A teacher's account of school ski trips in Italy's San Valentino resort

Located just an hour from Verona, in the mountains above Lake Garda, Polsa-San Valentino is a compact, family-run resort, and an exceptional option for school groups.

But don't just take our word for it! Last week, one of our regular return party leaders went to check out San Valentino for himself; read on to find out what he has to say about this friendly ski resort below.

“I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in the Italian resort of San Valentino earlier this season, to experience the Hotel Sole de Baldo and ski area first hand. This is not a resort that has experience of British school groups, but Equity’s links with the new hotelier mean that this will change in 2025 and my school group will be one of the first to try it out.

“San Valentino is neither a large resort or ski area, so it is important to be aware of this before you consider booking. I run the junior trip at my school, so the bright lights and après-ski atmosphere are not essential considerations for us. We tend to like smaller, less crowded resorts and sole occupancy hotels, so San Valentino immediately appealed to me.

“We arrived at the hotel after dark and were given a warm welcome. We were treated to one of the Hotel Sole de Baldo’s real plus points for our evening meal, the wood fired pizza oven in the main restaurant. This is going to be a real winner with the students and will also save the travelling out for a pizza night.

“[San Valentino's] a great choice for groups who like sole occupancy, a friendly welcome and do not need large ski areas.”

“Within a couple of hours, I had a good feeling about the resort – this was confirmed when we woke up to bright sunshine and were able to have a proper look at the hotel and ski area. Another huge plus for this resort is that the ski hire is underneath the hotel. This will save a lot of time and make managing the ski fit much easier.

“There is a small nursery slope outside the hotel, but this was closed when we visited, so beginners would need to make a 5-minute coach ride round to the nursery slopes at Polsa. For intermediate and advanced skiers, they should be able to walk up the side of the slope from the hotel and ski down to the lifts. Another big plus for the hotel is that you can ski back directly to the terrace. As a result, I am hoping that the hotel will effectively become doorstep skiing for our whole group by the middle of the week. The slopes were wide, well-kept and not too busy, so whilst it is not an extensive ski area, the quality of skiing was very good.

“The standard of bedroom in the hotel was very good, especially for the price, and the food was excellent. In addition to this, there are a number of large communal spaces for school groups to use for evening entertainment, which is especially important as there is not lots to do in the immediate vicinity.

“We are really looking forward to our trip to the Hotel Sole de Baldo in San Valentino during February 2025. It feels like a great choice for groups who like sole occupancy, a friendly welcome and do not need large ski areas.”

To find out more about our school trips to San Valentino, or enquire about booking a school ski trip, please call us on 01273 648248. You can also fill out our webform, and our school trip experts will get back to you as soon as we can.