From Venice to Athens, Europe’s most popular destinations are buckling under the weight of unsustainable tourist numbers.
Sunshine and snow in Europe's southernmost ski resort
11.12.2023 - 08:13 / nationalgeographic.com
The aroma of a tapas bar is an incongruous sensation when dressed in ski kit, but it’s the end of a long day on the slopes, and plates of grilled squid, spicy patatas bravas and plump green olives are on offer, along with a bargain glass of Rioja (€3.50/£2). It’s 6pm and the lifts have only just shut in Sierra Nevada, Europe’s most southerly ski resort. The mountain town in Andalusia enjoys lots more sunshine than most ski areas in the Alps. This, admittedly, is accompanied by a fairly functional assortment of accommodation spread along a steeply winding road. Unless you’re staying right in town, walking home while carrying your kit takes quite an effort at this altitude. The resort’s hub, Pradollano, sits at 2,100 metres, while the ski area’s 65 miles of pistes extend up to 3,398 metres: the chilly summit of Veleta, Spain’s third-highest mountain.
The resort’s one little indoor complex of tapas bars, in Pradollano, constitute its main après scene, but along a cliff edge overlooking the plains of Granada, I find another string of lively restaurants — music booming from huge speakers — that’s reminiscent of a Spanish seafront. But it’s not long before I retreat to my hotel, Maribel, which was refurbished by its new owner, Puente Romano Beach Resort, in 2022. Its first venue, the five-star El Lodge, opened here in 2016 and both are found half a mile up the road above Pradollano, right beside the Maribel piste. Their restaurants serve modern European and Spanish cuisine on sunny terraces with crisp, white napkins and attentive staff. Considering the food offering elsewhere — think burrito stations, self-service grills and vending machines — two ski in, ski out hotels with smart restaurants are a game-changer.
Maribel has a shuttle to run guests around town, but it’s just as easy to jump on the two-person Parador chairlift (also accessible to non-skiers), which rises from the centre of Pradollano to the highest accommodation, dropping passengers at stations along the way.
Snow is reliable here from November to May, bolstered by Sierra Nevada’s investment in 105 new state-of-the-art snow cannons, upping their total to 315 to provide good coverage in marginal conditions. But — as is the case in many resorts now worldwide — during my Easter visit it’s too warm to use them, so we make do with a reduced selection of slopes and soaking up the sun. I take a break from the heat with a drink at Borreguiles restaurant on the central section of the mountain, where most ski runs and lifts converge at 2,645 metes, Here I meet Lesley Park, from Plymouth, who’s skied in Sierra Nevada for 16 years. “It’s two hours from sea to slopes,” she says. “We come here every year for two days, then four days down on the coast —
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
breakingtravelnews.com
30.12.2023 / 18:25
Iglu’s Ski Sale - on Now - All the Deals
Iglu Ski Announce Incredible Ski Savings in their End of Year Sale.
forbes.com
29.12.2023 / 22:43
New ‘Report Card’ Rates Best And Worst States For Traffic Safety Laws
Ratings that reflect progress across the country to pass 16 important traffic safety laws and countermeasures to combat dangerous driving have been announced.
breakingtravelnews.com
26.12.2023 / 11:20
World Champions Take to the Skies to Launch Maldives’ First Permanent Skydiving Dropzone at Ifuru
A host of VIPs from the skydiving world – including Red Bull aerial athlete Fred Fugen and multiple world record holder David Nimmo – have taken to the skies above Ifuru Island Maldives to launch the destination’s first permanent skydiving dropzone.
thepointsguy.com
23.12.2023 / 14:57
Airport and rail meltdowns: Tips if you’re headed to Europe this Christmas
Well, we got close, folks. However, it looks like a trouble-free year with only minor cancellations and delays for Christmas travel in Europe won't be happening after all.
forbes.com
21.12.2023 / 20:21
Incredible Japan Travel: Surprises, Secrets, Pleasures And Treasures
Although it has been years since I’ve traveled in mesmerizing Tokyo, my memories are as vivid as though they had been sparked yesterday—pleasures aswirl in unique flavors and noises, creativity and ingenuity. So when luxury publisher Assouline released the new book Tokyo Chic, I dove into its 312 lush-paper-stock pages, with more than 200 photographs and illustrations, which are bound in an outsize (10-by-13-inches, 6.4-pound) format—a hefty hardcover wrapped in silk. The brainchild of Andrea Fazzari, whose deft imagery and words are love letters to the inimitable capital, Tokyo Chic showcases a massively enthralling—yet strikingly intimate—city. Currently based in Tokyo, Fazzari is a James Beard Award-winning photographer, author and restaurant maven with notable backgrounds in fashion and film. Born in New York City, she has lived in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain and Thailand—and speaks four languages. What a sophisticated guide to have at your armchair traveler’s fingertips! Indeed, this coffee table tome would make a treasured holiday gift for those who have already vacationed in Japan or simply dream of doing so.
skift.com
18.12.2023 / 18:20
Ask Skift: How Does Visa-Free Travel Impact Tourism?
Destinations worldwide have increasingly moved to lift visa requirements as part of their strategy to increase visitor numbers — visa processing delays are a major obstacle to the industry’s full recovery.
theguardian.com
18.12.2023 / 15:11
Night trains and border crossings: Europe’s best new rail routes
Warsaw has just moved closer to Munich, Berlin nudged towards Paris, and Aachen slipped nearer to Salzburg. These are just three examples of city pairs that are newly linked, as of this week, by direct night trains. None of these city pairs currently has direct daytime trains, so the overnight options create a web of opportunities. As always in December, rail operators across Europe are introducing new schedules, along the way creating tantalising links where none existed before.
forbes.com
17.12.2023 / 11:51
Best Ways To Celebrate Christmas In Europe
By American standards, the holiday season starts early in Europe… Halloween isn’t traditionally celebrated here, and Thanksgiving doesn’t exist, so Europeans start thinking ahead to December in mid-October.
euronews.com
14.12.2023 / 14:52
This European capital has been crowned the best city destination in the world
Europe is home to 63 of the top 100 city destinations in the world, according to a new ranking.
afar.com
08.12.2023 / 21:33
United Just Added This New Nonstop Flight to Europe From California
United Airlines is betting big on Spain: On December 6, the carrier announced that for the first time, it is launching new nonstop service between San Francisco and Barcelona for summer 2024. Together with its other Spain routes, that marks a 30 percent increase in flights to Spain in 2024 compared to 2023.
thepointsguy.com
08.12.2023 / 20:37
White House announces a flood of money for high-speed rail and other train projects
The White House is announcing billions of dollars in new funding for train projects from coast to coast.