Austria
Most resorts are very seasonal and mostly winter locations, which attempt to extract as much revenue in the ski season as is possible in order to make hay while the snow falls - so to speak. Zell am See is unlike others in that it is a 12 months of the year resort on account of its near idyllic setting at the bottom of a glacier and resting on a delicious alpine lake. 'See' by the way is the German word for lake - hence Zell by the lake. Zell am See is coupled with Kaprun and Schüttdorf and together the conurbation is the perfect backdrop for some summer or winter loving folks to enjoy themselves and each other!
The whole resort is part of the now famous 'Europa Sport Region', which gives it the panache of quality-approved respectability and value for money. Intermediate skiers can avail of a fantastic 6.3km uninterrupted run called the "Schüttenabfahrt" (assuming you don't mow someone down) or if you are an advanced skier, you can try the autobahn pace of the World Cup downhill course. Black slopers can also check out the glacial skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier near Kaprun, if the boring old snow is proving too slow for you and your terminal velocity friends.
Built in the middle ages Zell am See is a joy to walk around and soak up the cosmopolitan atmosphere, when you are not too busy engaging in some wallet lightening in the vast selection of pubs and shops. As for food the philistines can even eat (using that verb in its broadest sense) in McDonalds if they cannot resist eateries such as Wienerwald, Kupferkessel and Café Feinschmeck.
