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FINAL PRICE per person >

> $2895* Canadian Double occupancy > $3095* Canadian Single occupancy.

Here is a brief description of Ultimate Destinations' skiing vacation holiday to Val di Fassa in the Dolomites in Italy, designed especially for seniors and over 50's, > 

> Departed for Italy from Toronto Friday February 29th, 2008 in the late afternoon from Toronto Pearson Terminal 1 about 7:00 after over an hour's delay for de-icing prior to take off. But a strong tailwind helped the aircraft make up the lost time.

> Arrived in Milan Italy Saturday March 1st, 2008 at Malpensa airport, early in the morning about 8:00 AM, then about 4 hours' on the bus to the resort hotel in Moena, Val di Fassa.

> 7-nights' Accommodation in Moena, Val di Fassa in the 3-Star Superior Hotel Catinaccio Rosengarten with indoor swimming pool, optional (extra cost) sauna, etc. ... as good or even better than many Caribbean so-called 5-star's including buffet Breakfasts & Full Course Italian Dinners Saturday March 1st to Saturday March 8th.

> 6-days Skiing in the Dolomites, Sunday March 2nd to Friday March 7th.

> Ski Safari Ski Around with Bruno Pederiva, our group's own certified Italian local mountain Guide & Ski Instructor ... 6 days Alpe di Lusia, Latemar, Marmolada, Arabba, , Passo San Pellegrino and other ski areas in the Dolomites. You will seldom ski the same run more than once.

Note: The Ski Safari Ski Around Around program was not for beginners.

> Left the resort hotel Saturday March 8th, 2008 at 10:00 am after breakfast at the hotel.

> Arrived in Milan, Saturday March 8th, 2008 early in the afternoon.

> 2-nights' Accommodation in Milan Saturday March 8th, to Monday March 10th, 2008 in the 4-Star Best Western Hotel Cristoforo Colombo, with buffet breakfasts Sunday morning and breakfast box Monday morning, leaving at 6:30pm for Malpensa airport in Milan.

> Returned Monday, March 10, 2008, left Milan Malpensa airport Terminal 1 at 10:10 AM and arrived back at Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1 about 2:30pm in the afternoon, after 9 days in Italy. 

> Escorted by Ed Pollock from Toronto to Italy, daily during stay & back to Milan and then back to Toronto. This is Ed's fifth ski group trip to Val di Fassa, in addition to more than a dozen previous ski trips to ski areas in the Alps. A senior and ski writer, Ed has also skied all over North America.

Here are the details of skiing each day at 6 different ski areas:

PACKAGE INCLUDED >

> RETURN AIRFARE on Alitalia direct flights to and from Milan.

> FLIGHT TAXES and FUEL SURCHARGES of $270 Canadian were included.

> 7-NIGHT'S ACCOMMODATION in MOENA, VAL DI FASSA

> TRANSFERS from Milan Malpensa airport to resort hotel,

from resort hotel to Milan hotel and from Milan hotel to Milan Malpensa.

> SKI SAFARI Ski Around to a different ski area every day for all six days. 

> GUIDE & SKI INSTRUCTOR Bruno Pederiva, local Certified Italian Ski instructor and Mountain Guide, for 6 days and arrangements for transportation from the hotel to and from the slopes to visit and tour different ski areas every day.

> 2-NIGHT'S ACCOMMODATION IN MILAN

> LOCAL ACCOMMODATION TAXES and HOTEL GRATUITIES for both hotels are also included.

NOT INCLUDED >

> SKI PASS - Super Dolomiti 6-day ski pass was not included because seniors born before Nov. 25, 1947 received a 10% discount when their pass was purchased at the ski area and certified ski instructors and with documentation also qualified for an additional discount. This also reduced the cost of advance payments and travel insurance. The adult 6-day pass was 200 Euros, approximately $300. Canadian, less applicable discounts. Paid in Euros on arrival.

> SKI RENTAL - 6-day ski rental prices rangd from about 50 Euros for basic carving skis, to 100 Euros for top of the line - approximately $75 to $150 Canadian.

20 of the ADVANTAGES of having a CERTIFIED local mountain GUIDE & SKI INSTRUCTOR: 1.They know the best areas and slopes to ski on any given day. 2.They know the the best place to start the day. 3.They know the best way to get there. 4.You don't have to waste time trying to figure out where to ski, where you are, or where to go. 5.Throughout the day, they always know where you are at and where to go, based on your skiing ability and preferences. 6.They know which areas and slopes have the best conditions for your skiing preferences at that time, on that day. 7.They know the best times and the best lifts to get around during the day. 8.They can even check on conditions throughout the day. 9.They know the best places for lunch and the best time to be there. 10.They can provide pointers to help you ski better.

11.They can pick the best places to meet up or go to, if someone wants to ski elsewhere or take a break during the day and meet up later. 12.They can contact the hotel or taxi to make or change arrangements for return to the hotel. 13.They can provide local history, geography and all kinds of information that cannot be found anywhere else. 14.If visibility is limited due to weather conditions such as falling snow, all you have to do is follow the guide. 15.If you have a problem, the guide will be there to help you, including getting assistance if necessary. 16.You will never get lost. 17.Having a guide will not only take away most, if not all the stress you might experience when visiting such an enormous number of different places to ski, especially if it is your first time there. 18.You will be able to spend and enjoy far more time skiing on the slopes that are best suited for your skiing, than you could possibly do without the guide. 19.Although it may have added to the total cost of the trip, it is well worth it. It will increase the value and amount of skiing you will enjoy far more than any additional cost. 20.Last, but by far not the least - your local certified ski instructor/guide can take you "off piste" (off the marked & groomed runs) including of course, powder and/or difficult runs, because they know the slopes and can match your skiing ability to the conditions. 

More Details:

The first week of  March 2008, Ed Pollock will again escort  a small group of skiers 50 and over to  Val di Fassa in the Dolomites in the Italian Alps in Europe - Ed's favorite ski destination, with more lifts and ski runs than in all North America.  And unlike North America, you are able to ski all the marked runs, even if there has not been much snowfall, because all of them have snowmaking and grooming every night, so you do not have to worry about snow conditions.

Ed will escort the group right from the Toronto Airport to Milan, then to the  Hotel Catinaccio Rosengarten in Moena - a beautiful small Ladin town, ideally situated in the centre of Val di Fassa with Vigo di Fassa, Pozza di Fassa and Canazei a few km north and Cavalese a few km south. 

There are more than 120 ski lifts around the valley, consisting of 8 cable cars, 7 gondolas,  more than 50 chairlifts (5-seaters, quads, triples and doubles) and more than 40 surface lifts. The resort altitude is 1300m, highest peak 3284m, longest run 6km and vertical drop 2060m.

There are more than 250km of marked downhill ski runs, nearly all with snowmaking, rated 40% easiest (blue runs), 45% intermediate cruising (red runs) and 15% more difficult (black runs).  In addition, the area has over 100km of cross-country trails, many with snow-making and track setting.

Most of the lifts are the latest new high-speed detachable quad chair lifts, many with bubbles, that have been installed in the last few years, replacing the old surface lifts and double chairs .  Many of the lifts also have moving carpets at the loading area.  Because the detachable high speed lifts get you up the hill so much faster, you can easily ski more than 4,000m (as much as 15,000 ft.) of vertical each day, never ski the same run twice and ski a different area each day. 

Villages range in size from fewer than a thousand permanent residents to  a few thousand. The valley language, architectural style and local cooking is a reflection of their Ladin heritage (similar to Romansch in Switzerland) with a blending of Austrian (from the days of Emperor Franz Josef prior to the first World War I) and of course, Italian.

There is a good variety of shops in Moena and nearby towns and villages, offering rentals and new downhill and cross-country equipment, as well as clothing, plus all the regular kinds of stores you would expect to find.  And of course there are the bars, cafes, discos etc. for your après-ski and evening enjoyment. 

The package includes the certified local instructor (and famous mountain guide) and arrangements for transportation from the hotel to and from the slopes to visit and tour different ski areas every day.        

Milan - The group spent 2 nights in the Best Western Hotel Cristoforo Colombo, an eclectic late 19th century building located a short distance from the city centre at the beginning of one of the main shopping streets in Milan, .
The hotel’s refined exterior and recently completely renovated interior has 118 rooms furnished in a classic style, as well as a charming winter garden, restaurant and spa.
Hotel Amenities and Facilities – Bar – 24-Hour Front Desk – Concierge – Elevator – Express Check-In/Check-Out – Safety Deposit Box – Heating – Luggage Storage – Room Service – Breakfast in room – Ironing Service – Currency Exchange – Bicycle Rental – Shoe Shine – Fax/Photocopying – Multilingual staff (English, French, German, Spanish) – Complimentary full breakfast – Guest laundry – Dry cleaning – Ice/vending machines – Wireless internet - Credit Cards accepted, American Express, Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Diners Club.
Guest Room Amenities included – Non-Smoking Rooms – Cable satellite TV – AM/FM alarm clock – Dataports – Wake-up calls – Hairdryer – Air-conditioning – Sound proofing – Desk/work area.
Location – City Centre on Corso Buenos Aires in Museum area - Park nearby – Gallery of Modern Art 1k – La Scala 2k – Duomo Cathedral 2k – Galleria 2k – Stazione Centrale train station 1k – Car Rental 1k – Subway entrance in front of hotel – Bus terminal 3k – Milano Malpensa Airport 58k.
Restaurants – Hotel restaurant serving internation cuisine – Oscar Pizzeria across the street – Strippoli Italian .05k – Sukrity Indian .05k - Joja natural cuisine .05k - El Paso Del Los Toros Mexican .05k – McDonald's .1k

Click here if you would like more information on Skiing in the Dolomites and Val di Fassa. You'll find links to other sites and especially check out the inter-active area maps to find out more about all the slopes, lifts and other facilities. If you do it early in the day you can see it live on the web-cams -  (Italy is 6 hours ahead of us).

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Hours: Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. 10:30am to 6:00pm. - Sun. 12:30pm to 5:00pm.  - Evenings by appointment.

Last modified:05/31/08.