Hotel Stella Alpina

The Hotel Stella Alpina is the place to be for skiers and boarders looking for a convenient, comfy, homely base, right at the bottom of the home run into Sauze and just next to the Clotes chairlift. It's a family-run hotel where Caroline (an ex-pat Brit) and her loved ones have been offering high standards of service at the hotel for years.

An added bonus is that all guests over 18 can join our free Neilson Mountain Experts ski guiding and coaching service throughout the week. Fully qualified instructors will guide you around the slopes whilst giving tips on your technique at the same time (if you want it).

Nearest slope: 10m to the Clotes homerun

Nearest lift: 100m

Tuition meeting point: Top of the Sportinia chairlift

Equipment hire shop: Opposite the hotel

Resort centre: 120m

Sauze d'Oulx sits at the northern end of the huge Milky Way ski area, perched on a sunny plateau. 'Sunny Sauze' (as it's come to be known) is particularly popular with the Brits and it's not a huge surprise as the resort is big on skiing but equally big on nightlife. It's a party town that's made even better due to the legendary skiing and boarding on offer.

As the gateway to some 400km of piste, it's a magnet for skiers and boarders who also like a bit of party action as well as their time on the mountains. It's a fantastic place for intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders thanks to endless cruisy blue runs and nearly 200kms of challenging reds.

The Stella Alpina is on half board so you can expect a delicious continental buffet breakfast to set you up for a day in the Milky Way. In the evening, sit down to a three-course meal with plenty of regional specialities. Your Christmas and New Year meals are also included.

The 38 rooms here are split between the main hotel and two annexes (one is exclusive to Neilson guests) just 50m away, which offers lovely views of the mountain. All have a very traditional alpine feel with beautiful hand crafted wooden beds and wardrobes. Most of the rooms are twins or doubles, but there are a couple of larger family rooms plus a single in the annexe.

All of the rooms have flat screen satellite TV, a shower and a hairdryer. If you're feeling a bit more extravagant, ask for a superior room - they come with a jetted bath which is just amazing.

The Hotel Stella Alpina has really rolled out the red carpet for families. Not too surprising since it's a family-run hotel - they know just what families are looking for! They offer the quirkily named 'Baby Parking' at the neighbouring La Libellula créche. It's available for children aged 13 months to six years old and it runs from 8:30am until 5:30pm every day.

A stay at the Stella Alpina means you can also enjoy free ski guiding and coaching throughout the week from fully qualified ski and board instructors. We call them our Mountain Experts.

Designed for confident blue and red-run skiers and snowboarders, they'll show you around the mountain on free guiding sessions, and even offer free coaching sessions to help you become a more confident skier or snowboarder.

There will be at least 12 hours of sessions a week and we guarantee each guest at least two sessions a week. Your Neilson resort hosts will explain how it works when you get there.

Official rating: ***

'Scotch' bar

Restaurant overlooking the slopes

Free Wi-Fi in the public areas

Cosy bar with open fire and satellite TV

Departure airports: Manchester

Departure day: Sunday

Arrival airport: Turin

Flight duration: 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes

Transfer time: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Important: As Sauze d'Oulx is a traffic free resort, on arrival day customers will need to walk from the coach park with their luggage to their accommodation (max. 15mins away). Alternatively, we offer a free luggage drop service where we will deliver the luggage to the accommodation up to around 2 hours after your arrival.