| Product: |
Arinsal |
| Date: |
16.02.01 (775 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Ideal for Beginners/Duty Free.
Disadvantages: Probably a Bit Too Small for More Experienced Skiers.
THE JOURNEY
We flew from Dublin Airport to Toulouse in France, which took about 1 hour 50 minutes. There is a connecting coach journey to Arinsal, which takes a long 4 hours, although during the day it is possible to admire the wonderful landscape. There is a short stop-off at a picturesque French village but be warned the prices charged for snacks are high.
As you reach Andorra, you pass through other ski resorts such as Soldeu and through the capital Andorra La Vella which is surprisingly big considering the population of the whole country is only 65,000.
THE HOTEL
St. Gothard - 3 ***
The Hotel we stayed at was actually in a tiny village called Erts which is on the fringes of Arinsal. The St. Gothard has 170 bedrooms and is very well run except for the bar, which employs a nonsensical method of paying for drinks. The entertainment in the hotel is varied but the Hotel band called Razzmattaz are to be avoided. We went on a Quiz one night which was based on Music and General Knowledge and was followed by a disco.
We were on half board and the food was top class, so much so that we only ate out twice. You can have a cereal, fry-up each morning and at dinner there is a huge variety of vegetables and meats available. Each room has a safety deposit box and TV but only single beds. The Hotel was very warm, so much so that by the morning all our bed clothing was in a heap on the ground.
The walk from the hotel to the Gondola (which transports you to the actual ski resort) was quite a task each morning as it is all uphill. When we wised up we found that a bus went from the hotel to the Gondola every hour.
THE PUBS
Cisco's
Cisco's is the cutest little bar in Arinsal. With cool tunes blasting out until the early hours it became our home throughout the week. It is very close to the Gondola's down a little side street up from the Restaurant Italia. Don't leave Ar
insal without visiting it.
Surf
This place is huge! The evening we visited it there was the worst pub band ever playing. The lead singer talked more than he sang. The place is a bit drab but it may have been ok when it filled up. The Restaurant attached was renowned the week we were there for its awfulness.
Quo Vadis
This pub is run by a couple and always has a good atmosphere no matter what time of the day you go there. There are excellent views of the mountains and Gondola's and there are plenty of screens to watch the football on Sky Sports. There is a free T-shirts with every 10 drinks purchased and the music pumps out till the early hours.
El Cal
Resembling a smelly parish hall, you'll either love or hate this place. We fell into the latter category because when it's semi-empty it really was impossible to drink there.
Darby O'Gills
It's mad really, no matter where you go in the world you'll find an Irish Bar. When you find out that the pool table takes up most of the room inside you know you're in trouble. Lacking any sort of vibe, we made 2 trips to this place and both times we were disappointed. Pity.
Bordeau
We visited this pub on our last night and we had a ball. It is really cosy and intimate and has a brilliant footie table. There is a bang the nail on the head game, which is as addictive as it is dangerous after a few Estrella's. Follow the big flashing X sign to find it.
THE RESTAURANTS
Cisco's
This Restaurant is situated above the Pub section so you can feel the vibrations from the music downstairs as you eat which makes the whole experience quite noisy. The Restaurant serves Tex Mex food so Fajatas and Nachos are the staple. The room is open plan and has a real hip feel to it. A meal there is relatively good value for money. A 3-course meal with a couple of beers came to 5000 Pesetas. The service was efficient wi
thout ever being over friendly although the restaurant was packed the night we ate there.
Restaurant Italia
I must say this place was a real find. With a happy hour running from 5 to 6 each day where you can get 4 pints of local beer Estrella for under a £5 we were in seventh heaven. The restaurant serves a wonderful selection of food. I had the shrimp tails and sirloin steak and I must say it was one of the best meals I've ever had. It cost about 5000 which included desert, wine and several beers. It is situated opposite the ramp approaching the Gondola's.
Cafe Internet
This quaint little cafe is situated in the centre of Arinsal and is a delight. It has a log cabin effect and soft lighting that makes it feel really warm. Add to this their excellent foot long toasties and you are on a winner. Perfect for that apres-ski snack.
THE TRIPS
Caldea
Caldea is the largest spa and leisure centre in Europe and is located in the capital Andorra La Vella. It cost us £20 for 3 hours in the complex including all bus transfers from Arinsal. There is a helicopter ride (about £30 per person) that can be booked in Caldea but we hadn't enough time.
The water in Caldea is heated and contains sodium, which is a great for relaxation after the exertions of the slopes. The complex is split into various sections based on different baths, fitness, and relaxation. There are supplementary services (such as full body massages) that are available at extra expense.
We found the baths to be the best section and the variety is huge. The highlights were the Big Lagoon with vaporised water masks and Jacuzzis, the outdoor lagoon (which is something to behold when it is snowing), the Roman Baths and the Vaporisation room which has an menthol smell that is really purifying.
The highlight of the trip is the water display where water shoots into the air at every angle to a crescendo of orchestral music.
The only disappointing thing about the whole trip was the Caldea restaurant, which lacked any sort character. Overall though, Caldea is well recommended and our 3 hours there flew by.
NIGHTS OUT
Tobogganing
This is a really great night out. You will be surprised how flimsy the toboggan and its brakes system look. The races take place on the nursery slopes so you don't get up to dangerous speeds. There are a few warm up races that lead up to a grand final.
The torchlight procession involves all the ski instructors skiing in the dark save for a torchlight down the mountain. They form a spectacular line of fire that is really wonderful to view so cameras at the ready.
There is also a complementary snack included on the night and plenty of mulled wine. Transport is provided by coach down to the village which is a little hair-raising as the coach does veer close to the cliff edge on occasion.
Pub Trail
Maybe we hit a bad night but this was the most badly organised pub trail we were ever on. It is a bit pointless anyway because Arinsal is so small. It helped us find Cisco's, however, so it wasn't a complete failure.
70's/80's Night
This was held in the El Cal building and was an hilarious night. When it gets really packed the floor is like an ice-rink so all those lessons picked up on the slopes come in handy. A tip though, don't pay for this night as come 11 o'clock they don't even check for tickets. We ended up wasting a tenner each.
SKIING
For beginners like us getting kitted up for the first time was an often funny but near harrowing experience. The welcome meeting gives you all the passes that are required to pick up your boots, ski's and poles. Ski boots are incredibly heavy to protect your ankles and can be difficult to tie up. After a couple of days though, putting them on becomes second nature.
As part of our package we go
t a 5-day ski school for beginners and a week long lift pass. This pass is required to access the Gondola's that transport you to the slopes. The Gondola trip is a quite stressful because the car can sway when it is windy. Being scared of heights can make it even more scary. After a few trips this fear abates (until the Gondola stops midway down the mountain!) and you begin to enjoy the incredible scenery.
The ski school is indispensable if you are starting off. It is paced to suit the group in question (there were 13 of us). The first three days were spent on the green slopes but by Thursday we had graduated to the four man chair lift up to our first blue slope. By then confidence was high so falling which had been such a regular feature in the first few days was less common.
The chair lifts are brilliant and not as difficult to negotiate as you might imagine. Once in free flow there is a very serene feeling as you look at the sometimes manic movements of the skiers below. As you ski from the top you can choose to negotiate blue or red slopes depending on your ability. We attempted a very steep red slope once but ended up sliding on our backsides to the bottom which was great fun.
Skiing in Arinsal was a great experience. The slopes there are ideal for beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders but we have been told that nearby the Pal and Soldeu resorts are much bigger. Persistence is essential to master skiing. On more than one occasion I felt like jacking the whole thing in, especially in the first few days.
After a time it will all come together and the whole thing becomes more enjoyable. If you are worried about accidents, on our flight of a few hundred people there was only one broken leg, one broken nose, one broken arm and a good few sprains. Worth the risk!?!
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