Right, where do I start, we are all good intermdeiate skiers and have visited other resorts in the past.
We have just got back today from our first trip to Andorra. As a family with two 15 year old's we found the resort to be very friendly and ideal for the kids. As the whole of Arinsal is within one valley (not counting Pal or Arcalis) we were able to let the kids of the lead to spend some time on thier own either on the slopes our the freestyle park. As all the runs lead down to the main gondala, we were happy to just arrange a time to meet at the bottom of the slopes (as we kept either bumping into them or seeing them while on the lifts etc. and could keep an eye on them).
On arrival we were able to collect skis, ski passes etc. late afternoon (shop stayed open until 7pm) so that we did not waste any time the following morning and the service from the St Moritz ski hire shop was first class. Quality of the equipment was very good.
First morning on the slopes was well organised for lessons. Differing standards of skiers were asked to meet at specific locations by means of loud speakers and everyone was grouped quickly and efficiently according to their ability. Again very good service.
We found no queuses for the lifts all week and the longest we had to wait for a lift was in Pal and that was less than 2 minutes. The lifts were by no means working to capacity and people were not hearded onto the lifts at maximum levels e.g. regularly 2-4 people on a 6 man chair.
Everyone we encountered during the holiday was pleasant and friendly, especially in the local bars etc. such as Quo vardis, Derby, El Cau and Cissco's. We can recommend the food in both the El Cau and Cissco's.
Tip for lunch time, jump in the gondala down to the resort (approx 3 mins), it is very quite and you get good food served very quickly. It is also cheaper than on the slopes. The food in the Pobalo (sorry if spelling is wrong) and Quo Vardis was very good. Both of these are less than a minutes walk from the gondala.
Now for the bad, Hotel Montane, we picked it because of the location, the two rooms we had were of a reasonable standard, but not to the published 3* plus rating. The bar on the ground floor is "tired", lacks atmosphere and is very dowdy. Various electrics in the hotel did not work and as such you ended up groping around in the dark on staircases etc. While the breakfast was of a good basic standard (Continental) there was not hot food available as stated in the brochure.
Now for the horrible, the evening meals, the hotel has the same menu each day, the food is of very poor quality, it is served almost cold and alot of the food e.g. suasages, meat etc. is uncooked. On Thursay this week a group of guests including myself complained to the tour rep, who then looked into the complaints and agreed with our concerns. In his words not mine "70% of the guests this week formally complained about the quality of the food and have completed complaints forms". As an Environmetal Health Officer, I had grave concerns over even the basic standards of the food served and as a result was of the opinion that we had no alternative but to eat out as the rep failed to resolve the problem.
We have just got back today from our first trip to Andorra. As a family with two 15 year old's we found the resort to be very friendly and ideal for the kids. As the whole of Arinsal is within one valley (not counting Pal or Arcalis) we were able to let the kids of the lead to spend some time on thier own either on the slopes our the freestyle park. As all the runs lead down to the main gondala, we were happy to just arrange a time to meet at the bottom of the slopes (as we kept either bumping into them or seeing them while on the lifts etc. and could keep an eye on them).
On arrival we were able to collect skis, ski passes etc. late afternoon (shop stayed open until 7pm) so that we did not waste any time the following morning and the service from the St Moritz ski hire shop was first class. Quality of the equipment was very good.
First morning on the slopes was well organised for lessons. Differing standards of skiers were asked to meet at specific locations by means of loud speakers and everyone was grouped quickly and efficiently according to their ability. Again very good service.
We found no queuses for the lifts all week and the longest we had to wait for a lift was in Pal and that was less than 2 minutes. The lifts were by no means working to capacity and people were not hearded onto the lifts at maximum levels e.g. regularly 2-4 people on a 6 man chair.
Everyone we encountered during the holiday was pleasant and friendly, especially in the local bars etc. such as Quo vardis, Derby, El Cau and Cissco's. We can recommend the food in both the El Cau and Cissco's.
Tip for lunch time, jump in the gondala down to the resort (approx 3 mins), it is very quite and you get good food served very quickly. It is also cheaper than on the slopes. The food in the Pobalo (sorry if spelling is wrong) and Quo Vardis was very good. Both of these are less than a minutes walk from the gondala.
Now for the bad, Hotel Montane, we picked it because of the location, the two rooms we had were of a reasonable standard, but not to the published 3* plus rating. The bar on the ground floor is "tired", lacks atmosphere and is very dowdy. Various electrics in the hotel did not work and as such you ended up groping around in the dark on staircases etc. While the breakfast was of a good basic standard (Continental) there was not hot food available as stated in the brochure.
Now for the horrible, the evening meals, the hotel has the same menu each day, the food is of very poor quality, it is served almost cold and alot of the food e.g. suasages, meat etc. is uncooked. On Thursay this week a group of guests including myself complained to the tour rep, who then looked into the complaints and agreed with our concerns. In his words not mine "70% of the guests this week formally complained about the quality of the food and have completed complaints forms". As an Environmetal Health Officer, I had grave concerns over even the basic standards of the food served and as a result was of the opinion that we had no alternative but to eat out as the rep failed to resolve the problem.
