It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of St Martin Chalets and I've been skiing in St Michael for more than 14 years now, but my trip last week has to be the best one yet. And I've asked Jodi and Herby to share why...

We were a group of four: my brother Will and his wife Sophie, plus my girlfriend Anna and me. We were in Chalet 4, 'Ahorn'. Will and Sophie's room looked out over the central pond; ours enjoyed a south-facing balcony - perfect for a bit of early afternoon sunshine. As anyone who's stayed at St Martin Chalets will tell you, the chalets are simply gorgeous - they have to be among the best value for money accommodation anywhere in Austria and they're definitely the best self-catering chalets I've stayed in... anywhere.

But it wasn't the chalets that made last week so special. It was the activities and the way that our hosts, Jodi and Herby, looked after us.

Now, most self-catering skiing holidays I've been on involve picking a key up from someone or somewhere fairly uninspiring, then just getting on with it - perhaps aided by some leaflets describing activities in the local area. It's generally a do-it-yourself holiday (in my experience at least). But a stay at St Martin Chalets is anything but. In fact, I'd say we were looked after better than on most catered chalet holidays I've been on.

Before we arrived, Jodi sent us some forms to fill out. Not the mundane registration forms you might expect. The forms we received asked us what beer we wanted in the fridge when we arrived, and what shopping we wanted in the cupboards. They also asked us our shoe size and weight so that skis and boots could be at the chalets awaiting our arrival (so no need to visit the hire shop). And there was a final form asking us if we wanted ski school arranging on our behalf. How nice to have your skis fitted in your chalet, knowing everything has been sorted out for you, while drinking one of the cold beers from your fridge and chewing on a piece of Austrian 'speck'!

As anyone who's been skiing in St Michael im Lungau will know, the region offers plenty of variety, which is all the more reason to have someone show you around. This is where Jodi and Herby really came into their own for us. Waiting for us in the chalet was an itinerary for the week, listing all the things (most of them free) that we could do. We chose a selection - a night-time ride on the gondola followed by a traditional meal and music at the mountain top 'Panorama' restaurant; an evening hike up to Katschberg for a meal followed by toboggan ride back down (fantastic!); a (rather pricey but nonetheless excellent) meal at Mauterndorf's Michelin-Star restaurant, the 'Meznerhaus'; 'Steep-and-Deep' with Herby; and a night-time ascent to the Peterbauer restaurant on skis (with skins).

Talk about action-packed!!

I can't think of anywhere with so much to offer, or any self-catering skiing (and summer) chalet accommodation with such helpful, likeable and wonderful chalet hosts. That's why I keep going back and why I will continue to do so.

Thanks Jodi and Herby for a truly fantastic March skiing holiday!

Jimbo