Hotel Azola

The skiing was great, and the rooms were small but comfortable and very clean. The staff were nice, though they wouldn’t bend on anything. The hotel had a good ski storage room and a sauna, but no hot tub. There was a barking dog behind the hotel that woke us very early each morning. It wasn’t inexpensive, and I’d choose somewhere else next time. Food was a real frustration. Dinner was set for 7:30pm, too late for our group of early-rising skiers, who were hungry by then and had to go to bed on full stomachs. The meal plan included breakfast and supper. Dinner had three plated choices, two courses and dessert, but the salad and vegetable buffet ran out every night. When we asked for more, the answer was no. Breakfast was a buffet with the same problem. At a full hotel with 40 people, they put out six eggs and a few slices of meat and cheese. You could wait 10-15 minutes for a small refill or make do with bread or cereal and head skiing. Some guests arrived early and took plenty for their group, leaving little for others. I asked whether they could accommodate my vegetarian, lactose-free diet. The proprietor laughed and said, “HERE?” before saying no. Most suppers were meat-based. They did make me eggs, since otherwise I had only a few vegetables and salad, when those hadn’t run out. I had to buy food for myself at the nearby grocery store. Shops were within walking distance, which helped. There was no coffee before breakfast at 7:30am, either in the lobby or rooms, and no kettles in the rooms, even if you brought your own coffee. The single machine was slow, with a 10-minute wait for a first cup. Housekeeping moved our things and unplugged chargers, and there was no sign to put out if you wanted to skip cleaning. The hotel shuttle went to the nearest ski lift only at set times, made just a few runs and held seven skiers. There was no pickup before 3:30pm, which was too late for me, and it wouldn’t take us elsewhere. The town ski bus cost 4 Euros. We could walk back, but 15 minutes in ski boots wasn’t much fun.