Pal/Arinsal - Vallnord

Arinsal and Pal – linked by cable car since 2000 – have joined forces with the valley town of La Massana, as well as the nearby resort of Arcalís, to form the area marketed as ‘Vallnord’.

There are four towns under the Vallnord brand: Arcalís, which is more of a hamlet than a town (it's got a hotel and a couple of chalets) and sits with its own lift system some distance from the other three; La Massana, a fairly large valley town with good links to the capital Andorra la Vella; and Arinsal and Pal, two resorts that have shared the same lift system since 2000. Of those two, Pal is the junior resort with a smattering of accommodation and public areas, while Arinsal is perhaps the only town that fits the accepted term of what a ski resort should be. In years gone by Arinsal was criticized for being too 'cheap and cheerful' but heavy investment since the turn of the century has led to upgrading of accommodation, with some four-star hotels to add to its two- and three-star hotels and excellent self-catering apartments. It is still popular with Brits, Scandinavians and those looking for a good deal or an introduction to skiing, and although many of the buildings are now on an architectural par with Verbier and Méribel, there is still an undeniable Brits-abroad feel to the place. La Massana has recently had a 12-seater gondola installed to connect it to the Arinsal-Pal lift system, and it is much closer to Arcalís than Arinsal, but it may take a few years for it to upgrade from a working valley town into a full ski resort.

• Town