Never skied in Andorra? You’ll adore it

The principality overlooked by the British ticks all the boxes for Catherine Cooper

With more than 300km (186 miles) of slopes, bucketloads of challenging freeride terrain and a hip, Spanish vibe, Andorra remains strangely overlooked by British visitors for their winter holidays. A recent survey by the Ski Club of Great Britain and Snow+Rock found that of almost 2,000 respondents, only 2 per cent went to Andorra last winter, compared with 55 per cent to France and 26 to Austria.

Perhaps somewhat unfairly tarred with an image from yesteryear of a destination for stag parties and lairy groups in search of duty-free booze, Andorra has been transformed in recent years, with slope-side champagne bars, upscale hotels and restaurants, thermal spas and plenty more to warrant skiers’ attention this winter.

As well as holiday prices, food and drink in resorts and on the slopes are budget-friendly, and flights to Toulouse, the most convenient airport, are usually a much better price than counterparts that feed hotspots in the Alps, especially at peak times. New for this year, a lift pass for the better-known Grandvalira area, which covers the resorts of Pas de la Casa, Soldeu, El Tarter and Grau Roig, also includes access to the lesser-known Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalis areas, long-renowned as a paradise for snowboarders and freeride skiers.

Spanish influences

Several mainstream UK tour operators offer packages to Andorra and while you may hear a few English voices, most of the people sharing your chairlifts are likely to be Spanish (50 per cent according to official figures) or French (41 per cent). Don’t expect the Spanish you learned at school to get you very far, however – it is largely Catalan that is spoken here, and even in hotels and bars many of the staff are more likely to speak French to customers, rather than English.

Being further south than the Alps, while sunshine is far from guaranteed it is certainly likely – particularly towards the end of the season. When it comes to après-ski it is a refreshing change to head for tapas and Estrella beer instead of the usual tartiflette and mulled wine of the Alps. Finish a day on the slopes at CBbC Costa Rodona, on the way down to Pas de la Casa. An offshoot of the group’s Ibiza bars, it offers padded loungers, cocktails and a Balearic island ambience.

Dining delights

For those on a budget, the many slopeside restaurants offering reasonably priced canteen-style burgers and chips are a good option. Most have enormous sunny terraces and many have DJs from around lunchtime onwards. But, breaking from the Alpine norm, you will also find pop-ups selling jamón on toast; champagne bars that wouldn’t look out of place in Val d’Isère; and some really excellent restaurants.

The stand out is Refugi del Llac de Pessons in the Grandvalira Grau Roig sector. Overlooking a lake, accessed off the pretty tree-lined Pessons track, this bolthole is made up of a cosy à la carte restaurant, a large terrace primarily for oysters and champagne, and a kiosk for sandwiches and chips – with all budgets and tastes catered for.

The restaurant serves excellent traditional Andorran cuisine such as escudella (a vegetable and meat stew) as well

as high-quality grilled meats such as Wagyu beef. La Trattoria in El Tarter is also a good option for pizza and pasta, freshly made in a show kitchen.

Many restaurants serve all day but actual mealtimes are very much Spanish style – eat early to avoid the crowds. The lunchtime peak is around 2pm or 3pm rather than the typical noon on the dot in France, and in the evening restaurants tend to be at their busiest at about the same time French kitchens are thinking about closing.

Slopes for all

Made up mainly of wide, well-groomed motorway-style runs, served by efficient lifts and with an easy-to-navigate, well-signposted layout, Grandvalira (the country’s biggest ski area, at 217km) is ideal for beginners and intermediates. There are fast chairlifts, a handful of gondolas and very few drag lifts – all are largely modern and akin to any you would find in a typical Alpine resort.

The wide runs, comparable to those you would find in Les Arcs or Val Thorens, are ideal for perfecting your carving turns, with hardly any unexpectedly narrow or alarming steep points. There is also a choice of slopes from the top of any lift, blue and red, meaning no one is forced out of their comfort zone.

Be warned, though: while there are a few pretty tree-lined slopes at lower altitudes – ideal for beginners finding their feet – the lack of greenery in much of the area can make it a little bleak on a bad-weather day.

Freeskiers, snowboarders and powder hounds will prefer Ordino Arcalis – home to just 30km of pistes but also a large freeriding area (in La Grave), plus heliskiing options (currently forbidden in France). Ordino Arcalis will once again be home to the Freeride World Tour in 2023 – its ninth consecutive year, cementing its spot on the global freeride map.

Meanwhile, the 63km of pistes in Pal Arinsal (two resorts linked by a large cable car) are more suited to families and beginners. With all resorts now included for the first time in the Grandvalira pass, it is easier than ever to try any of the resorts, whether for one day or two. Connecting bus timetables are set to be released before winter kicks in.

Resorts for all tastes

Pas de la Casa is the country’s highest resort at about 2,000m (6,562ft) rising to 2,640m. It is the first one you arrive at if flying into Toulouse rather than arriving from Barcelona or Girona airport in

Spain. Largely built for function rather than beauty, it is home to plenty of cheap and cheerful accommodation and a busy, young nightlife.

There are five other villages in the Grandvalira area, three of which you can ski to (El Tarter, Soldeu and Grau Roig) and two more (Encamp and Canillo), which are connected by gondola. Encamp or Canillo were particularly appealing when our children were young – they are quieter than their neighbours and the latter is most like an Andorran mountain village.

Luxury lovers might opt for Soldeu or Grau Roig. The Sport Hotels complex in Soldeu is large and reminiscent of one of the more tasteful purpose-built French ski resorts, with both four- and five-star offerings, plus a 5,000 sq m (53,820 sq ft) spa, while the Grau Roig hotel is a boutique property with just 42 individually decorated rooms.

More than just skiing

Skiing and snowboarding are undoubtedly the main draw to Andorra in the winter, but there is more to the principality than its mountains. With 20 museums, devoted to everything from automobiles and electricity to comics and miniature art, Andorra is said to have the second-highest concentration of museums per square metre of any country in the world.

The 18-storey Caldea Spa is Andorra’s tallest building and one of Europe’s largest spas, just outside Andorra La Vella and reachable by bus or taxi from the Grandvilira in less than half an hour. The building is very modern and may not have the chocolate-box appeal of some of the Swiss or Austrian spas, but the facilities give them a run for their money. Using naturally heated thermal water, the family-friendly “Thermoludic” section has indoor and outdoor pools, a panoramic lagoon, hammams and saunas, as well as the adults-only Inúu area.