I HAVE learnt through experience never to be too surprised by what happens on a skiing holiday. From spending the night in an igloo to skiing down a mountain at night with a lighted flare I have done it all.

But when I visited Obergurgl this year it was a first to be served part of our seven course dinner in the laundry room. When my daughter and I first read about the safari style supper on offer at the Muhle Resort Hotel we thought it was an optional extra so just arrived in the dining room as usual.

But after a few minutes we realised that all guests were expected to take part in the journey designed by hotel owners the Gstrein-Noesig family to show off the massive revamp the building has undergone in recent years.

So we had starters in the bar, soup in reception and then Prosecco sorbet in the laundry room. At this point Frau Gstrein-Noeig arrived to give us a detailed lecture on how changes to the washing machines and dryers was helping climate change, reducing costs and aiding efficiency. She was so passionate about the laundry that you could not help but smile and join in her enthusiasm.

Other nights when we just sat at our table and were served seemed a little tame and ordinary by comparison. But the food wherever it was served at the Muhle was a highlight.

From the wonderful breakfasts that included eight different varieties of muesli to the apres ski snack of cake or pasta it was impossible to go hungry in this corner of Austria.

I learnt to ski in Austria many moons ago and it remains my favourite Alpine country. Obergurgl had always been on my wish list of places to visit but somehow until this year I had never managed to get there.

The wait was worth it. When we arrived the snow was piled high after one of the biggest dumps of the white stuff in history and the sun was out. Being late January the slopes were almost deserted and queues were non existent.

My adult daughter and I travelled with Crystal Ski and were pleased that on the first afternoon of our holiday a free guided tour of the resort was laid on by the company using experts from the Obergurgl Ski School.

It meant we had the morning to get our ski legs back and then the afternoon to get to see the best runs the resort had to offer in a small group led by a guide.

We also took advantage of another trip to nearby Solden which is just down the mountain but with a very different atmosphere to laid back, family friendly Obergurgl.

Here the main strip is full of bars and restaurants that become lively as soon as skiers descend from the mountain at about 4pm and go well on into the night.

Up the mountain on the glacier we visited the bar made famous by the James Bond film Spectre which has spectacular views of surrounding mountain ranges.

Glacier skiing in Solden was fun but we were quite happy to return to the quieter life of Obergurgl and enjoy a roof top hot tub as the sun set across the mountains.

The other joy of this holiday was that we managed to have luxury without breaking the bank as instead of staying in the main Muhle Resort Hotel we had our room in the Muhle Residenz. By staying in the annexe about 30 yards from the main building we paid a much lower price but still benefitted from exactly the same dining room experience, spa facilities, bar and courtesy mini bus to the lift stations.

The only difference was that the decor in our room was more homely but it was still a decent size, had a balcony and an en-suite shower room. An added bonus was the arrangement the hotel had with a local ski hire shop Riml Sports which meant that at the end of the week you did not have to trudge back to the shop with the equipment but just left it at a drop off point in the hotel's ski room.

Fact file

Crystal Ski - crystalski.co.uk

Obergurgl tourist office - skiresort.info/ski-resort/obergurgl-hochgurgl/tourist-info/

Riml Sports - 043 50 311 100

Week half board at Muhl Residenz on March 24 costs £769.