TENTATIVE PRICE per person >

> $3,100* Canadian Double occupancy > $3300* Canadian Single occupancy.

*Travel Agents - Contact us for pricing details.

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, > 

> Depart for Italy from Toronto Friday February 27th, 2009 in the late afternoon or early evening from Toronto Pearson.

> Arrive in Venice Italy Saturday February 28th, 2009 about 3 hours' drive 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 February 28th to Saturday March 7th 2009.

> 6-days Skiing in the Dolomites, Sunday March 1st to Friday March 6th 2009.

> Ski Safari Ski Around with Bruno Pederiva, our group's own certified Italian local mountain Guide & Ski Instructor ... 6 days Alpe di Lusia, Latemar, Arabba, ski tour Sella Ronde (including the Val Gardena downhill run & Corvara), Passo San Pellegrino and other nearby ski areas in the Dolomites, depending on  local conditions. You will seldom ski the same run more than once. We may try to add a day at Marmolada and/or Cortina d'Ampezzo as well this year, depending on the weather and local road conditions. 

Note: The Ski Safari Ski Around Around program is not for beginners. Skiers who might be a bit uncomfortable with some of the ski around program slopes may elect to be escorted part of the time by Ed Pollock, the tour escort.

> Leaving the resort hotel Saturday March 7th, 2009 after breakfast.

> Arriving in Mestre (Venice), Saturday March 7th, 2009 about noon.

> 2-nights' Accommodation in Mestre (Venice) Saturday March 7th, to Monday March 9th, 2009 in the 4-Star Hotel Plaza (or equivalent) with buffet breakfast Sunday morning and breakfast if time permits, Monday morning before leaving for the airport in Venice.

> Returning Monday, March 9, 2009, leaving Venice airport in the morning and arriving back at Toronto Pearson Airport in the afternoon or evening, 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 will be Ed's sixth 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.

PACKAGE INCLUDES >

> RETURN AIRFARE

> FLIGHT TAXES and FUEL SURCHARGES of approximately $300 Canadian included.

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

> TRANSFERS from Venice airport to resort hotel,

from resort hotel to Mestre (Venice) hotel and from Mestre (Venice) hotel to Venice airport..

> 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 MESTRE (VENICE)

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

NOT INCLUDED >

> SKI PASS - Super Dolomiti 6-day ski pass is not included because seniors born before Nov. 25, 1948 will get a 10% discount when their pass is purchased at the ski area. Certified ski instructors and others with acceptable documentation may also qualify for an additional discount. This also reduces the cost of advance payments and travel insurance. The adult 6-day pass is expected to be about 200 Euros, approximately $300. Canadian, less any applicable discounts. To be paid in Euros on arrival.

> SKI RENTAL - 6-day ski rental prices range 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 2009, 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 transportation to and from the resort hotel to the different ski areas every day.

Mestre (Venice) - The group will spend 2 nights in the 4-star Hotel Plaza. Staying in Mestre solves the problem if you stay on the island of Venice and have to transport your skis and boots as well as your ski clothing and the rest of your baggage from the bus to the hotel.
Hotel Amenities and Facilities – restaurant, bar, 24-hour front desk, lobbies, newspapers, non-smoking rooms, elevator, safety deposit box, luggage storage, all public spaces non-smoking, room service, business centre, laundry, dry cleaning,  ironing Service, tour desk, fax/photocopying. wireless internet hotspot entire hotel € 6.00 per hour, guest parking nearby € 7.00 per day.

Hotel guest room amenities include satellite television, mini-bar, internet access, a safe, radio, telephone, heating and air-conditioning controllable from the room, breakfast in room,. Bathrooms are equipped with a hairdryer, telephone and radio.
Hotel location –  Right across the street from the train station, with trains to Venice just about every half hour for the less than 10-minute trip to the railway station in Venice on the grand canal. All trains to Venice stop at Mestre station. Marco Polo International airport is only 8 km (5 miles) from the hotel.
Hotel restaurants – the Poseidon Restaurant offers gastronomic specialities in the best Italian and Veneto traditions, accompanied by wines from its international cellar. The modern and stylish Plaza Café for an informal brunch, cocktail or appetizing first course dish.

Venice - You will be able to spend Saturday afternoon and evening and all day Sunday sight-seeing in Venice. We recommend taking a twilight cruise on a Grand Canal "Vaporetto" (ferry), when the lights are just coming on and you can see in through the windows of the palazzos along the the canal. If you want to be able to say you've had a gondola ride in Venice but don't wish to spend about € 75.00 for less than an hour's ride in your own rented gondola , take a trip across the grand canal on one of the gondola ferries that go back and forth across the Grand Canal. It isn't very glamorous but only costs about € 1.00 and then you can say you had a gondola ride while you were in Venice.  

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.