Keeping your ski resort costs down by staying in a former sanatorium may sound like a bad joke to budget travelers, but when it comes to Davos, Switzerland, there’s a lot more to the story.
This alpine village with a spectacular setting grabs worldwide attention every January when it hosts global leaders for the World Economic Forum, but originally it drew international interest for its climate, which was considered very beneficial for health. That’s the reason that Robert Louis Stevenson spent much of 1881 and 1982 there, and it’s where he completed the last seven chapters of “Treasure Island.”
Even though Davos today plays host to some of the most powerful people in the world, it’s not out of reach for today’s backpacking traveler who wants to sample winter in the Swiss Alps. That’s because one of the former sanatoriums is now the Davos Youthpalace, Switzerland’s most “exclusive” youth hostel. For those who want to ski or snowboard, special budget-priced packages are available, with the best deals available on weekdays, when the crowds are smallest.
This winter, for example, the Youthpalace (which is affiliated with Hostelling International) is offering special mid-week packages that include five nights (Sunday to Friday) dormitory accommodation, breakfasts and dinners, and a ski lift pass valid for the Davos/Klosters region. Prices begin at about $352 (all prices in U.S. dollars) for Jan. 4-20 and March 14-April 18, and at about $394 for Jan. 20-March 14. For details, go to www.youthhostel.ch and see “special offers” or e-mail davos@youthhostel.ch.
At the ritzy Swiss resort of St. Moritz, which has twice hosted the Olympic Winter Games, you can get five nights accommodation in a double room at the Hostelling International St. Moritz Hostel, with breakfasts and four-course dinners, plus a four-day ski pass for the entire region (that’s more than 200 miles of runs) for about $342 from March 20 to April 24. Weekly rates, and slightly less expensive packages for backpackers willing to share four-bedded rooms, are also available. For details, check winter highlights at www.youthhostel.ch or e-mail st.moritz@youthhostel.ch.
Zermatt’s 174-bed youth hostel reopened Dec. 13 after extensive renovations. Set 10 minutes from the center of the picture-perfect car-less village of wooden chalets, the hostel offers a view of the famous Matterhorn right from the dormitory windows. As a “re-opening special” this winter, you can get accommodation in a four-bedded room with breakfast and dinner for three nights for about $132 to $154. Five nights is $220 to $256. For details, log onto www.youthhostel.ch/zermatt or e-mail zermatt@youthhostel.ch.
For information on other Swiss hostel offering special winter packages this year, log on to www.youthhostel.ch.
Budget-priced hostel accommodation is available in a surprising number of the world’s key ski resorts, from the European Alps to the Rocky Mountains. Many hostels offer family rooms, and economical cafes and self-cooking facilities, so you also have the advantage of not always dining at resort rates.
Be sure to check with the hostel to make sure that it has the type of atmosphere that would be comfortable for you. You can start tracking down what’s available in the resorts you’re interested in through these Web sites: Hostels.com (www.hostels.com) and Hostelling International (www.iyhf.com).
Two ski hostels in the Canadian Rockies have been rated in the Top 10 of the more than 5,000 Hostelling International locations worldwide. The HI-Banff Alpine Centre and HI-Lake Louise Alpine Centre both offer dormitory and family rooms, cafes and cooking facilities, and budget ski packages. For example, for a stay of more than three nights, you can have dormitory accommodation at either hostel, a tri-area ski pass that can be used at Lake Louise, Sunshine and Banff@Norquay ski areas, breakfast daily, and transportation between the hostel and ski fields, for about $67 per day. For details on this and a variety of other packages available at hostels in the Canadian Rockies, go online to www.hihostels.ca or phone 866-762-4122.
This winter, Moose Travel Network (www.moosenetwork.com), a backpacker transportation company that operates in Eastern and Western Canada, has arranged winter budget tours that provide transportation to hostels and activities in resorts and cities. Evening stops are made at hostels, although the fees for accommodation and activities are not included in the fare.
The seven-day Eastern Canada tour costs about $304 and takes you on a 12- to 24-passenger bus from Toronto to Montreal, Quebec City, Mont Tremblant, Ottawa and back to Toronto. There are nine departures between Dec. 29 and April 6. For more details, phone 888-816-6673. For Western Canada, $152 buys a three-night tour from Vancouver to a prime ski resort (Big White, Silverstar and Sun Peaks resorts are rotated) with time in a local town to take in a hockey game. Trips operate Dec. 12 to March 24. For details, phone 888 388-4881 or visit the Moose Travel Network Web site at www.moosenetwork.com.
