· Christmas in Austria is a quiet, family affair. New Year is more of a public holiday with gala dinners, fireworks etc. However, I have had several lovely Christmases in the Tirol, namely in a small, beautiful village called Alpbach. The Messnerwirt is a small, picture-postcard hotel opposite the church in the central square. Its annexe has a good swimming pool on the ground floor - but beware Germans who think nothing of stripping off by the pool...

Wendy Woodall

· Contrary to what you might think, many ski holiday companies have vacancies over Christmas. It seems that, although New Year is always booked up, people don't tend to like being away from home at Christmas. If you can wait until a couple of weeks before departure, there are often real bargains to be had. Of course you don't have to ski; most Austrian resorts are just pleasant places to spend some time, and if you go somewhere on a railway line like St Anton or Badgastein, you can go on excursions even if you don't have a car with you. If money isn't an issue, Lech is very pretty and family-friendly. Princess Diana used to stay at the Arlberg Hotel there with her sons.

J Sheard, Cambridge

· You might try the Hotel Hohe Munde in TELFS, in the Austrian Tyrol. The rooms are large, beautifully furnished and the staff friendly and helpful. There's a mountain at the end of the road. You can reach TELFS by train (Telfs Pfaffenhofen) or by road. Innsbruch seems to be the closest 'known' place. The hotel can be contacted by email (postoffice@hotal-munde.at) and they have a website (www.hotel-munde.at).

The proprietor and his son both speak great English and are lovely people. It's very good value for money: the room price includes a good breakfast.

Dianna Moylan