Why? Well, there's the fact that the season runs well into May thanks to the northerly longitude of the ski resorts and the extensive daylight hours as summer approaches. Then there are the slick hotels, the excellent (if expensive) nightlife, the delicious food, the slick service, the amazing array of alternative activities such as dog-sledding and, last but by no means least, the throngs of drop dead gorgeous young Swedes swanning around. The skiing's not bad either.

We at Original Travel particularly recommend two completely contrasting Swedish resorts - Riksgransen and Åre. Riksgransen is probably best suited to the skier who's bored of conventional piste skiing and wants a post-Alpine season hit, while Åre feels like stepping into a slick North American resort, but just a few hours travel time away from the UK.