Big Blue Travel

Andorra - A Good Alternative to the Alps

(Thank you to our client for writing this piece to help inspire you to visit alternative destinations around the world)

After a few years off the slopes, this year we bit the bullet and shelled out the necessary money to have a family ski holiday during February Half Term.

We chose Soldeu in Andorra, part of the large Grand Valira ski area in the Pyrenees. Soldeu is the larger of the two main resorts in the area, Pas de la Casa being the other. Andorra is well known as a good value ski destination and it didn’t disappoint. 

We flew into Barcelona, served by numerous airlines, and after a three hour coach transfer, arrived in resort at a decent 3 star hotel - Hotel Soldeu Maistre.  You can also fly to Toulouse for a slightly shorter transfer.  The three of us shared a pretty spacious family room on a half board basis. Although the hotel was fairly basic in terms of extra amenities, the beds were comfortable, there was plenty of hot water, ski lockers available and a short walk along the main street of Soldeu to the telecabine up the mountain.

Food at the hotel was buffet style; not gourmet dining but lots of choice and as much as you wanted. The format worked well for families especially those with hungry teenagers or picky eaters. Our room looked out over the mountains and being slightly set back from the main drag ensured a peaceful night’s sleep.

We picked up our hire gear at the shop right by the telecabine. Even with the large numbers coming through, the staff were efficient and friendly as they fitted our boots and set up the skis. Most tourists seemed to be English and all the staff were able to talk the basics in at least 2 languages. 

At the top of the lift we quickly found the ski school. Being a busy week, lessons were being run morning and afternoon. Our 7-year old was in the afternoon session but they put on taster sessions on the first morning free of charge to help beginners find their ski feet and learn the basics. Lessons were split into the different nationalities and taught by native speakers making it easy for children to understand instructions and feel at ease. Daisy quickly made friends with a couple of other kids in her group. She couldn’t wait to get rid of us after lunch each day.

We had lunch vouchers as part of our deal which meant there were very few extras to pay for during the holiday. Food up the mountain was fine - tasty baguettes, burgers, chips, chicken etc. The restaurants were busy but coped well with numbers during what is probably their busiest week of the season.

The Grand Valira ski area is vast with loads of pistes for all levels of skier and snowboarder. It seemed particularly well set up for beginners with easily accessible greens and blues across all areas of the mountain. There are also several snow parks, kids ski gardens and even a zip wire attraction!

Bluebird conditions all week meant fantastic skiing conditions and even without a hint of fresh snow the pistes were kept in great condition by the snow cannons and hard-working staff. Whether the same will be true by mid-March, I wouldn’t like to say. 

After a hard day’s skiing, the telecabine down is a quick 5 minutes ride or you can ski down an easy blue, or red, or black to start some much-needed apres ski back in Soldeu village. The village has a good choice of bars, hotels and restaurants including several live music venues and a nightclub. If you do self-catering there are two supermarkets with a good range of fresh food and other essentials. 

There isn’t much in Soldeu in terms of public swimming baths or ice skating but you can pay to use the Sport Hotel’s facilities or take a half day trip to the hot pools Caldea in the capital. 

For a great Alps alternative with a warm and friendly atmosphere, I would definitely recommend giving Andorra a try. After a full week’s skiing out of Soldeu, we still hadn’t skied the whole area. Meanwhile, the 7-year old is a new ski fanatic thanks to some great ski school lessons. We’ll definitely be back next year.