Best Ski Resort for a week in Andorra?

Hi Guys

I have a an apartment in Calpe Spain which is about 75 miles from Alicante airport.

I plan on driving up to Andorra, I went on to multimap for directions and i typed in from Calpe to Andorra la vella and it says it's 238 miles. Now i don't mind driving and i would be happy to drive that distance.

I would like to get a ski pass that would allow me to ski to all regions of Andorra.

I read that grand valira is the main resort with 193 Km of pistes. Then for 2007 they also have another 57 Km going into France which bring the skiable area to 250 Km. Then i read with Vallnord that's another 95 Km bringing the ski area now to 345 Km of pistes. Which makes it a mega resort.

I would like to stay in Soldeu but i hear once getting into Andorra i would have to drive several hours more to get to Soldeu, is this true? You see what i like mainly about Soldue is the magnifiecent hotel called the sport hotel hermitage which is 5 stars and has the new wellness spa.

But then i heard of the Caldea Thermoludic Centre, i can't seem to find where this centre is located in andorra, do you guys know.

I simply would like to stay at a hotel or apartment that is situated on a piste or at the bottom of the piste by a gondola so i can ski in and out. And then located within walking distance to the Caldea Thermoludic Centre, and also able to ski up to soldeu all with 1 ski pass that covers all the areas i have given above.

I read that this site has a new ski pass for winter 2007/2008 that allows you to ski all areas, vall nord and gran valira it costs 175 euros for 5 days. you can read about it here

http://www.skiandorra.ad/2006/ing/index.html

Can anybody please help me out with my questions

Much appreciated

Thanks in advance

This site should have lots of info for you..
http://www.andorramania.com/
It's great that the 2 regional ski areas have got together to offer 1 pass, though you will still need to use the bus or car to get between the main centres. Andorran ski areas are spread about the country.
I'm not sure that you're going to be able to stay near Caldea and ski, without bus or car trip, so you must decide your priorities, Caldea is just outside Andorra La Vella on the way to Encamp. In no way will it take you several hours from arrival in Andorra La Vella to Soldeu, er...maybe 45 mins if there is traffic!

Of course, on your way to Andorra, you will pass some Spanish ski resorts, Valdelinares and Javalambre, part of the Aramon Region resorts.

eurokitty,
When I went to Arinsal with Crystal Ski, the transfer from Toulouse to Arinsal via Pas, Soldeu, Andorra la Velle, and la Massana was about 3 and a half hours on a coach in Feb so as bandit said no way will it take 7 hours under usual conditions.

I haven't been to Soldeu but looking at the piste map the skiing area is much bigger and looks more varied than Arinsal-Pal.

If you're a first time skiier and feel you are missing out if you don't do both Vallnord(Arinsal-Pal-Arcalis) and GrandValira(Soldeu-El Tarter) then I'd suggest you do Vallnord first then GrandValira.

Hi Guys

Many thanks for the replies

I have already been to that site andorramania it is very descriptive.

So let me get this right, you guys are saying that there is 1 ski pass for both regions but you cannot ski from one to the other, you would have to take a car or bus to get from one to the other because of the big distance.
Is there not a chairlift that can take you to the other region.

And your saying to make it to the other region it is a 45 minute (with traffic) bus or car ride. I don't understand why can't you ski it, i can ski for several hours without taking a break. It would be better than a car ride.

Also i don't think i would ski vallnord, i am quite an experienced skier so i think straight to grand valira for me.

all suggestions most welcome

Thanks guys

eurokitty, As I understand it Vallnord and Grand Valira are two separate ski areas so you will need two separate passes unless things have changed since I was there two years ago.

I don't know about a 45minute travelling time but it's not several hours. Since you are not a beginner go to Soldeu and enquire about a joint Vallnord-Grand Valira pass. Sorry I can't offer you more advice.


Edit: Thinking about it, Andorra is about the size of the Isle of Wight which is at most 3-4 miles across but obviously Andorra is mountainous so no chance of doing 60mph all the way on those roads.

Take a look at the map

http://www.multimap.com/world/AD/Escaldes-Engordany

Use the slider bar to adjust the scale.

It looks like you leave soldeu on the CG-2, take the cs340 at the next big town, follow that until you can take the cg-3 through La Massana, and then follow signs to Arinsal-Pal. The route looks less than 30 miles easy.

Hi
The 2 areas (Valnord/Grand Valira) are not linked although they are only about 15km apart!!
The Sport Wellness looks absolutely beautiful and is right by the Gondola - I spoke to some people who stayed there last year and they couldn't praise it enough!
Grand Valira is the much bigger area and is due to get bigger with new links to other small areas going in soon. None of it is particularly challenging - but it is a great area and worth visiting.

OK, I'm from Catalonia and I know pretty much a lot about Andorra, since I live nearby.

*Even tough there's a skipass for Grandvalira-Vallnord, it's only for locals.
*Driving from Alacant to Andorra is quite a trip, so in any case, just don't drive to-from Andorra during the weekend.. you'll save some time.
*There's no way you can be in a hotel right by the slopes and in a walking distance to Caldea. Caldea is located in Escaldes which is the main comercial area in Andorra, and is like 15min away by car to the closer slopes. In any case, the better hotel to stay at is Sport Hotel Village in Soldeu, since the gondolla is within its building.
*As for how long it takes to go across Andorra... it should be one hour at the most. Well, as long as there's no trafic.
*Between Grandvalia and Vallnord, I would pick Grandvalira, since you can ski the totall area just by taking a few chairlifts. On the other hand, Vallnord is quite cheaper.

I have friends travelling to Soldeu, Andorra on 9th March 2008 for a week and am looking for someone to share with to keep the under-occupancy costs down and I would consider going to Pas de la Casa to make it even cheaper.

I went to Pas last year and found the area to be quite good and you can also ski over to Soldeu - but I found Pas to be the better.

If you are interested in sharing then let me know.
Email: sbuxton75 @ yahoo.com

Soldeu is probably the best place to stay as the skiing subject to snow depths is not bad. However as you will have transport the best skiing in Andorra, particularly during the week rather than the weekend, is at Arcalis about 20 minutes from La Messana. Over the years I have had great fun skiing down some offpiste bowls and down to the La Coma Restaurant where there is a lift that takes you up to a great red (plus some offpiste black) when there is snow. Most resorts in Andorra are quite tame but Arcalis has some more challenging bits.
I assume you would drive up via Barca so I would advise not to even attempt to do the run on a Saturday when Barca goes skiing!
People can be a bit sniffy about Andorra but I have skied there many times and still enjoy it - when there is snow!