Seven of us stayed in the Portavescovo on a ski holiday in the first week of April. Arabba is a delightful village and snow conditions were excellent for the time of year, but people looking for nightlife should look elsewhere: there isn't any, which some of us would regard as a plus.
As for the hotel, I had stayed there in 2003 and been unimpressed, particularly with a dark and poky single room. This time round my room was spacious and well-equipped (although, bizarrely, access to it was either by a flight of steps outside the hotel or by a tortuous route through the basement via the games room and the ski store---just the thing if you were dressed for the swimming pool!).
The public areas were comfortable and much warmer than on my last visit. Bar prices were very reasonable by ski resort standards, and a drinks order of any size frequently arrived accompanied by complimentary "nibbles"---a nice touch. A small games room in the basement offered table tennis (with a chunk out of the table!) and a couple of electronic games. Back upstairs, the lounge included a large pool table which I thought was overpriced at 5 euros for 30 minutes and 10 euros if this time was exceeded. However, the "daily animation/entertainment" programme promised by Neilsons in their brochure failed to materialise (unless you count canned music churned out by a CD player in the bar!).
The hotel boasts what I believe is the only swimming pool in the village, but "boasts" is hardly the word for a tiny, cramped affair with no natural light and seating space for only two people around the pool. The pool itself was packed when half a dozen people were in it, which was usually the case as our week fell during the Easter holidays and there were several children in the hotel to patronise the pool. A sauna, steam room and small gym were also on offer.
Most of our group of 7 praised the food. The breakfast buffet was extensive and very good. Evening meal was a delight for those who liked salads, with a large salad buffet every evening as the first course, but for those of us who dislike this type of food the rest of the evening meal was distinctly average, with the main course (usually consisting of a small piece of meat of variable quality and a few desultory pieces of potato---nothing else) being particularly poor. Desserts were OK, and there was always the option of ice cream or fruit if the "official" dessert was not preferred. All in all, salad lovers would be in their element; personally, I was glad I had eaten well on the mountain at lunchtime.
Overall, a few warts, but not bad at all, and the hotel's own price list for half board seemed pretty reasonable (unlike the inflated prices charged by our travel company).