March 10, 2007March 10, 2007
The big deal about Andorra is the duty and tax-free shopping. But that is only half of it. The ski areas we saw this summer were spectacular and promised many exciting runs. Andorra is a tiny country, but the great thing is that almost half the country is ski resort!
Besides shops, you can find many tempting restaurants. Bordas are typical special restaurants of the region, built in ancient barns, serving food cooked on sizzling hot flat stones! And speaking of food, our gorgeous four star ArtHotel has excellent cuisine. It is one of the NICEST hotels we have ever seen in all of Europe! HUGE rooms, first-class service, right on a river…. It is perfect in every way.
Back to Andorra 2007 Trip page....
Ski-Map of Andorra.
The Country Nestled between France and Spain, the tiny mountain kingdom of Andorra has everything you desire for the perfect Ski holiday. Andorra is one of the smallest countries in the world, a principality nestling in the heart of the Pyrenees mountains. Andorra only covers 468 square kilometers, with a population of 70,000. The languages of Catalan Spanish, Spanish, French, and English are spoken there. JUST THINK: you can cover almost the whole country on skis and brush up on 4 languages, all in one trip. How cool is that!
The skiing: Wow! There are three main resorts. The biggest one is the size of Les Arcs, France and allows you to ski all the way to France via interconnected trails and lifts. It is immense! EVERY lift we saw is modern and high-speed. Intermediate cruiser skiers will think you are in skier heaven. And for the experts, Skiman (of course!) found where the gusto is! Arcalis is superb for backcountry and off-trail skiing. This resort is very high, all north and east facing, gets 30 feet of snow a year, and has ENDLESS possibilities of challenging off-trail terrain. Skiman spent a couple of hours there, hiking around and drooling. This place reminds him of Jackson Hole Wyoming, Skiman’s favorite North American resort. Arcalis will kick expert butt! Skiman GUARANTEES it!
3 resorts cover more than 7,228 acres serviced by 104 lifts. All areas offer modern lift systems with high speed quad chair lifts, gondolas, trams, and enough snow making to ensure good skiing no matter what. The largest resort, The Grand Valira offers 200 km of groomed trails and is the size of Les Arcs in France. (note: Just did Les Arcs last year in France. Ask anyone who went. It is huge! Skiman skied about 15% of it in a day!)
Skiman has been hearing about the skiing in Andorra for the past few years. They have spent tens of millions of dollars in the past five years building some of the most modern ski facilities anywhere. Ski friends we have talked to who have skied Andorra have confirmed the rumors... This place is a gem and rivals most resorts in neighboring France. Don't want to miss out on this party.... gotta go and see for ourselves!
The biggest, Gran Vilara, stretches from Encamp to Pas de la Casa, all interconnected lifts. Our hotel is about a ten minute drive from the gondola at Encamp. From there, you can reach the entire Gran Vilara on skis. On most of our ski days, we will have an early bus and a mid-morning bus chartered just for us to take us to/from Encamp. There will also be two different pickup times at the end of the day. Of course, you have the freedom to explore as far as you like. If you don't get back to Encamp, no worries. You can take a bus or taxi back to your hotel at the end of the day.
On a few of the days we will travel to Arcalis, because this is a spectacular resort with some of the most challenging skiing in the region. It is a short 25 minutes from our hotel.
Best news: we have included the cost of these private charter bus moves in your package price!
So, there it is. You will be staying in the middle of a huge ski region of interconnected lifts only 10-25 minutes away by private charter buses. It is a great opportunity to ski many different resorts and visit many ski villages in a 6 day week. It will be wonderful.
If you have gone with us before, you know that is what Skiman is all about. Andorra offers some pretty gusto-filled backcountry skiing, but you MUST be accompanied by a guide to explore it safely. We will hire guides for our expert skiers for the entire week. Trust Skiman: we shall rip the backcountry up of Andorra!
Perfect. You have a shopping paradise at your feet! And you can do many day trips to near-by interesting locations. You will have a ball!
Lynn: Oh, by the way- the shopping’s not bad either!
4 Star Art Hotel in Andorra La Vella
Located in the village center along a beautiful river, this hotel is a full-service four star hotel with all the modern amenities you would expect from a hotel of this level. You will be minutes away from all the village of Andorra La Vella has to offer: shopping, bars, discos, the world-famous Caldea spa. And, you will be only minutes away from some world-class skiing.
Breakfast and a full 4 course dinner with salad bar is included.
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| Sebas (friend from Spain), Skiman, Lynn at the Borda we will be taking YOU in March 2007. | Our 4 star ArtHotel has the BIGGEST beds and the BIGGEST rooms anywhere. |
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| Sizzling food server on hot stones… that is Borda, baby! | You won’t believe the bargains to be had, especially on alcoholic beverages. Beware! |
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| All that is missing from this Arcalis pic is YOU! | Norton the Avi Rescue dog will be on duty. No worries! |
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| Andorra’s skiing is in the Pyrenees Moutains… they are indeed grand. | The skiing shall rock. Trust Skiman! |
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| Ancient church towers going back to the 11th century everywhere! | Andorra shopping area. Deals galore! |
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| Everything in Andorra is built of stone as this village photo exemplifies. | Very old country mixed with very modern. |
Vertical: 2800 ft. / Top elevation: 8,500 ft. / Skiable area: 4,400 acres / Length of groomed trails: 192 km / Lift capacity: 92,000 persons / hour! (this is amazing!)
Grade of slopes: 20% beginner, 60% intermediate, 20% expert
Vertical: 2300ft. / Topelevation: 8,700 ft. / Skiable area: 1,100 acres / Length of groomed trails: 26 km / Lift capacity: 16,500 persons / hour
Grade of slopes: 20% beginner, 30% intermediate, 50% expert
Vertical: 3,315 ft. / Top elevation: 8,400 ft. / Skiable area: 1,800 acres / Length of groomed trails: 63 km / Lift capacity: 32,000persons / hour
Grade of slopes: 30% beginner, 55% intermediate, 15% expert
Ski-MapsClick here to see the Ski-Maps of Andorra
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