11 independent reviews for Winter family holiday in Slovakia, High Tatras
Reviews for Winter family holiday in Slovakia, High Tatras
Maurice O Halloran review 24 Feb 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Really enjoyed the mountain hikes with Andrea our guide. She was so knowledgeable and shared very interesting stories.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Try to book off season as the week we went was the busiest and skiiing was just too busy for it to be enjoyed.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I do, local businesses got supported, from restaurants , cafes. gift shops etc. As for the environment its a good holiday to see the beauty of the mountains and wanting to ensure they beauty remains.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was really enjoyable, as mentioned above we loved the hiking with Andrea our guide. We really wanted to do dog sleighing and because of poor snow conditions the usual supplier was cancelled but the team contacted another person which allowed us to experience the activity. Also Andrea changed plans along the way to allow for a more enjoyable experience.Joanne Denne review 1 Mar 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Our guide Veronika, who was amazing and the beautiful Tatranská Mountains2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Enquire about a non-snow, proposed itinerary before you book. We took much cheaper flights to Krakow, spent a few nights there, prior to taking the transfer arranged by Slovakia Explorer, from Krakow airport to our Slovakian accommodation. The local school children had the same February half term holiday as our children, so the ski slopes were busier that particular week.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
With the exception of the last-minute change of husky company, I do believe that the holiday benefited local people. Doing a group tour reduces environmental impacts such as vehicle pollution and having a local guide ensured that local customs are explained, footpaths are kept to.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Petr was extremely good with communication prior to our holiday, a real pleasure to deal with. Unfortunately we were not given the up-to-date itinerary post booking and paying, so our expectation of things was slightly different to the rest of our group. We did raise this and we were courteously given 1 out of 2 of our included lunches. The guide was brilliant, but the organisation from head office was a little erratic which seemed to put unfair pressure on her (this was not helped by loss of snow at start of the week, which we felt should have been a realistic possibility for the holiday company to deal with and should not have impacted our overall experiences). The replacement husky sledding was a real disappointment, the companies care of the dogs and expectation for them to pull the sleds with no real snow coverage, felt very at odds with animal welfare. We felt cruel making the dogs take us. Prior to the holiday it had been suggested by Petr that the children could even have a go at racing the husky sleds. As this experience was SO far removed from that discussion, we feel it should have been cancelled and something else should have replaced it. My husband and son were very disappointed with only having basic plastic sled mats for the sledging. No opportunity for those with kids older than 5/6 to go down together, they really hurt my sons back at the time meaning he was not able to use it much and my husband used it a lot and he was black and blue after, which gave him trouble skiing the next day. The area we stayed in was beautiful, picturesque and magical. The hotel was comfortable (once we had asked reception to turn down the 24 degree room setting), it was clean and in particular the cleaning staff were really friendly and helpful.Joanna Brown review 24 Feb 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
All of it!! Loved the thermal pools, the stunning hikes, the food, the skiing! Our guide Jan was fantastic and really took excellent care of us, going above and beyond!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for some long hikes, and very cold weather!! Hand warmers recommended!! However Jan would have tailored the trip differently if we had not coped well with the level of difficulty. The kids felt so proud of themselves!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We certainly enjoyed lots of local restaurants, used local facilities and learned about Slovakian culture.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
One of our very BEST! Will definitely return to Slovakia.Anna Neuff review 21 Feb 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
All of it - the whole trip was fantastic. The variety was great and the dog sledding was probably the most memorable. However the whole experience was fun, relaxed and gave lots of time for our young children to simply enjoy being in the snow. Our guide Andy and all our drivers were very friendly and super helpful.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If possible don't travel on a Saturday to Krakow as the traffic from Krakow to the Tatras Mountains was extremely busy (transfer took 5 hours rather than 2 1/2). This will improve when the new road is built.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
There were lots of local companies in Slovakia and they were used throughout our tour.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The holiday was an amazing experience with a great variety of things to do. Petr was very responsive and happy to personalise our tour. Everyone was very friendly and we would definitely like to return.Liz Thompson review 12 Jan 2020
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We all enjoyed the skiing, great, easy skiing for all the family. Also loved the sledging - the inner child in all of us :) and the horse ride and BBQ in the woods was great fun2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Worth considering taking crampons for the waterfall walk and your own walking poles. Sturdy walking boots are a must.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We ate out every night locally so definitely feel we supported the local economy and each day we were out we bought food and drinks. The people we met were very pleasant and keen to help us and make sure we had a good time.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Overall we thought it was a great family Winter holiday away, suitable for all ages from 15 - 76! All the activities on offer were fun, some were more challenging and things we had never done before but thoroughly enjoyed. Our guide, Andy, was excellent and extremely helpful. He made sure everyone was happy each day and if anyone wanted to do something slightly different he ensured there was a plan in place so everyone was catered for. A beautiful part of the world, the snowy landscape was just what we asked for. We were made to feel welcome wherever we went, people were very friendly.Mary Ann Kenny review 8 Jan 2020
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Skiing, thermal pools, winter walk to Skok waterfall, BBQ, sledging2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The trip notes state that no real physical fitness is required. This is an understatement as some of the activities - snow shoeing for example - are quite strenuous. Not a problem for our family but best to be forewarned.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It definitely benefited local people. The guide was local and everyone we met seemed to be local. No need to supply plastic water bottles for the day trips, as we were all encouraged to bring our reusable water bottles from home.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent holiday, just what the doctor ordered. Fantastic landscape, action-packed programme, great guide, nice fellow-travellers. We were lucky with the weather too as the snow fell before we arrived and we had bright, sunny days throughout.Lisa Cooke review 25 Feb 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
This was a fantastic holiday. We met some lovely people and our guide Jan was very friendly and helpful throughout our visit. The week was well planned with plenty of activities as well as some down time in the evening to recover from the days events!!! As beginners on the slopes we were excited to learn and grateful for the patience and tuition of the ski instructor.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
I would say you have to have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy this trip to the full and not have the feeling of holding others in the group back. I would also recommend packing some 'spikes' for your normal footwear as walking in the towns and on some of the tracks, can be very slippery on the ice. Also do some general stretching before partaking in the activities!!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I would say the local population benefit from tourism brought to the area. There was not much litter that I could see, but was disappointing to see the odd discarded plastic bottle in the woodlands. I think generally people are environmentally aware and take their rubbish home. There is ongoing conservation work continuing following the 2004 storms.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic. Would recommend to friends with similar interests and fitness. Communication from Petr, the organiser was also excellent.Ilze Henderson review 7 Jan 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Wow, what a question, everything was great! The dogsledding was a highlight, the thermal pools was most enjoyable, the Zeleno Pleso hut was very special, the setting was out of this world, I thought I was dreaming! And to learn more about the Slovakian culture was also great!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Bring very warm clothes! We are from Africa so for us it was very cold. And make sure that you have some level of fitness, especially for the hike to the hut. We did the up one day and the down the next. To do it in one day would have been too tough for us.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
For sure! All the activities were hosted by local people and our environmental impact was almost nothing.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was wonderful.Our guide Dana was the best! She was so friendly and helpful. She went way out of her way to make our trip a memorable one! We couldnt have asked for a better guide! The drivers were also so friendly, on time and helpful. Petr was amazing too. He was so caring and made sure that he organised the best for us. Thank you thank you!!Alicia Moreno review 5 Jan 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Dog sledding and the hike up to the hut were very exciting activities but I would say that all organised activities were great. We all throughly enjoyed it! I really rate our guide Dana. She looked after us very well, and helped with every detail! I will miss her!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for an active holiday.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I would think so.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Brilliant! A very well organised holiday with lots of exciting activities for all the family members. Thank you!Paula Stevens review 4 Jan 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The whole thing was excellent. My children loved learning to ski and the dog sledding, but I think my favorite was the winter walk on New Years day.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Snow would probably be better during the February Half term - but if you want to book at Christmas it is still fantastic, you just might need to be more flexible.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Slovakia is a fantastic destination, but it is not as well marketed as other countries. I feel that our visit supported our guide and driver in specific and the local economy in general.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent trip for active families.Holiday Reviews
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