Our winter vacations are provided by specialist responsible operators & accommodations committed to mountain conservation.
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These full and frank independent winter accommodation reviews are from travelers who have booked directly through responsibletravel.com. They are not edited by us or any of the companies we work with. Find the real story, from real travelers below.
The trip was 5 star born again, Liz and Mel were fantastically welcoming, extremely well informed on all aspects of the area and able to provide a very relaxing environment. 
(more)Very enjoyable stay, great accommodation, very friendly hosts. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a vacation in a beautiful location with loads to see and do (all of which is detailed in an up to date and meticulously prepared and researched information folder left in the room).
(more)A lovely family vacation or romantic getaway, off the beaten track, true Italy at its best. Some fabulous restaurants in chiavenna and wonderful food and drink, simply gorgeous views, fresh air and zillions of places to go and see from lakes to quaint villages to deserted mountain treks (more)Beautiful accommodation and right next to a lovely beach with great and unpretentious Spanish restaurants... Excellent. As good as we had hoped and will go back with our children next year who will also love it!
(more)I can't imagine a better vacation. The staff gaged the activities according to your interest and will go out of their way to
make sure that it is the most memorable experience. (more)We couldn't have asked for more, the chalet was just perfect with excellent standards, clean, safe and totally family orientated with the Nintendo Wii going down a storm on the snug evenings with the log fire burning. (more)Matt and Caroline made arrangements for us to ride, snowshoe and ski. We had never skied before and had thought that we were too old to try. However we went and took a couple of lessons and we loved it. (more)
We had the most wonderful vacation; there were lots of hugely memorable moments. Arriving at the hotel was pretty good: it was in pristine condition, the staff were very friendly and there were lots of glorious flowers. (more)We have many wonderful memories from this vacation. Firstly the accommodation and the town of Capena itself. Such a beautiful, timeless place. We had a day of cooking at the apartment which was great fun. (more)The most memorable part of our trip was most likely the scenery we loved the mountains and woodlands. The next was the food as Nick is no doubt an excellent chef and Dasha a specialist with deserts. (more)
Traveling in a dug out canoe on the river between The Gambia and Senegal amongst the mangroves and seeing so much bird life was the most exciting part. (more)
The hotel was a wonderful find!! It is beautiful, and all the staff without
exception were very friendly, and helpful - I don't think "NO" is a word they
ever use to their guests!!!! (more)
We have had a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful time and have enjoyed exploring the local area and swimming in the pool. This was the perfect place for us to stay and we have been made really welcome, almost like a homestay but with our own bungalow and separate meals.
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The most memorable part of our stay were the evening meals which were buffet style but of excellent quality providing an opportunity to taste different dishes. (more)A wonderfully relaxing week, very well looked after by all the hotel staff. It made a refreshing change to be in a welcoming, family run hotel - a far cry from the standard international brands. (more)
The campfires on the beach which were lit when anyone was leaving after a week's stay. The fabulous staff played traditional drums and we watched shooting stars, under the stars, whilst dancing and singing. (more)
Absolutely amazing. I would recommend this area to anyone looking for ultimate relaxation in beautiful untouched surroundings, where you feel at home amongst the local people. (more)Scenic and serene, our stay was idyllic. Aside from the beautiful location, our hosts - Trevor and Debbie Benton - made us feel so comfortable and welcome that it felt like home. (more)
Tochni was one of the most beautiful villages in the area. It suited us because it was very quiet. Renovating old buildings provides an immediate atmosphere to the vacation and is much better than staying in a new apartment. (more)We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
Committed but environmentally-aware skiers and snowboarders will be familiar with this conundrum: how can you continue to enjoy the thrill of the slopes, without jetting off around the world in search of fast-diminishing snow and thereby contributing further to global warming in the process? It's a tough one – but the choices you make are crucial. Get it right and there's a chance your kids might actually know what a pair of skis are for too. Get it wrong and the only snowboards they'll ever see will be in a museum. Lecture over – almost. There's a good reason why, environmentally speaking, the way you get to your destination is probably much more important than what you do when you get there. Aircraft emissions are the fastest-growing contributor to global warming, and a single return flight to the US can contribute the same to the world's climate change burden as everything else you do in the entire year. And with that much guilt hanging over you, how could you possibly enjoy your stay on the pistes? Enter the Alpine Snow Train. This isn't some kind of hair shirt-wearing eco-sacrifice: according to those in the know (and it's pretty much a word of mouth thing) it's a lot more entertaining than the alternatives. If you get to the Alps by Snow Train, you can ski or board with a pretty clear conscience: train travel is on average responsible for only a third of the pollution of air travel, and is also much cleaner than traveling by car (see Sidebar). And it's actually faster in a sense as well – if you let the Snow Train take the strain you can get eight days on the slopes out of one week. Mark Lynas suggests how you can do your bit to ensure that you can have your snow and ski on it too. Read more about winter in this winter vacations article.
With ski season becoming shorter and less predictable and glaciers in retreat, it seems that global warming has already begun to affect winter tourism. Mark Lynas reports on a shrinking industry. "That's it, the season's over." The two ski attendants from the Glencoe Ski Centre were sitting in front of a computer in a nearby village, watching a five-day forecast download from the internet. One of them shook his head glumly as the heavy rain-bearing depressions marched across the screen. "It's only March – we should have a month at least of winter to go yet." Scotland's snow is in retreat. According to a recent Scottish Executive report, there have been twelve days less snow cover per decade throughout the country since the late 1970s. And following the winter of 1987/88 there have been only three out of thirteen winters with an above-average snow cover duration. Those who venture into the mountains today are more likely to encounter mud and rain than frost and snow. Read more about winter vacations in this winter vacations article. 
