Hotel Diplomat Aregarden, Åre

Set by a scenic lake, Åre has over 90km of pistes and the most varied skiing in Scandinavia. Most of the skiing is suited to beginners and intermediates, but there are a few challenging blacks and some off-piste for advanced skiers. Åre also offers a World Cup downhill slope. Families will like Åre, with excellent facilities for children (all under 11's get a free pass and helmet). The ski school has very good reviews, with most of the instructors fluent in English. You can ski right down into the town of Åre, while recent upgrades of the base lifts have meant that at Duved the journey has been reduced from 45 to five minutes. Snow presence is not usually a problem, but above the tree-line high winds can disrupt the snowfall and this is the biggest weather threat to the resort. The area also has over 300km of cross-country tracks.

The resort of Åre is very attractive, based around the square, with good hotels and some excellent local cuisine. The nightlife is lively from 4pm onwards, and non-skiers have a full range of winter pursuits to keep them busy. Östersand Airport is only 90 minutes away.