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Adoring Andorra

By Tracey Davies

Can you teach an old girl new tricks? Tracey Davies visits the winter sports resorts of Andorra to learn how to ski and discover exactly what’s inside Andorra’s box.

In the lofty world of skiing, mastering the ski boot swagger is almost as important as the learning the snow plough. So here I am, swaggering like a boat-pulling Viking, towards the Soldeu ski school for my first ever skiing lesson. I’m dressed to impress, with the glasses, the goggles, gloves, salopettes and a ski jacket with more pockets than a shoplifters’ overcoat. Thankfully, Andorra doesn’t seem to have the fashionista fear factor that some of the Swiss or French resorts portray, which allows me to get away with my mismatched attire.

Perched on top of a whiter than white snow-crowned mountain in the blazing sunshine, drinking in the dramatic scenery. The view is amass with brazen snowboarders and unabashed skiers racing down the slopes with such velocity, enough to give us beginners the odd pang of apprehension. These are quickly dissolved by our chirpy instructor, Bethal from Barnsley, as her comfortable and basic approach to the lesson incites immediate confidence. On go the skis and I feel surprisingly stable, ‘Only the over-confident fall over’ Bethal tells us. First we go through a few tips on side-stepping, how to get up when down, and the right way to hold the ‘sticks’. Then, I’m ready for the most important lesson of all, how to stop, a.k.a the snow-plough, or for the under-twelves, the pizza wedge. Once achieved, my confidence soars, so much that I become cocky, to which I swiftly fall over, in line with Bethal’s predictions. The slopes start at nursery level, green, blue, red and black being the death plunge! By the end of the first day I am skiing down green runs, and by day three I am confidently navigating the blue runs of Pal Arinsal.

Just two and a half hours drive from a spring-like Barcelona, Andorra is nuzzled in a valley of the Pyrenees, the spiky range of mountains between Spain and France. Dry roads and green scenes belie the winter ski destination of Andorra in the heart of this mountainous milieu. Deep amongst these statuesque peaks, lies the Principality of Andorra. At just 181 square miles, it’s a country not much bigger than the Isle of Wight, and less than a third the size of London. Andorra has its own government, passport and flag and is fiercely protected by its big brothers, France and Spain. And being the smallest sibling, Andorra can generally get away with anything. The privileged 72,000 inhabitants, of this content little country, either speak the national language of Catalan, or French, but very often speak both concurrently with Spanish and English thrown in too.

Andorra’s ski resorts have been split into two areas, Vallnord and GranValira. Each encompasses two resorts, and you just need a ski pass for each area, rather than each resort, offering a greater choice of runs and facilities. Vallnord combines the less-crowded resorts of Pal-Arinsal and Ordino-Arcalis, and GrandValira, the popular Soldeu and Pas de la Casa, the latter being on Andorra’s French border, where there is rumour of developing a ski run between the two countries next year.

Besides skiing, Andorra hosts other winter activities like dog-sledding, walking with snow shoes through a sparkling fairytale backdrop and for the more courageous folk, snow mobiling and paragliding.

Staying in the modernist Art Hotel in the Capital, Andorra La Vella, with suites named after Van Gogh and Picasso, it’s a comfortable place to prop your skis. My base in the capital allows me the freedom to trial all the ski resorts Andorra has to offer, all within half an hours drive.

A visit to the mega-spa of Caldea is a perfect antidote to a hard day on the slopes. Steam away the aches and pains with an Indo-Roman bath or a Turkish hammam, experience strange grapefruit soaks or book a Swedish massage or hydro-therapy treatment for far less than you would pay in the UK. The highlight for me is the open-air rooftop Jacuzzi. Here I am, bikini-clad in minus one conditions, whilst soaking in hot, steamy bubbles, with glace-topped mountains staring down my cleavage. I can’t think of another capital city where this opportunity would ever arise. Watch out for Caldea’s Disney-esque light show, where the whole centre is an amusing display of flashing lights, soaring water explosions all set to ‘O Fortuna’, and other Hollywood blockbuster theme tunes.

Beyond the skiing, the pearl of this principality (for me) has to be the shopping,

Andorra is a tax-free nirvana for shop-a-holics and bargain-hunters alike. A tempting diversion for even the most dedicated of skiers. The adrenaline you get on the slopes, is almost matched by the heady rush you get on the streets. Designer clothes at Camden market prices, quality electronics, stylish, eclectic kitchenware, encouragingly cheap alcohol and cigarettes, quality brands liquors for less than 6 euros. But it was the rows and rows of genuine designer sunglasses for a third of the price in the UK that really took my breath away. Finding Gucci sunglasses for 30 euros is a moment that will stay with me forever.

The food is delicious, plentiful and surprisingly reasonable, considering everything has to be imported from either France or Spain, and taxes have to be paid on all goods imported, which are the only taxes Andorrans seem to pay! Andorra benefits from its situation enormously, bringing smooth rich fois gras from neighbouring Bordeaux and matching it with well-developed fine wines from the Rioja region.

Visit the Don Denis tapas restaurant, for authentic Andorran cuisine, which is distinctly influenced by both its neighbours. The starter for nearly every meal is Catalan bread, toasted bread rubbed with garlic and tomato, sprinkled with salt and drizzled in olive oil. It’s delicious and an easy recipe to take home. Don Denis is well-known in Andorra La Vella, and it’s famed for the thousands of photos of stars who visit the place. Do not be fooled as I was, by the photograph of the manager with Michael Jackson, perhaps it was that last glass of cava which caused me to fail to spot the obvious look-a-like?

For après ski, there are the archetypical ski bars offering cheap beer and loud music in the mountain resorts of Pal Arinsal and Pas de la Casa. For a quieter evening try dining at one of the charming ‘borda’ restaurants for authentic Catalan food in traditional surroundings. For me the après ski surprise of the whole trip, had to be stumbling across an open bingo hall only moments from the hotel at 2am on a Sunday morning. Now this isn’t just your commoner garden variety ‘legs eleven’ bingo, it’s speed bingo in Catalan. With games from 1 euro, and prizes often running into the thousands, bingo is serious business in Andorra, and well worth a gamble.

As a ski destination, especially for beginners, I cannot fault the Andorran resorts with their swooninducing mountain vistas and friendly, patient ski instructors. But what really makes Andorra special is what else it has to offer. Good food, fine wines, spectacular tax-free shopping and probably the happiest, most content people in Europe. All this and bingo too!

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