Martin Hotel, Sauze D Oulx, Italy
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £89
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
The Hotel Martin is a small family-run hotel offering a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where families and quieter couples are particularly welcome. There is a traditional style bar area with open log fire and comfy sofas, plus a games room with pool table. The home cooking is always commented upon favourably by guests. Breakfast is a delicious buffet whilst there is a three course menu for the evening meal. loading...
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Martin Hotel Reviews
" Fantastic "
Submitted By: Haydee and John
We stayed at Hotel Martin for six nights and were really pleased with the service overall. Highlights of our stay in Hotel Martin were the meals which were generous servings and delicious. It consisted of a salad bar which had a selection of salads and roasted vegies then a first course of a pasta dish (always tasty!) and this was followed by a second course usually meat with potatoes. Then there was dessert which was always nice and varied.
The rooms were on the smallish side (attic rooms were bigger but sloping roof so limited standing room) but cleaned every day.
We thought that the family who ran the hotel were always happy to help us whenever we needed anything and we will definitely stay at Hotel Martin again. All the staff were friendly and Max gave us plenty of sound advice.
Smaller coffee cups in the morning would be a bonus.
The rooms were on the smallish side (attic rooms were bigger but sloping roof so limited standing room) but cleaned every day.
We thought that the family who ran the hotel were always happy to help us whenever we needed anything and we will definitely stay at Hotel Martin again. All the staff were friendly and Max gave us plenty of sound advice.
Smaller coffee cups in the morning would be a bonus.
Advice: Great for intermediate skiing. Some of the ski lifts are old.
Activities: The restaurent half way down run 2002 was excellent.
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Wonderful "
Submitted By: DDixon
Just back from a wonderful holiday in Sauxe Doulx. I stayed in Hotel Martin with a group of friends. I was worried when I read the negative report about the food and fire escape but it sounds like a different Hotel. The fire escape door is NOT LOCKED AT NIGHT. The door leading from the bottom of the stairs is but the fire escape door is never locked.FACT.
I know everyone has different taste in food but to be honest the food was wonderful. This was supported by the amount of empty plates which went back to the kitchen every night.
The family are extremely friendly and a lift to the village is provided every night by either Max or Riccardo. We also availed of the private lessons which they can arrange and we all progressed to at least the next level.
If you like a nice, relaxed friendly hotel offering excellent food and wine, this is made for you.....Honestly.
I know everyone has different taste in food but to be honest the food was wonderful. This was supported by the amount of empty plates which went back to the kitchen every night.
The family are extremely friendly and a lift to the village is provided every night by either Max or Riccardo. We also availed of the private lessons which they can arrange and we all progressed to at least the next level.
If you like a nice, relaxed friendly hotel offering excellent food and wine, this is made for you.....Honestly.
Advice: Fabulous
Activities: Eating
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" fantastic "
Submitted By: patricia mc cahill
Just returned from a fantastic stay in hotel martin. I have stayed before and if it is possable i enjoyed this stay even more.Max is a pure gentleman and seemed genuinely interested in our progress on the slopes. The food was out of this world. We had a completely different meal every night and it was so tasty. Romina really is an amazing chef. The hotel is not in sauze d'oulx but in jovenceaux which is much quieter( our preference). We went up to sauze three of the nights, by mini bus driven by max (he brings guests up every night) and had a great night. The bottom door into the reception is locked at night but the fire escape door (which is like a front door)is always unlocked and this has to be passed to get to the lower door so I cant see why this would be an issue. This is a family hotel which is like home from home. I would also like to mention Gros Sport outside the hotel which is where we hired our skis and boots. They took time to ensure we were happy with both and were great value. We used the jovenceaux lift most days, a 5min walk away. This meant walking down the slope to the main ski area but i found this a brilliant experience enjoying the snow and the scenery. It wasn't steep or too long a walk. All in all a great experience and yes i will happily book Hotel Martin hopefully next year.
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Ski Till You Drop! "
Submitted By: Redsteve
Just returned from the best weeks skiing ever! This was due not only to the fantastic conditions but also the Hotel Martin. The hotel is situated in Jouvenceau, about a 20 minute steep uphill walk out of Sauze D'oulx. However if like us you have gone to Ski you may not need to go into town.
The hotel is homely and not clinical like many hotels. The rooms are clean, reasonably sized, and have plently of storage space and the shower always had plently of hot water.
The food, we thought, unlike some other reviewers, was excellent. It was simple, good quality and plently of it - just what you need after 7 hours skiing! Admitedly there is no choice, but even to a fussy eater like myself I found I ate everything - and never went hungry!
The bar is welcoming with a large open fire and SKY TV if your bothered about watching sport/news etc.
We found the family that owned the hotel and all the staff rearly friendly and helpful and the ski hire shop is just around the corner.
As intermediate skiers we found the run back to the bottom of ther lift extremely handy leaving only a 3 minute walk back to the hotel for free tea and cake!
Everybody has different expectations and standards, but we found this hotel good value for money, the food suited us, the location was great, and the skiing terrific.
The hotel is homely and not clinical like many hotels. The rooms are clean, reasonably sized, and have plently of storage space and the shower always had plently of hot water.
The food, we thought, unlike some other reviewers, was excellent. It was simple, good quality and plently of it - just what you need after 7 hours skiing! Admitedly there is no choice, but even to a fussy eater like myself I found I ate everything - and never went hungry!
The bar is welcoming with a large open fire and SKY TV if your bothered about watching sport/news etc.
We found the family that owned the hotel and all the staff rearly friendly and helpful and the ski hire shop is just around the corner.
As intermediate skiers we found the run back to the bottom of ther lift extremely handy leaving only a 3 minute walk back to the hotel for free tea and cake!
Everybody has different expectations and standards, but we found this hotel good value for money, the food suited us, the location was great, and the skiing terrific.
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:CrystalSki
" Noisiest Room Ever "
Submitted By: Maggot
Small room with limited storage - 4 hangers and 2 hooks. Had to hang salopettes from curtain rail and keep most of clothing in suitcase. Clean, but towels not changed all week and 2 tiny soaps not replaced after use. Could hear every use of the toilet and shower from rooms on both sides, above and behind so got no sleep. Like being inside a waterfall. Hearing the bladder and bowel movements of our neighbours v unpleasant, if slightly comical. Slept with ear plugs rest of week. Well situated for ski hire and chairlift but rest of town 15 minute vertical walk away. Family polite but cold. Never asked how our holiday was, never offered the lifts which other guests mention (in fact drove past us twice struggling uphill). We felt like intruders on their family life, not welcome guests. Refused to give us glasses for bedside water, offering only plastic vending machine cups. Food mixed quality and no choice. Only realised on last day that a menu was hanging on the wall, before this had to keep asking what the meat was. Last morning no breakfast because coach left at 6.30 and door to reception area was locked until shortly before this. (Surely a fire hazard, locking guests in)?. In spite of this we had a great time. The resort was lovely and the skiing superb. Would definitely return but not stay in this hotel.
Advice: Lovely town, great skiing.
Activities: Bar Clotes on slopes - V friendly
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Crystal
" Friendly hotel "
Submitted By: skiingmad
The hotel was very friendly and run by lovely people and had a great atmosphere and was great for our two children, with a games room etc.
The only complaints we have, are that the bottom fire exit was locked at night!! (the only way into the hotel's main lobby) which we did not think was very safe. Also, we did find the food a bit repetitive and were surprised that there was no choice of dishes (the waitress bought the dishes out, without any selection process, everyone got the same dish). Every night was pasta, which to be honest was not the best tasting we have tried (I have eaten alot better in Italian restaurants in this country), then the main course was nearly always veal, which was a bit boring and also not so great for us as we do not particualarly like or agree with veal. The starter salad was always the same every night. Also, the only drink that was free with the meal was wine, not really suitable for young children, so you will have to pay for their drinks or give them water. I must admit, I was surprised at the low quality of the food, as I had looked at the reveiws on this site from other people, and thought that I was in for a treat - but I suppose we all have different tastes and expections.
Also, a word of warning about the location of the hotel, it is actually in Jovenceaux, not Sauze, which is not a problem if you are not a beginning skier, as you can get the lift which is a short walk away. But our children were complete beginners and we had to try and negotiate a slope down to the ski school with them, from the top of the lift, which was not ideal, as we had to carry them. This could be an even bigger problem if you are an adult beginner. There is a resort bus, that takes you to the beginner's lift, but this only runs every hour and is never on time, so you could end up missing your lesson, or spending ages waiting for it (as we did at the end of every day). The bus service does need to be addressed, as waiting over an hour for a bus, is unacceptable to us.
Our kids loved ski school and had a great instructer, who instilled confidence in them and had them skiing well by the end of the week. The slopes were good fun and suitable for most abilities. The snow was excellent, although the slopes were not groomed enough in our opinion.
The only complaints we have, are that the bottom fire exit was locked at night!! (the only way into the hotel's main lobby) which we did not think was very safe. Also, we did find the food a bit repetitive and were surprised that there was no choice of dishes (the waitress bought the dishes out, without any selection process, everyone got the same dish). Every night was pasta, which to be honest was not the best tasting we have tried (I have eaten alot better in Italian restaurants in this country), then the main course was nearly always veal, which was a bit boring and also not so great for us as we do not particualarly like or agree with veal. The starter salad was always the same every night. Also, the only drink that was free with the meal was wine, not really suitable for young children, so you will have to pay for their drinks or give them water. I must admit, I was surprised at the low quality of the food, as I had looked at the reveiws on this site from other people, and thought that I was in for a treat - but I suppose we all have different tastes and expections.
Also, a word of warning about the location of the hotel, it is actually in Jovenceaux, not Sauze, which is not a problem if you are not a beginning skier, as you can get the lift which is a short walk away. But our children were complete beginners and we had to try and negotiate a slope down to the ski school with them, from the top of the lift, which was not ideal, as we had to carry them. This could be an even bigger problem if you are an adult beginner. There is a resort bus, that takes you to the beginner's lift, but this only runs every hour and is never on time, so you could end up missing your lesson, or spending ages waiting for it (as we did at the end of every day). The bus service does need to be addressed, as waiting over an hour for a bus, is unacceptable to us.
Our kids loved ski school and had a great instructer, who instilled confidence in them and had them skiing well by the end of the week. The slopes were good fun and suitable for most abilities. The snow was excellent, although the slopes were not groomed enough in our opinion.
Advice: Good fun runs, but resort bus needs to be sorted out.
Activities:
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" I cant recommend this hotel high... "
Submitted By: Mr G Burke
I cant recommend this hotel high enough. The family that run the Hotel are fantastic. The hotel is fairly basic, but its clean, warm and homely. The food when I was there was excellent, a 4 course meal of the highest order every night and the wine was excellent also.
For the real ale lovers out there they even have Spitfire on tap! Can't be many Hotels in Italy that can claim that. You do maybe feel a little bit out of the way as the main town is a 15 min walk up a very steep hill, but max and ricardo being the legends they are ran us up into town when ever we wanted.
There is a ski hire shop opposite the hotel and the staff in there are friendly and the equipment very good. There is a ski lift about 5 mins walk from the hotel which will take you up to the main skiing hub the Sportinia.
All in all what more do you want? A great family running the place, great food, great wine and beer an open fire place and a nice litte bar, oh and i almost forgot you really have to try the flaming sugar cubes!! Just ask Max for them!
I will be coming back to Hotel Martin, and I fully recommend this place to all.
And once more because i promised i would say it.
MAX IS A LEGEND!!
Grant (silver medalist in the mens downhill race)
For the real ale lovers out there they even have Spitfire on tap! Can't be many Hotels in Italy that can claim that. You do maybe feel a little bit out of the way as the main town is a 15 min walk up a very steep hill, but max and ricardo being the legends they are ran us up into town when ever we wanted.
There is a ski hire shop opposite the hotel and the staff in there are friendly and the equipment very good. There is a ski lift about 5 mins walk from the hotel which will take you up to the main skiing hub the Sportinia.
All in all what more do you want? A great family running the place, great food, great wine and beer an open fire place and a nice litte bar, oh and i almost forgot you really have to try the flaming sugar cubes!! Just ask Max for them!
I will be coming back to Hotel Martin, and I fully recommend this place to all.
And once more because i promised i would say it.
MAX IS A LEGEND!!
Grant (silver medalist in the mens downhill race)
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" What a find! This Hotel is superb... "
Submitted By: Mr M Lewis
What a find! This Hotel is superb mainly because of the superb family atmosphere, Max and his father Riccardo are real gentlemen and nothing was to much bother. They took us up to town whenever we wanted and even if they were busy. Anna the waitress is very helpful and even arranged a different meal for me. The food is excellant and you wont go hungry. They have a very good wine list and Max will make some good choices if needed.The Sarnas chairlift is 5 minutes walk away and takes you up to the main sportinia ski area. Gros Sports ski hire is also across the road and you will get a better deal direct with them rather than going through the Rep.Max and Riccardo can also arrange ski lessons if needed.Afternoon Tea and Cake is also supplied and there is also a ski & Boot storage room which can be reached via the lounge if needed. I wouldnt hesitate to book this hotel again
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Panorama
" Just arrived home after a superb... "
Submitted By: Mr M Waite
Just arrived home after a superb holiday. The hotel and staff are amazing a really friendly and relaxing place to be. The food was great, authentic italian, and Anna was brilliant, she really looked after us. The ski school was first class and Ricardo was an amazing instructor. This is a first class hotel and we would recommend it 100%. The best holiday we have ever had, can't wait for next year. Thank you
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Panorama
" Just returned from a fantastic week... "
Submitted By: Mrs Patricia Kearney
Just returned from a fantastic week in hotel martin.This hotel was home from home. very relaxed with extremely friendly staff. Anna was superb at looking after us. Max was very attentive and always helpful. Romina cooked the most fantastic array of food every night. Our accomodation was perfect, lovely and warm and the shower great after a hard day skiing. The ski hire in gros sport is outside the door and the lift a few minutes walk. The snow was fantastic as was the weather. would highly recommend this hotel.
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:independant booking
" Stayed in Hotel Martin in Feb 2007.... "
Submitted By: Ms D Dixon
Stayed in Hotel Martin in Feb 2007. Absolutely fantastic. Quiet peaceful and relaxing.
The food and accommodation are wonderful. It is authentic Italian, freshly prepared every evening and plenty of it!
The hotel has a very good wine list and very reasonably priced. There is a very cosy bar which has a fantastic open fire. It is perfect for relaxing before or after dinner.
Hotel Martin is ideally situated as there is a new 4 man chair lift four minutes walk away.
Skis, boards and boots can be safely left in a deposit room in the Hotel.
A very nice games room keeps the children safely occupied while you enjoy your pre dinner drink.
If you are feeling lazy after dinner, a free mini bus service to the village is provided.
Max or Riccardo can be booked for private lessons and they are well worth taking.
All in all, a very special place.
The food and accommodation are wonderful. It is authentic Italian, freshly prepared every evening and plenty of it!
The hotel has a very good wine list and very reasonably priced. There is a very cosy bar which has a fantastic open fire. It is perfect for relaxing before or after dinner.
Hotel Martin is ideally situated as there is a new 4 man chair lift four minutes walk away.
Skis, boards and boots can be safely left in a deposit room in the Hotel.
A very nice games room keeps the children safely occupied while you enjoy your pre dinner drink.
If you are feeling lazy after dinner, a free mini bus service to the village is provided.
Max or Riccardo can be booked for private lessons and they are well worth taking.
All in all, a very special place.
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Our room was clean and adequate. It... "
Submitted By: Ms T Stones
Our room was clean and adequate. It had a wall mounted hairdryer and colour TV, all the sockets in the room were slightly smaller than the normal continental sockets so our adaptor would not fit.
The rooms were cleaned daily and towels were provided but the linen was not changed during the week.
Breakfast was disappointing; cereal, ham and cheese, cake and yoghurt if you were first down!
I asked if it was possible to have scrambled eggs but I was told that hot food had to be ordered the night before and we would have to pay for it.
The evening meals were also disappointing; the first course was always salad from the salad bar and consisted of bowls of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers; there was a pasta course and the first nights lasagne was very nice.
After that it was usually pasta shells in some kind of sauce; then there was a soup course before the main meal.
One main meal was small chicken portions with chips, another night we were served meat and potatoes no vegetables were served with these courses and the salad bar had been cleared.
The sweet was cake served in a slightly different way from the pieces served for breakfast.
No wine or water was provided with the meals.
We found the hotel noisy at night and the whole hotel was woken at 5.45am on Saturday morning by the shouting of two of the staff having a violent row and the subsequent crying of two very distressed children, this lasted over half an hour.
The hotel was a 5min walk to the ski lift so we used the ski deposit at the top of the Sportina lift to save carrying our ski's every day.
We ate in several mountain restaurants and found the food to be very good.
The skiing was fantastic which made the one man chair bearable!! The day trip to Montgenevre was excellent.
The rooms were cleaned daily and towels were provided but the linen was not changed during the week.
Breakfast was disappointing; cereal, ham and cheese, cake and yoghurt if you were first down!
I asked if it was possible to have scrambled eggs but I was told that hot food had to be ordered the night before and we would have to pay for it.
The evening meals were also disappointing; the first course was always salad from the salad bar and consisted of bowls of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers; there was a pasta course and the first nights lasagne was very nice.
After that it was usually pasta shells in some kind of sauce; then there was a soup course before the main meal.
One main meal was small chicken portions with chips, another night we were served meat and potatoes no vegetables were served with these courses and the salad bar had been cleared.
The sweet was cake served in a slightly different way from the pieces served for breakfast.
No wine or water was provided with the meals.
We found the hotel noisy at night and the whole hotel was woken at 5.45am on Saturday morning by the shouting of two of the staff having a violent row and the subsequent crying of two very distressed children, this lasted over half an hour.
The hotel was a 5min walk to the ski lift so we used the ski deposit at the top of the Sportina lift to save carrying our ski's every day.
We ate in several mountain restaurants and found the food to be very good.
The skiing was fantastic which made the one man chair bearable!! The day trip to Montgenevre was excellent.
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Panorama
" Just returned from a week's... "
Submitted By: Mr Chaz Boshell
Just returned from a week's snowboarding for the first time for 3 out of 4 of the family.
What a lovely friendly welcome; great crowd staying; it felt like coming home each night. The gin and tonics were mixed to perfection!
Max and Ricardo were really helpful when we missed the bus. On one occasion Chaz wanted to watch the rugby in town and we were taken there and back (in time for the gorgeous food). To cap it all, Jonny Wilkinson single handily demolished Scotland!!
Kids made new friends and loved the games room. They thought Max was really cool & friendly.
Going back to the food... it was yummy and lots of it (5 authentic Italian courses!) The wine menu was also varied and cheap.
The rooms were spacious and cosy. ALL the staff were always friendly and helpful, even at 5am when we were leaving!!
We would definitely recommend booking Max for private ski/snowboarding lessons next time though. We didn't have much luck with the group lessons.
Cannot wait to book our next holiday. If we go to Italy, it will definitely be to Hotel Martin (if there is a space!) A real find and one which should be shouted about.
Thanks Max, Ricardo and all the other staff. You made our holiday truly memorable.
What a lovely friendly welcome; great crowd staying; it felt like coming home each night. The gin and tonics were mixed to perfection!
Max and Ricardo were really helpful when we missed the bus. On one occasion Chaz wanted to watch the rugby in town and we were taken there and back (in time for the gorgeous food). To cap it all, Jonny Wilkinson single handily demolished Scotland!!
Kids made new friends and loved the games room. They thought Max was really cool & friendly.
Going back to the food... it was yummy and lots of it (5 authentic Italian courses!) The wine menu was also varied and cheap.
The rooms were spacious and cosy. ALL the staff were always friendly and helpful, even at 5am when we were leaving!!
We would definitely recommend booking Max for private ski/snowboarding lessons next time though. We didn't have much luck with the group lessons.
Cannot wait to book our next holiday. If we go to Italy, it will definitely be to Hotel Martin (if there is a space!) A real find and one which should be shouted about.
Thanks Max, Ricardo and all the other staff. You made our holiday truly memorable.
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2007
- Board Basis:Full Board
- Tour Operator:Panorama
" We were a large party of 22 and were... "
Submitted By: Mrs A Whiteman
We were a large party of 22 and were expecting to be treated like cattle - not so. Hotel Martin is fun and friendly and Max, Marco, Valerie and Mother were far more than hosts. Nothing was too much trouble.
The Martin Hotel is home from home - and even though the snow conditions were not fantastic, this was offset by the warm welcome we received. Food was plentiful and good, rooms were clean and warm. Very convenient to ski bus stop and Jouvenceaux Lift.
The Martin Hotel is home from home - and even though the snow conditions were not fantastic, this was offset by the warm welcome we received. Food was plentiful and good, rooms were clean and warm. Very convenient to ski bus stop and Jouvenceaux Lift.
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2006
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Panorama
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Have to say the Hotel Martin lived up to all the hype we had read and it's difficult to add any more to the compliments other guests have given. The few complaints we saw on this site seemed to be a world away from the place we stayed in and from our experience.
Max was a terrific host and the whole family were friendly and helpfull. The food was lovely, with four ample courses in the evening and plenty available at the Breakfast buffet. If you want to go into Sauze it's very walkable, or Max will happily give you a lift, but to be honest the comfortable lounge with the roaring log fire, a well stocked bar (Black Bush Whiskey) and Sky TV made for some very enjoyable evenings at home with our fellow skiers.
One tip we would give is not to automatically hire your ski equipment from the Tour Operator. Better to go to Allemand Sports (just down the hill from the Hotel Martin) and see Monica and family. They are lovely people, between them they speak excellent English and as they are not tied to any of the Tour Operators, they will do you a good deal and look after you well.
If you fancy a little bit of adventure you really must try the Olympic 4 man Bob run at Sansicario. It's not cheap at about £85 but it really is the real deal and a one off experience. Olympic track, Olympic driver, 19 bends in 1 minute, 85 m.p.h. and pulling 3.5 Gs - what more can we say
Hotel Martin - areal gem.
Advice: Great place to ski, especially for intermediates
Activities: Olympic 4 man Bob at Sansicario
Good for: Ski