze (21st Jan).Party of 12 had an excellent week. Mixed beginners and intermediates.snow conditions not the best but with Sestriere there was plenty to ski on and the home run into town was suicidal but exciting. Stayed at the hermitage right alongside the slope in the town. Perfect position and no complaints with the rooms or food, would definately stay again. Certainly plenty of nightlife and the "Casino Royal" night at Claribels will be remembered for its naffness. The pub crawl was the best night. Have been before when there was plenty of snow and it was perfect.

• January 21, 2007
  Rhiannon & Adrian from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just come home (21st January 2007) from a week in Sauze staying at the Miravalle. Considering the lack of snow there were still plenty of runs to have a go at, although some of them were a bit scary as they were either frozen solid or you had to dodge the grass and stones (too warm for them to use the snow cannons). Can imagine that this place would be excellent with the right snow conditions. The hotel was very good for a three star, although twin rooms where a bit cramped but it was very clean! Bit of a trek up hill to Sportinia chair lift. I would recommend ski deposit at the top of the lift if you have far to walk. Didn't try the bus as it was too packed to get onto. Had a great time in the evenings. Normally something on to entertain; pub crawls, to quizes, karaoke or talentless contests! Would definately go back, but when they have tones of snow!!!!!

• January 10, 2007
  robert binning from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  A belated response to Lionel's comments about Montgenevre being all greens and blues: I have scared myself sh*tless on some of the blacks there. More to the point, there isn't much to the village, I would rather stay in Sauze and drive up for the day. Or carry on to Serre Chevalier. Or Puy. Great thing about Sauze is it makes a great base if you have wheels.. We regularly do 4 nights there, spending one or 2 days skiing in Sauze/San Si Car and the rest of the time elsewhere.

• March 07, 2006
  Paul Stoker from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just came back from an excellent week in Sauze. This did coincide, however, with the best snow Sauze, indeed the Milkyway, has seen for years! Lots of snow fell during the Olympics, and we had 3 days of sun and 3 days of solid snow, which led to some fantastic boarding. I would *not* concur with comments that it's not good for beginners. It's not great for beginners but the tuition is some of the best I've ever seen, and there's a pretty good blue from the Clotes area for beginners to find their feet. I myself taught my 6 year old son who has never boarded before, and my girlfriend, to board here. The little one was also able to sledge below the bottom lift when he was too tired to board. Also, some of the reds at the top are really pushing the boundaries of red runs, I would class them as blues if I'm being honest. With decent snow, you'll have a top time!
  The nightlife is kicking but not in your face if that's not what you're looking for. The restaurants are very good. I would recommend La Grillia, Del Bongos and La Brochette - both down in the old part of Sauze, which is made up of old cobbled streets.
  Accommodation seems a bit patchy. We had booked to stay in Max Bar Apartments but on arrival the place was so filthy and, I'd best describe it as a hovel, that we demanded that we were switched to different accommodation. In fact, we took our stuff outside and refused to go back in. In the end we were moved to the La Terazza for 85 euros a head. La Terazza was very clean and we enjoyed the rest of the week.
  All in all we would go back to Sauze and with good snow the skiing/boarding is very good!

• February 20, 2006
  Charlie & Tess from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  We spent a week at the Hotel Baita, Feb 5th-12th 2006. Hotel was great. I agree that it is definately not a resort for beginners. 1 green run which is only a few metres in length at Sportina. 1 blue run, part of which is uphill. We are intermediates and found the red runs, which make up most of the resort, very enjoyable. Sestriere and other links were closed because of the Olympics but that's understandable and our travel agent did prewarn us of this so that is not a complaint. The lifts are very, very, very slow. This let's an otherwise great resort down badly. Compared to their French counterparts the Italians really need to invest in their lift systems.
  The resort has a reputation for being the Winter Benidorm but we found the apres-ski to be much better than most other resorts and not as rowdy as we were led to believe. Staff everywhere were very friendly and helpful and food in the bars was excellent. Restaurants were even better but hey we're eating in Italy here.
  Great band playing in Vagabondis all week. I think they were Irish. We went to see them and ended up being drawn back a few other nights.
  By the time we left Sauze it badly needed more snow but I think they're getting it now. We will return to Sauze in a few years when, hopefully, the lifts have been upgraded.

• February 03, 2006
  Jayne from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I got back a week ago after staying in the Orso Bianco in Sportinia. Firstly, let me say that the hotel was magnificent. The food and cleanliness were outstanding, not to mention the great location. You will not be disappointed with this hotel (ski to door). I was a beginner and the ski schools were outside the hotel doors.
  At the beginning of the week the snow wasn't that great but we had 3 days of continuous snow which was much needed and should have opened up many more runs. Sportinia is 500M above Sauze d'Oulx and once the ski lifts close you can only get up and down the mountain by skidoos. Around 20 euros return.
  There were several blue runs which I found great to learn on.
  So don't be put off by comments saying this isn't a beginners resort....the ski schools have over 100 instructors and the schools were very busy.

• January 25, 2006
  Paul Stoker from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Simon, you need to clarify your statement that it is not good for beginners. There are nursery runs at village level which can be accessed by a chair, trust me that's a pretty good start. And like Robert has stated, there are 2 ways back down to Clotes, one which is red but the other is blue.

• January 23, 2006
  robert binning from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Simon, beginners should take the ski bus to the bottom of the Sportinia Chair. Also, I assume the red you refer to is the short, direct one (forget it's name), you can ski down the long way round on a gentler slope.

• January 19, 2006
  simon from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Spent 7 days at the Hotel Sayonara over Xmas 2005. The deal was £170-ish inc flights, HB, transfers etc. from Iglu, so very much bargain basement.
  Hotel basic with good food-no problem. We liked the town which has more character than most. Forget about the lager lout reputation - it is an outdated image.
  We enjoyed the week in Sauze however a couple of points:
  1.This resort is not good for beginners or nervous intermediates as the resort operators do not keep any blue runs open with snow cannons !!!
  2. Weather was fantastic but there seems to be an issue with snow cover. A very large percentage of runs stay shut and you can forget about ski-ing the so called milky way unless you are very lucky with snow falls. When we were there most weather sites were saying there was 50cm of snow on the lower slopes - obviously not the ones we skied on !!!!

• January 12, 2006
  CR Leeds from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Spent 7 nights in Sauze at the Hotel Hermitage booked through Airtours. Booked about 3 weeks before Christmas, half board, Manchester to Turin all for £194!! I can highly recommend the Hermitage, all the rooms have just been completely refurbished, everything is brand new for this season including flat screen TV's in every room. Dinner was 4 courses: anti-pasta, pasta (2 different dishes), meat and with sauté potatoes and veg., desert. Serving are very generous, with as many helpings as you eat. It's also located just 50m across the piste from the brand new 4 man Clotes chairlift.

  The skiing was good considering they only had limited (40cm) snow for the first week in the season. They've invested in plenty of new snow cannons and managed to provide plenty of runs to keep both intermediate and beginners entertained for a week. The only problem was getting to Sportina for Ski school using Clotes lift meant descending a steep red, a bit tough for beginners to negotiate.

  Watch out when hiring equipment, we used the Airtours recommended Faure Sport. The Ski equipment was good although only after paying 25euro to upgrade, a bit of a scam there. The Snow Boards were totally worn out, no edges and no flex, a dangerous combination causing a number of painful falls when crossing some ice patches, should be thrown away. I returned mine after 3 days once I realised the cause.

  Overall excellent value, I’d certainly return.
  

• December 27, 2005
  Lionel Griffiths from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just got back from christmas in Sauze. Very hard packed pistes and only 3 runs back to the resort. Snow cannons did their best but this actually made skiing more difficult. However. . . we had a mega time - the pistes are 99% reds and narrow in places but this only served to bring our standard up. If you can ski here you can ski anywhere. This is not a beginners resort and the walk up to the main ski lift at Clotes is steep and longer than the brochures tell you - it is at least 400 mtrs from the centre of Sauze. Sportinia is another option but you need to get on the ski bus - not easy! BUT, beware, Sportinia is packed with beginners - head straight up to the top and avoid it like the plague. The lifts are old and slow. When there is no snow, Sauze struggles - there was no link to Sestriere open. However, we had a great week skiing on the limited pistes and would definately go back to Sauze later in the season. The ski and boot hire is a racket - some try to get you to "upgrade" to better gear at extra cost - by hiring you awful condition skis & boots. The BEST shop for ski and boot hire is Besson Sport. We asked for our money back at another shop and went there. Good service and good gear.

  With more snow and less dog-pooh, Sauze could be a great resort - if it could drag itself out of the 80's Benidorm-in-ski mindset and offer more piste and less pi**ed! The old town is lovely, the rest is concrete. Oh, and there is NO ice rink despite what Airtours insist. It is not a family resort but fab if you want to booze all night and sleep all day.

  During the week, several horror stories emerged about the variation in quality of ski instructor - some were left up the mountain after their first 2hr lesson and walked back down - the only other way was steep reds! Others reported impatient instructors. hearsay? Certainly there is only ONE beginner piste, 75 mtrs long - learn at Xscape before you go.

  In conclusion - there are plenty of better resorts, but with plenty of snow, Sauze would be excellent for intermediates and I would go back - but only for the skiing and only if the Vialattea links were open. If you're a beginner - go to Montgenevre at the other end of the milky way - all blues and greens.

• November 26, 2005
  Debbie Pheby from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  The fact that my son and I will be retuning for our sixthe Xmas in Sauze, I think, speaks volumes! I can only reiterate other visitors reviews regarding the resort; the range of runs and facilities is there for every conceivable ability and the atmosphere on the mountain is 'cracking' not to mention the apre ski! the 'natives' are unbelievably friendly and hospitable. Anybody who says Sauze is the 'Ibiza' of ski resorts in Europe needs to try it for themself before they believe that! If you want to ski hard all day, apre ski all evening and then party through the night, you can....... and if you just want a quiet relaxing day on the slopes followed by a quiet night in, you can do that too and not even know the youngsters are partying (unless you want to join then if you are allowed!)
  I have skiied in America, France, Austria and other resorts in Italy, but for me Sauze is without a doubt the best. This xmas and new year cannot come soon enough!

• October 31, 2005
  robert binning from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Read J & C's review, had to respond.

  Sauze d'Oulx rocks! Great apres ski, blieant food, great range of pistes, miles of ski-ing, remember to visit Sestriere, Claviere, San Sicario and Mont Genevre.

  Yes, snow is sometimes a bit absent, but snow making is now phenomenal. Uplift from centre of village was a joke (but 4 man to sportinia is quick) but this is being replaced for this season.

  I've skied here every January for last five years, only going to Mayrhofen this year to avoid the Olympic crowds.

  I'll be back in 2007.

• January 26, 2005
  Richard Gardiner from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I have been to Sauze twice before in mid 90's and have had a great time on both occasions, sun, skiing, beer bars and suprisingly good places to eat. Lucky with good snow I think. It does get busy at the weekend but quiet for the rest of the week. Mostly intermediate runs, with some steeper stuff in Sestriere. Some good potential for off-piste diversions. Chairs are definitely slow in comparison to other areas and the old two man chair that you have to jump off holding your ski's is always good for a laugh, unless it has now been replaced(remember to step to the side, rather than run away from it!). Going again this year because feeling poor, like to have two trips a year and got a good price for a resort that offers a lot of potential if snow OK (and short transfer). However, would always chooser higher, larger French resorts, or Selva in Italy if not skint. Would recommend Cervinia for beginners and early intermediates who want to go to Italy and want loads of easy runs. Sauze is well worth a visit if you get a good price and can tolerate some of the limitations.

• December 09, 2004
  J and C from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  We are back from our ski weekend in Italy and in short …….never to return again!!

  We arrived at the Turin Airport ½ hour late, due to massive snow falls in the UK, to quite a warm Italy. my husband and I made our way to the closest toilet in the terminal and were pretty grossed out at how dirty they were. Outside the guy from our hotel was waiting with his blue jersey, to take us to our so called ‘hotel’. This guy, we still do not know his name, wore the same jersey from Friday when we arrived until Sunday when we left. The cab stunk of wet smelly stinking socks so we had to endure this for 1 hr. When we got to the place, we realized we were not in Sauze D’Oulx where our friends were staying but rather the town way below it called Jouvenceaux. There were just mountains everywhere and we could see this coming, the mountains we would be climbing to get to ski lifts and back to our ‘hotel’. The guy showed us to the closest ski hire shop which we could not believe. The ski’s were from 1800’s with tie bindings, not even click ones (like we were used to) so we asked for another shop which was now not in our village but Sauze instead. We eventually got our blue jersey man to drive us up the hill to try and get some skis before the shop closed in 15 mins. We soon realized most things closed btw 1230 and 1530 even the ski lift near to our town. We managed to get some skis and once again persuaded our man in the blue jersey to take us up to Sauze so we could ski on Friday afternoon from the Sauze lift system. But before skiing we got shown to our room which we were horrified at. This was also from the 1800’s. The beds were camper beds and if you sat in the middle of them, you got folded inside them. The mattresses were an entire 5cm thick with springs sticking out everywhere. The bathroom had no shower and there was so much junk all around the room, we could not believe our eyes. To top it all, it was the most we have ever paid for accommodation when skiing and it was def the worst. We then proceeded to the slopes which were probably the highlight of the w/end. The snow was great, there were no moguls and the slopes were strangely empty maybe it was because most of the lifts took about 45 mins to get anywhere at all not to mention uncomfortable at all – they all seemed to stick into the middle of your back. The lifts are in sure need of a major revamp and soon at that. They are supposed to be having the 2006 Olympics at this place and as far as we were concerned, they need to break down the entire of the village, ski lifts, restaurants etc and start again!! We had lunch at a restaurant in the Sportina region where we were served our meals on plastic plates. There must have been about 6-7 restaurants in this small area and yip they had all but one toilet!!! We really liked the slopes but seriously that was about it for Sauze. The Italians were nice and friendly but most of them seriously needed some deo!! Out on Friday night, we went to a bar which had about 200 people inside it and it has a communal bathroom for men and woman which was a ceramic hole in the floor. We were not impressed to say the least!!

  Friends went on a week’s package deal which was quite reasonable but I think if it were us, we would have left after the 2 nights we had experienced no matter what the cost!!

  Saturday it snowed huge and on Sunday morning there was at least 40cms of snow which melted so fast because we think it must have reached about 10 degrees on the mountains. We skied loads on Sunday and our bodies felt the effect. Last night we were delayed in Turin airport which is also filthy so only got back at 230am in th emorning.

  To sum it all up, we think Austria RULZZZZ big time, it is spotless, much cheaper and so modern and you can't even compare Austria's great nightlife to Suaze. We will never return to Italy, at least for a skiing holiday. We will need something really special to make us go back – maybe the Italian Riviera ....who knows??

  So take advice from this, you might get a good ski package for Italy but DO NOT TAKE anyone/anything up on it.