If you’re looking to buy a ski home, chances are your main priority will be to choose a great resort with varied skiing and, perhaps, a vibrant après ski scene. However, have you thought about using your home to visit the beach or lakes for a swim? There are a number of resorts with the capacity to both ski and swim, which makes them ideal to use at any time of year.
Sierra Nevada - Spain
Fancy a ski and beach holiday rolled into one? Thanks to its unique location, the Sierra Nevada region is the perfect destination for mixing your winter holiday with a city or beach break. It’s just half an hour away from Granada, a beautiful town with Moorish architecture, and just over an hour away from stunning Mediterranean beaches.
The resort includes 124 runs and is suitable for all levels, with cross country slopes, a snowboarding park and even opportunities to try paraskiing.
Perpignan - France
Perpignan, in Languedoc Roussillon and near the Spanish border, is in a great location for skiing and beaches. The Font Romeu ski area in the Pyrenees is less than an hour inland and is a perfect resort for all types of skiers. A historic town with 3000 hours of sunshine every year, it’s a resort popular with visitors from both Spain and France.
The most beautiful beaches in Perpignan are on Cote Vermeille, where the fantastic scenery of the Pyrenees offers a dramatic backdrop.
Madesimo - Italy
This is an attractive old village above Lake Como and is a 2.5-hour drive from Milan and Bergamo. It’s much loved by Italian families and the ski season can start in November and go on until late spring. The area offers a variety of ski surfaces, from more than 60 km of downhill slopes to 25 km of trails for cross-country skiing. Due to its close proximity to Lake Como, you could use your ski home here as a base to visit the Italian lakes in the summer.
Zell em See - Austria
Zell em See in Austria is just as popular in the winter as it is in the summer. The town itself is historic, boasting quaint cobbled streets and a Romanesque church. It is close to the large Lake Zell, which with the backdrop of the mountains, is beautiful and can be enjoyed all year round. The ski resort itself has a good variety of slopes and snow falls from early October until early summer. There’s also a buzzing après ski scene with regular music events, festivals and numerous bars.
These are just some of the options on offer to enjoy both skiing and swimming. For more information about buying a ski property abroad, download our handy buying guide.