|
|
  5 of 5 29/03/2004 @ 21:51 |
|
|
| Revision #1 (Last edited: 29/03/2004 @ 21:53) |
|
| Price Paid |
| £220 |
|
| Booked Trip Through |
| Neilson (Co-Op Direct) |
|
| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
|
| Review Detail |
One word says it all, FANTASTIC. I went as a second winter trip as it was cheap and Macugnaga exceeded all expectations and more. The place is completely unspoilt and unpretentious, with a backdrop that is just breathtaking. It offers a great mix of skiers and boards and the near empty slopes offer variation and interest. Macugnaga even offers an incredible glacier you can either ski/board beside or on! The slopes are much longer and wider than maps of the area would suggest (although there are narrow challenging ones for the adventurous) and the Belvedere end is fantastic for groups of mixed ability to be kept happy but also never be to far from each other. There is Black and Reds leading down to a long and interesting Blue and finally Green slopes so you can chose your route. Further down the valley at the top the Gondola are two great Blue runs, a Black, a Snow Park and two monster Reds. Although this may be closed when weather is bad up there. There were never more than two people in front of me at any lift and to add to it you can generally avoid button lifts if you want. Great for boarders like me.
I stayed at the Hotel Cristallo, which is in keeping with the unpretentious laid back alpine character of Macugnaga. The Hotel is very clean, the family that own it are delightful and the food is incredible!!! To add to this it is about a minute walk from the Belvedere chair lift and just over 5 from the Gondola and Ski School. I have paid much more for far less and will definitely be staying there again.
If you are the type of person who wants to party all night and is more interested in being seen with the right gear than playing on the slopes this is not the place for you. Although Bar Minion does have great live bands. Macugnaga seems to attract people who love their sport and the place and layout itself promotes a great social atmosphere, many I met go numerous times each season. People there were more than willing to help in whatever way they could to the point of being a personal guide on the slopes or helping you improve or try new tricks. I am already planning to go back ‘at least’ once next year, roll on next season…….
|
|
| Strengths |
| Great variation of slopes, fantastic food, social and friendly atmosphere. Lift passes are very cheap at £60 for a week. |
|
| Weaknesses |
| Upper slopes and Gondola closed in bad weather, mid to long transfer and having to fly into the disorganised Turin airport ! |
|
| Similar Resorts Visited |
| Arabba - Italy, Lentz - Austria, Cortina - Italy |
|
|
|
|
| Reviews: 37 |
| Review Mod |
| Kirkcudbrightshire |
|
 4 of 5, "Macugnaga." 07/08/2002 @ 19:55 |
|
|
| Revision #1 (Last edited: 30/06/2006 @ 11:28) |
|
| Price Paid |
| > £400 |
|
| Booked Trip Through |
| Neilson |
|
| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
|
| Review Detail |
| Macugnaga is set at the foot of western Europes second highest mountain the Monte Rosa. Earlier this summer the resort suffered flooding and mudslides and in one report it said that this beautiful village ( two villages joined together-Staffa and Pecetto) may be completely wiped from the map.I hope this is not the case as i would like to return some day. It was autumn 2000 and we decided we wanted to go away for xmas, but it had to be somewhere a bit different and quiet.On looking at a few brochures we came across Macugnaga. The resort is less than 2 hours drive from Turin and Milan and has lots of holiday homes for wealthy Italians who drive up for the weekends.We found this an exceptionally friendly place to stay.There was a lovely wineshop opposite our hotel in the main square in Pecetto and the guy who owned it just wanted to chat all day, so it was no wonder we spent a fortune on good quality,reasonably priced Italian wines. Most of the hotels were small familly run affairs with very little English spoken,but with good regional and Italian food. We stayed in the hotel Du Four, named after one of the peaks on the Monte Rosa and from here it was a short walk to the main Gondola up the mountain. During our stay snow conditions were quite poor and an early season base had not materialised but there was enough high up to stretch our legs for a few hours each day.From the top you could scramble up a path with a rope to a huge Gold coloured statue where the views towards Switzerland and the Matterhorn made the effort worthwhile.There were a couple of short drag lifts up here and a good restaurant with a sun terrace looking towards the Monte Rosa massiff.Overall we had a lovely break here but if we had came to board all day long we would have been bored and dissapointed. |
|
| Strengths |
| Lovely setting in stunning scenery.If snow conditions good there are a lot of off-piste posibilities including a run all the way across to Saas Fee in Switzerland.(Long taxi or bus ride back).This was a great place to come and chill out completely. |
|
| Weaknesses |
| Small area with not a lot for anyone who wants to cover mile after mile on groomed pistes. Not a place to come for a wild nightlife. |
|
| Similar Resorts Visited |
| Over 160 resorts Worldwide. |
|
|
|
|