A new boat terminal scheduled to open in Vienna’s old town in May 2010 will be much more than just a place for passengers to set sail. The impressive new three-floor steel construction includes catering facilities on all levels, a coffee house on the sun deck and a restaurant on the main deck. There are also shops and spaces for events and exhibitions.

Vienna’s new terminal is located in a prime first district stretch of the Danube Canal, which is in fact an arm of the Danube. An impressive three-floor steel construction stretches from Schwedenbrücke to Marienbrücke on the right bank of the Danube Canal. The gently-curved construction – part of which protrudes over the water – rests on just three supports. But there is more to the 127-meter long terminal than eye-catching architecture. There are catering facilities on all three levels, including a coffee house on the sun deck and a restaurant on the main deck. There are also shops and spaces for events and exhibitions.

Until now the high-speed Twin City Liner catamarans that connect neighboring capitals Vienna and Bratislava in just 75 minutes have docked on a nearby section of the Danube Canal next to Schwedenplatz. The new wheelchair-friendly city center terminal will also host smaller Danube pleasure cruisers when it opens. The building is designed to handle around 200,000 passengers each year. A desk operated by the Slovakian capital will provide information for visitors to Bratislava.

Mountain Paradise is offering a week’s ski package at the five star Grand Hotel Kempinski for just £995 per person, saving £550 and a three night weekend stay for £550 per person, saving £225. The offer is valid for departures on Thursdays (for weekend breaks)and Sundays (for week stays) for travel throughout February and March.

Both packages include return flights from London Luton to Poprad (two hours), return airport transfers, seven or three nights accommodation in a double room with breakfast and a six or two day ski pass for the resort of Strbske Pleso in Slovakia’s High Tatras.

The stunning Grand Hotel Kempinski overlooks a beautiful alpine lake in the mountain resort of Strbske Pleso. Facilities include a superb all day dining restaurant featuring mouthwatering international cuisine and local specialities, two bars and a 1,300 sqm Wellness Centre & Spa offering indoor pools, steam bath, various saunas, beauty and facial treatments and fully equipped fitness centre.

Glorious empty slopes, fantastic snow conditions and great prices make Slovakia’s Tatras Mountains an excellent choice for the 2009/10 season. The High Tatras have the highest peaks in the Carpathian mountain range and remain one of Europe’s best kept skiing secrets offering perfect terrain for families, novices and intermediates alike. Mountain Paradise was established in 2003 and is the only ATOL bonded operator specialising solely in the Tatra mountains.

Slovakia is this winter’s hottest new ski destination for British skiers, combining both quality and value. Starting on 6th December Slovak airline Danube Wings are launching a new route from London Luton, Manchester and Dublin, direct to the heart of Slovakia’s Tatry Mountains at Poprad-Tatry. December also sees the opening one of the year’s biggest ski contruction projects of 2009, the new 13 million euro, eight passenger Grand Brhliska gondola lift.

The flights will take skiers to within just 15 minutes’ drive of the ski slopes of Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains and around 50 minutes from the country’s biggest resort of Jasna in the Low Tatras, and cost around 158 euros return. (www.danubewings.com)

Jasna is also the site of one of the largest ski construction projects this season, with the opening of the new 13 million euro, eight passenger Grand Brhliska gondola lift. The new lift rises from close to the Grand Hotel Jasna, 320 vertical metres from 1100m to 1420m and has a capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour, double that of the older four passenger lift it replaces. The new Grand Brhliska gondola will also be 328m longer than the old lift and is styled in striking orange and black livery, designed especially for the project by Doppelmayer.

Slovakia has a long heritage of attracting tourists from the neighbouring countries of Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and from its own domestic market but is a relatively unknown destination for British skiers. Hotels are predominantly 4* and date back to the Austro-Hungarian era and offer high standard accommodation, while prices are around a third lower than mainstream Europe.

For the first time this winter Slovakia features in the Inghams Ski & Snowboard programme with prices from £477 for a week’s half board ski holiday in a 4* hotel, with return flights and transfers.

For independent skiers bookings can also be made online at www.tatrymountains.com. Seven nights half board accommodation at the 4* Grand Hotel Jasna costs from £315 per person, including a 6 day lift pass, return flights with Danube wings cost c. £145 (158 euros).

From DUBLIN, MANCHESTER & London LUTON

Slovakia is this winter’s hottest new ski destination for British skiers, combining both quality and value. Starting on 6th December Slovak airline Danube Wings are launching a new route from London Luton, Manchester and Dublin, direct to the heart of Slovakia’s Tatry Mountains at Poprad-Tatry.

The flights will take skiers to within just 15 minutes’ drive of the ski slopes of Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains and around 50 minutes from the country’s biggest resort of Jasna in the Low Tatras, and cost around 158 euros return. (www.danubewings.com)

Jasna is also the site of one of the largest ski construction projects this season, with the opening of the new 13 million euro, eight passenger Grand Brhliska gondola lift. The new lift rises from close to the Grand Hotel Jasna, 320 vertical metres from 1100m to 1420m and has a capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour, double that of the older four passenger lift it replaces. The new Grand Brhliska gondola will also be 328m longer than the old lift and is styled in striking orange and black livery, designed especially for the project by Doppelmayer.

Slovakia has a long heritage of attracting tourists from the neighbouring countries of Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and from its own domestic market but is a relatively unknown destination for British skiers. Hotels are predominantly 4* and date back to the Austro-Hungarian era and offer high standard accommodation, while prices are around a third lower than mainstream Europe.

For the first time this winter Slovakia features in the Inghams Ski & Snowboard programme with prices from £477 for a week’s half board ski holiday in a 4* hotel, with return flights and transfers.

For independent skiers bookings can also be made online at www.tatrymountains.com. Seven nights half board accommodation at the 4* Grand Hotel Jasna costs from £315 per person, including a 6 day lift pass, return flights with Danube wings cost c. £145 (158 euros).

Kranjska Gora in Slovenia has been named the fourth best value ski region in Europe and North America in a survey by Post Office Travel Services.

Only Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia beat for Slovenia on value, while resorts in North America, Austria and Switzerland were revealed to be the priciest places to hit the piste.

The results were ascertained by combining the price of a six-day, low season lift pass with ski/boot hire and the cost of food and drink.

Fans of an après-ski tipple will be happy to hear that Kranjska Gora offered the cheapest wine of any of the resorts surveyed, at 98p per glass. Prices at other resorts ranged from £1.17 in Slovakia’s High Tatras to £9.31 in Geilo, Norway.

Slovenia is an ideal ski destination for families and beginners, popular with many due to its gentle terrain.

For more information on skiing in Slovenia, please see www.Slovenia.info

Tight holiday budgets are leading skiers to leapfrog traditional favourites in the Alps for better value ski resorts in Central and Eastern Europe this winter.

Travel search site Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.net) has seen a 154% rise in searches for winter flights from the UK to cities east of the Alps, compared to last year. The most popular eastern ski hubs are Krakow in Poland, Sofia in Bulgaria, Bratislava in Slovakia and Ljubljana in Slovenia. The trends reflect the search for better value skiing this winter in light of the recession and strong Euro.

Further evidence for this trend comes from a recent Skyscanner poll which asked skiers and snowboarders whether they would be taking a ski trip this winter; 57% replied that they would, but of those, 65% said they would be heading for a cheaper option than usual.

Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner travel editor and ski expert commented on the trends:

“With an après ski pint now costing close to £8 in some French resorts, many skiers and snowboarders are looking for cheaper options this year. Eastern Europe has suffered from a stigma – some people imagine it to be all concrete communist blocks and dodgy food – but that’s completely inaccurate.

“Whilst it’s true that most resorts in Eastern and Central Europe are smaller than large interlinked areas in France or Austria, they do offer plenty of great skiing in attractive alpine towns, excellent value and an interesting cultural experience.”

Get more piste for your pound: 5 Value Ski Resorts

Zakopane, Poland
Zakopane is Poland’s winter capital and largest ski resort, which offers skiing from December to March. Located in the Tatras Mountains, which is part of the Carpathian range, the ski area is made up of 14 separate zones which offer around 50 lifts in total. You can watch skiers learning to fly during the World Ski-Jumping Cup, a truly impressive sight, and the bars offer plenty of Polish hospitality and lively après-ski action.
Find cheap flights to Krakow

Vogel, Slovenia
Vogel must be one of Slovenia’s most beautiful ski areas. Perched high above Bohinj Lake, you can enjoy the stunning views across the Triglav National Park. Nearby, the small ski area of Kobla offers extra slopes and there are also 10km of cross-country ski trails that run through a forested plateau at Pokljuka. Stay at Pension Stare, a cosy family run hotel right on the banks of Bohinj. Nightlife here is quiet – so Vogel is best suited for romantic couples or families. Find cheap flights to Ljubljana

Borovets, Bulgaria
Along with its cousins, Bansko and Pamporovo, the ski resort of Borovets is a great choice for the bargain hunter. A lively, cheap and cheerful town, Borovets is the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria. Nestled at around 1,300m in the Rila Mountains, it’s comprised of three separate zones (which aren’t yet fully linked). The upper half of the mountain is largely above the tree line and offers plenty of wide open pistes, most of which are fairly gentle – ideal for beginners and intermediates. The ski instruction here is top notch and the après ski is lively, so it’s particularly popular with party animals. Find cheap flights to Sofia

Kopaonik, Serbia
Boasting 23 lifts and a vertical drop of 821 meters, this surprisingly modern resort is Serbia’s top winter offering. Kopaonik is excellent value – a cup of coffee will cost less than 80p, beer is about 50p a bottle and a three-course lunch just £5. Serbians are renowned for being 24-hour party people, so the nightlife is energetic – pack your dancing shoes and hangover cures. With the Serbian tourist board currently pushing “Visit Serbia Year 2011” – the country is set for a boost in visitors – better get there before everyone else!
Find cheap flights to Belgrade

Jasna , Slovakia
Slovakia’s biggest and best resort, Jasna is situated in the Low Tatras National Park. Don’t be put off by the name, the mountain rises to an altitude of 2,024m and offers a very respectable 1,000m of vertical drop. Jasna’s snowpark is sponsored by Burton and has terrain to challenge even the most fearless freestylers, whilst the nearby town of Liptovsky Mikulás provides ample entertainment after dark.

Pricewise, Slovakia is infinitely better value than France; a pint will cost £1 or less; a three course meal just a tenner. Try PropagandaSnowboards who offer excellent value packages for skiers and snowboarders, including accommodation, breakfast, transfers and guiding from £215. Find cheap flights to Bratislava or Poprad Tatry.