Soldeu - Grandvalira

Soldeu - Grandvalira: reviews

• chris (25 March 2009)

  Excellent ski school and ski area suited to all levels of skier at a value for money price You can easily avoid the boozy crowd if you want to We stopped in the hotel village which is truly excellent, though a little pricey Beginner areas get crowded so head elsewhere asap, the queues can be 15 minutes on the nursery slope drag lifts The staff in the ski hire shop by the main gondola are surly and miserable with poorly maintained equipment but you don’t have to stay long I know this sounds like an ad for Soldeu but we had such a fantastic time and can’t wait to go back

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (14 December 2007)

  We visited Soldeu twice in 2007: despite the lack of snow in January, we returned in March, as we had the good fortune to have both time and money to spare.

  In January we stayed at the Soldeu Maestre, where the typically Catalan food was delicious and plentiful.

  In March we went up-market to the Piolets Park, where the food was equally good, with a huge amount of choice. Was it worth the extra expense? Well, it's further away from the late night bars and the carousing twenty-somethings, so we got enough sleep to make the most of every day on the slopes.

  Ski school was excellent. No more comment needed.

  But... there isn't an awful lot to do in Soldeu apart from ski or drink. Well, you can spend a certain amount of time browsing through the shops, or you could do a trip to Andorra la Velha (we never made it) - it's a shame there are so few après-ski activities.

  We'd certainly go to Andorra again... if only we could get flights from Scotland!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (29 March 2007)

  Just back from a week in Soldeu/El Tarter in Andorra,and what a week it was. We booked a last minute deal through Crystal on the Wednesday night to be departing on the Sunday morning, and had such a bargain for a family of 4 in a catered chalet. So the snow report was not too good but we though it would be fine for the 2 children to learn to board on and for my second week of boarding. The only problem we thought that my other half, who is a boarder of several years experience, might suffer due to lack of runs open, but the price was good enough for him to sit and chill for the week anyway (and he'd just come back from a week in Breckenridge skiing with the lads!!)

  Driving up the mountain on the Sunday we had glorious sunshine and warm weather-hardly any snow visible even on the mountain tops, we were starting to worry! Mountain in Soldeu was brown with a few white snow runs crossing it - not what we really wanted to see. Got up Monday morning to see it had started to snow. . . yee-haa! Runs on that morning were hard and icy as I found out to my pain (and had to take the next day off because of it), however as the day went on it snowed more and the transformation was unbelievable. It snowed all week really heavily and although the top of the mountain was closed a lot of the time there were plenty of runs to keep us all happy. The snow was just amazing, so much powder (soft to fall in, wish I'd had it the first day!) The resort itself is great, it's not as cheap as I'm sure it used to be food and drink wise, but very reasonble. Even the mountain restaraunts are pretty good value with big portions and a great choice of food. We were based in El Tarter in the Chalet Xantal, nice place, good food but a long walk from the gondola station, more than the 10 mins quoted in the brochure. Would definately go there again, maybe stay in Soldeu itself as there is more going on there. Great board school for the kids and everyone really friendly and helpful. Worth going out there to buy ski and board gear as is much cheaper than in U.K.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (20 March 2007)

  Just got back from a week at the Sport Hotel in Soldeu. I had been a bit apprehensive as there are some dodgy reviews floating around, but all in all I was very happy. We were lucky with a room facing the pistes, plus a little balcony for sundowners and airing our kit - perfect. The food was plentiful and I really can't find fault with it. It's a mass-catered buffet, people - don't expect Gordon Ramsay. I thought the selection was good and found something I liked every night. The hotel also packed a breakfast for guests who had very early morning transfers which I thought was good. Best thing about the hotel though was... its location across the road from the gondola! Big bonus for tentative new skiers like me whose legs were tired at the end of the week.

  The skiing side of things was fab. Long gondola queues in the mornings but these dissipated quickly and if you were brave enough there was seldom a queue at the Soldeu chair lift. It really is ski in, ski out which is very convenient. I did 5 days of ski school and from weeping on day 1, I skied all the way down to the village by day 5! I really cannot praise the school highly enough, and our instructor Pieter from Belgium was an angel in salopettes. He made the most panicky members of our group feel safe but still challenged us a little more each day, until we skied all the way down. I also had a 2 hour private lesson with him on Saturday and this made a world of difference to my turns. THANKS, PIETER!! The whole school setup was very professional and made skiing a pleasure, even for a complete novice.

  Although Andorra is a tax-free principality, don't get too excited about shopping opportunities unless you want to buy ski gear or booze. The apres ski looked lively enough - there were a couple of live bands seemingly every night - the guys in Fat Alberts on Thursday were particularly good - and the Aspen Bar was fun on Friday after ski school races, with all the instructors joining in the fun.

  Apart from our hotel restaurant we also ate at the Hotel Bruxelles for lunch (great pizzas & salad and fast service), Fat Alberts for dinner (more great pizzas and heavenly rosemary bread), and Sol i Neu. The more formal restaurant upstairs was outstanding - great service and really, really excellent and interesting food. Also note that there is NO free drinking water on the mountain, so bring your own or be prepared to pay €1.80 for a small bottle.

  I had an exceptionally good time and I suspect we'll be back next year.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (18 February 2007)

  29th Jan 2007

  Spent a week in El Tarter with the family. I had skied before but was concerned about the standard of the ski instruction for my wife and daughter. Both were beginners. I can report that both skiing and instructors were excellent and fun. There was some ice forming on runs due to the lack of new snow. Some runs were even closed. Only about 60% were open. However, it did not spoil the week. Our accommodation at chalet Moxto was excellent. Our holiday rep Dwaine, was on the ball and made himself available on a daily basis. Even a boiler failure ( on our arrival) didn't phase the team. They accomplished a phase 2 plan of operation without a fuss. So our first night was in the El tarter hotel. The uphill trek back was the only thing I might have changed. But a great resort to visit and stay in. Tried the skidoo and huskies, both were good fun and value for money. The food and night life was very good as well. Will definately be going back there.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Jon Webster (12 February 2007)

  Just back from a week's skiing in the Grandvalira staying at the Hotel Himalaia. Area was approx 60% open with very few black runs (two I think) open. The sun shone & we had some snow which made for a good week's skiing. We had to use the free bus & taxi on one occasion to ski the whole area. Compliments to Andy, our ski rep, who guided us around to enable us to ski everything that was open.

  More snow is needed & I am disappointed that I missed out on many of the more challenging pistes which currently only have a dusting of snow & look unlikely to open this season. On the plus side there is very few people there & the pistes are, in the main, very quiet.

  Lunch at the Bruxelles in Soldeu & The Husky Bar in Plas is recommended, avoid the mountain fast food although the mountain coffee stops were good!

  The Hotel Himalaia was good & did the job although if I go again it looks like the extra cash for the Hotel Sport will be worth it.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (29 January 2007)

  Just returned from a week in El Tarter staying at the Hotel Nordic. As it was our first time skiing we didn't know what to expect. Ski school was excellent and it snowed heavily on Monday night improving conditions no end. Private lesson on Saturday was well worth doing. Food and facillities excellent.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (25 January 2007)

  Have just returned from Soldeu. I have visited this resort several times in the last few years and was very impressed with the way they coped with the lack of recent snow. The runs, although limited, were fantastically groomed.

  I can not praise the ski and snowboarding schools enough. The instructors are first class, very friendly and always up for some apre ski fun! I would not hesitate to recommend Soldeu to those wishing to learn to ski or snowboard.

  I would also recommend Hotel Bruxelles for excellent value food (much better than the Sol i Neu at the base of the gondola). Fat Alberts and Aspen bars are good for apres ski drinking and live music. The SportHotel is a great place to stay and their vino caliente is the best in the resort (believe me when I say I have tried them all!).

  A visit to the Sport Wellness spa is a must (30 euros for 3 hours). This is most appreciated on Tues or Weds afternoon when the skiing begins to take its toll!)

  I will be returning next year and hope this years lack of snow does not put other skiers off visiting this exceptional resort.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (24 January 2007)

  Just returned from a weeks stay at the Hotel Bruxelles in Soldeu. The hotel is a small personal place with the best food in Soldeu (not just my opinion but that of most instructors I've talked to). This was my fourth time in Soldeu and the lack of snow was sad to see. However the pisteurs had done a superb job in keeping about 40% of the slopes open. Although most of those were blue runs, because of the icy conditions some of these were challenging for a beginner/intermediate like myself; perhaps not so good for the complete beginner! The black run into resort was easier to ski than the blue!!

  Although the linking pistes between the various sectors of Grandvalira where not all open the free ski-bus allows you to move through the area easily. The Grau Roig sector was particularly worth investigating.

  Soldeu has a friendly and reasonably lively nightlife with live music available somewhere in the town.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (17 January 2007)

  Just got back from Soldeu. We stayed in the Hotel Sport, breakfast was good.

  The resort had very little snow which meant that all the skiers were packed onto a small number of pistes. The hot weather meant that in the morning the pistes were icy and by lunchtime had turned to slush. The ski area itself is very good or at least would have been if there was any snow.

  Since conditions were poor on the pistes in the afternoon we finished skiing at around 1 O'Clock- and found that the main problem with Soldeu is that there is absolutely nothing to do when not skiing apart from drinking.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (03 January 2007)

  what a great resort - we are looking forward to our second visit in March this year (2007) We visited late March 2006 and the snow was perfect right till the end of our trip with fresh snow still falling over night. Would recommend for Beginers/intermediates for the length and varitey of the blue runs. We really enjoyed it.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (14 August 2006)

  I have been to Pas de la Casa several times, but fancied a change so tried Soldeu - and what a fantastic holiday we had! We stayed at the Sport Hotel, which was definately the best skiing hotel we have ever stayed at!

  The hotel was in a great location - just over the road from the lift and a couple of minues walk from the best bars. Not nearly as many as Pas de la casa but they had some great live bands playing.

  I ski where as my partner snowboards. We always join a school as it's such a laugh. My english instructor was brilliant. He really challenged us - off piste, pipes and black runs!

  With the ability to ski all the resorts it's not so important where you stay. But if you want the best hotels and the best ski schools, and enjoy live music -pick Soldeu!

  We are off again in Feb to the Sport Hotel Village!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (05 August 2006)

  Took my first skiing holiday at the end of February 2006 and stayed in the Hotel Bruxelles. What the hotel lacked in glamour (in comparison to the Sport etc), it more than made up for in friendliness and price. The food was simple but wholesome and piping hot...I was unaware of the issues regarding food poisoning at other hotels..there was certainly no sign of this here and I also noted that numerous resort staff used the restaurant regularly. The rooms were of a good standard and clean. The skiing was, in my opinion, fantastic. There was ample choice of slopes for all standards and a good network of lifts to all areas. Queues for the gondola weren't so bad if you waited until later in the morning to go up the mountain..not a bad idea if you've sampled the large measures of spirits in the lovely local bars the previous night! (For those that don't usually drink alot, beware, you get approximately three times the measure of alcohol than in the UK). Food and drink quite pricey up the mountain so it's a good idea to take your own bottled water up and come back down to resort for a rest and better food at lunch time. The main cafes on the mountain are like cattle markets at peak times and the food is poor. Booked up to return in 2007 when I will possibly be taking lessons and having a go at some of those tricky reds. One final tip for all, start your leg exercises early to avoid 'the burn'!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (26 July 2006)

  Visited Soldeu in the middle of Jan 2006 and have to say it's a great little place. The actual village is quite a small place but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the friendly welcome, great hotels and busy bars!

  The gondola up to the mountain is situated near the top of the village under the sport village hotel and apart from the obvious very busy first monday morning generally we didn't have to queue at all which was great.

  We stayed at the Piolets Park and Spa and it was very nice, clean and modern.

  For any beginners out there (especially snowboarders) the ski/ boarding school meeting point is right in front of you as you get of the gondola which is a godsend meaning that for the first couple of days you don't have to try the dreaded getting off a chairlift on a snowboard! (harder than it sounds)

  My top tips would be that for lunch come down the mountain either on the gondola or by your own power and go to the hotel bruxells (middle of town) really good food! Lastly for anyone who's a borderline beginner/ intermediate when you get of the gondola try the runs to the left first! The runs to the right which go past the nursery slope quickly become quite tight on the way back to soldeu and if your on board honestly do your (getting back into it) learning on the left hand slopes!

  Going back again this year and would say to anyone give it a go, you wont be disappointed

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• steve (26 March 2006)

  Just returned from another great trip to Soldeu. The mountain and the village facilities are well up to scratch but the outstanding facility is the ski school. Not just for the beginner but a great place to improve and progress whatever your standard. (A lot of training and testing of ski instructors from all over Europe goes on there in March and I believe that it is the only place in Europe where ski instructors can be trained in the Canadian teaching system). Their "workshop" classes are fabulous for the intermediate to advanced skier, with well qualified native English speaking instructors and they are very reasonably priced. We'll be back!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Nigel (12 March 2006)

  This was our 4th ski holiday in a row all being taken during Feb half term. Having been to Italy last year we returned to Soldeu and stayed in the Nordic Hotel. Everything about the holiday was perfect. Plenty of snow and the Nordic Hotel which is situated at the El Tarter chair lift will take some beating. I would without doubt recommend the Nordic, good food, spacious, pleasant staff and skiing to the door means just that except one lunchtime I had to remove my skis and walk approx six feet to a table !

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Mrs Pauline Clark (11 March 2006)

  We stayed in the Hotel Nordic, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The Hotel was clean and very comfortable with good heating that allows wet clothes to dry out overnight!! The location of the Hotel could not have been better with Ski in and ski out a chair lift not even 50yrds away. The facilities of this hotel we could not have asked for more. A good swimming pool and Sports bar that was occupied by mostly children, the only down side that we could see was that the food was not as hot as we would have chosen, but with the altitude we find that it is hard to obtain HOT food anywhere. Not being a brilliant skier myself (hubby being better) we found that the slopes were ideal for beginner and intermediate skiers and allowed us to improve without risking life and limb. The weather could not have been better, sunshine all day long with the snow falling at the end of our stay. Coach drivers were excellent in the snow and realy put you at ease driving on some treacherous roads. The downside of travelling was the long 4 hour coach trip to resort. But Andorra has improved 150% since my husband first went there 20 years ago!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• David Lobley (25 February 2006)

  Feb Half term 2006. How do they do it in Andorra? People were worried on the way up as there was an apparent dearth of snow and none had fallen for the prior two weeks. But arriving in resort there were super conditions right down to resort level. The piste maintenance and grooming is quite simply excellent. Had two, hour long, private lessons with really good instructor Liam. He improved us both in very short time and absolutely transformed my wifes turns. Consequently we skied for miles all over the Grand Valira on increasingly challenging runs, which gave us a real sense of achievement from the holiday. Hotel EuroEsqui between Soldeu and El Tarter had great amenties and good food. The mini bus service to the slopes was so convenient, literally door to Gondala, that it was easier than walking the 100/150 yards in ski boots when we stayed previously in the middle of Soldeu. Although prices have risen it is still very good value compared to many other parts of Europe. We flew to Barcelona rather than Toulouse this time and although the transfer is slightly longer the whole experience was much more pleasant and interesting. Soldeu's terrain may not satisfy the extreme needs of the hard core adrenaline junkies but that just makes it less crowded for the rest of us to cruise around in the sun and enjoy, so fine by me. Will be returning later in season with the whole family. Can't wait.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Karen (17 February 2006)

  Returned to Soldeu (29/01/06) after a 5 year gap. Stayed at Piolets Park (the new one just down the hill) and found it very good with excellent food, worthy of 4* rating. There is a minibus shuttle to the gondola, but the walk is hardly arduous and only takes 5mins. Hotel lacks the charm and character of Sport Village where we stayed before. The new linked Grandvalira ski area is fantastic, good variety of runs of all levels, though the blacks aren't that steep for advanced skiers. Never queued for a lift all week until locals came out on Saturday - then the link chairs between Pas and Soldeu get really busy. If you like to clock up the miles on intermediate terrain there is plenty to occupy you for a week exploring this piste map.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• steve (16 February 2006)

  Just got back, great resort plenty of apres ski (with bands). Village has a band at 5pm, Avalanche, Aspen and Fat Alberts have bands on at six and 10. Apres karaoke in icberg on tuesdays and fridays, FAB!! Nice big ski area, cheap happy hours, sunshine good apres and night life (selected nights sometimes). Dodgy food in hotel (mine anyway) but never mind. Luke warm and I didn't ask what or where most of it came from. Ended up eating out (but cheap food everywhere so no probs.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Pat (Cork Ireland) (09 February 2006)

  I Have been skiing in Soldeu for about eight or nine consecutive years and despite the superb expansion into Pas de la Casa and the very noticeable improvements in the lifts etc, the volume of Irish and English visitors hitting the resort has taken a gigantic nose-dive.This is reflected across the board in all the bars and especially among the attitude of the locals who seem to be blaming the tourists for their lack of tourism and have adopted a rather horrible attitude. Finding a live band for apres ski is almost impossible (even in Fat Alberts) which has gone from being jammed all week, in years to past to maybe 20 punters on a big night! The huge increase in prices over the euro years is mainly to blame and so is the unfortunate incident where the tour bus got snow bound last year. I went to Soldeu with the intention of maybe buying an apartment there, and sadly came back saying maybe we will return in six or seven years. Maybe.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• eric (08 February 2006)

  Went to soldeu in Jan this year for the first time with parents. My parents had a great time the blue runs were very long (even though we are intermediates we thought that the blues were good enough for us). I hurt myself on the first day and got extremely bored in the town as the only thing we saw that you could do during the day was a spa. But got to ski on the last day so at least I got to ski one day.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Helen Walker (02 February 2006)

  I am returning to Andorra next week. I went to Soldeu Jan 2002. The skiing was excellent and it should be even better now that the whole area is under one ski pass. I stayed at the Sport hotel and at the end of the week a large percentage of the guests were sick ( I luckily escaped). It made for an horrific journey back to the airport for some people. I am unpleasantly surprised that this seems to be a common occurence from feedback. Is it not about time that tour operators research this and act upon it.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• ninab (01 February 2006)

  Soldeu is a fab place this will be my 5th visit in as many years. Last/this year we are staying in the Soldeu Maistre Hotel which is a 3* hotel. It is quite new and very clean, you have an excellent choice of food and the rooms are v comfy. The slopes are great in my opinion and especially the lift system for boarders, the lifts are a little slower here then in france with no suicidal drops at the end of them!! The nightlife in Soldeu is great, there is almost a live band everynight somewhere around. Highly recommend seeing the lads playing in the Avalanche as they are fab.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• maggie moloney (17 January 2006)

  Just recently returned from skiing in soldeu (08-01-06)have to say the ski instructors here were excellent and my own instructor Dave from Leeds was second to none absolutely brilliant with the patience of an angel as a beginner. Great trip, good night life as well fat alberts and the Aspen 2 great pubs.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Gwyn Rees (06 January 2006)

  My family and I have been to Soldeu for the past 2 years and have had a really enjoyable time. The weather on both occasions was incredible and the quality of the intermediate runs were superb. Our party which consisted of beginners was spoiled for choice on the long reds and blues and we got amazing mileage over the weeks that we stayed there. The ski school is excellent with friendly English speaking instructors who go out of their way to help you develop in your own time. I have stayed at the Bruxelles which, I believe has some of the best food in the resort. All in all a good family resort which caters for all levels.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Paul Derbyshire (05 January 2006)

  Jan 2006 Just came back after staying at the hotel Euro ski. Lovely clean hotel, but only ever warm food. Bus to lifts was a pain as it could only take 8 people at a time. The skiing was great though, with fab blues and reds. The hotel has its own ski hire shop on site and was really good, but we had to hire from a shop in El Tarter and it was a pain to get them and they were very poor skis. Mountain resturants were very dear and quite horrible, with no atmoshere at all. Next year it's back to Austria with Crystal holidays.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Jill (02 January 2006)

  Stayed at the Everlington Hotel and it was ok. The service was poor but the skiing made up for it. The slopes are far too advanced for youngsters(3-12). It's great for adults though. Hotel Euro Ski is highly reccommended. We gave it a visit and it is something else.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• HAZEL LIPTROT (11 January 2005)

  My family and friends have been to El Tartar in Soldeu , Andorra for the past 2 years and we are going again this year. we stayed at the Hotel Nordic/Aparthotel Del Clos which is a ski in ski out resort.the chair lift is just out of the hotel door and the hotel is new and clean. it offers excellent food and the children have plenty of facilities. the first year we went to ski school but last year we had private tuition and it was excellent and we are going to do the same this year. as a group we had no complaints at all about any aspect of the holiday our only complaints were regarding the time changes of flights. otherwise we cannot wait to go again.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Claire (09 January 2005)

  First time ever on a ski holiday and I thought Soldeu was great. We stayed in the hotel Bruxelles, and unlike most of the reviewers, none of us came down with any sort of tummy bug at all. According to my instructor from the snowboard school, the Bruxelles is renowned as having one of the best restaurants in the resort. Food was piping hot whenever served and staff were happy to offer alternatives should you not like the choice. Onto the important stuff - ski and snowboared school both excellent. Loads of British instructors, and all the others seemed to speak great English. Weather was good, unfortunately there was no fresh snow while we were there so the learner slopes were a little tricky as they were quite icy. It was really sunny so those wanting a tan were sorted! Great choice of runs for beginners and intermediates, not sure about advanced. My advice is go to Soldeu to learn or on a cheap deal before it gets too popular!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• willie (12 September 2004)

  Have visited Soldeu 3 times in the last 2 years, always had great skiing and excellent weather and snow conditions However lift pass and ski hire prices are getting more expensive!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Natalie Roach (10 August 2004)

  Went to Soldeu in March this year. Had an excellent week. The ski school was fantastic and no problems with lift queues at all. Weather was pretty good with clear skies on all but the last day when conditions were pretty poor. Stayed at the Hotel Bruxelles - a really friendly small hotel with good food although the breakfast buffet was extremely limited. Went in a group of four and no-one experienced any of the "dodgy tummy" problems mentioned by others. Am seriously considering going back in December but not sure what to expect snow-wise...?

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Rob Jones (15 July 2004)

  Went on our first ever ski holiday to Soldue in January this year (25/1/04 for 1 week.) Skiing wasn't too bad, but fresh snow mid week helped a lot. Stayed at the Piolets Hotel whish was good with it’s own pool and gym, but the food wasn’t great, still very plentiful and very staff friendly. Also it is close to the gondola and bars (Don’t drink the water or ice in drinks as one of our group went down with a dodgy tummy bug) The Ski school was very good, though go for the early lessons as the slopes get chocker in the afternoon. Everyone in the group improved by the end of the week. Private lessons aren’t too expensive and speak very good English. We had a mixed group and everyone enjoyed themselves, and already planning next trip.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Damon (02 February 2004)

  Just got back from a week (25th to 1st Feb 04) in Soldeu and we were very pleasantly surprised by the resort. Generally the slope conditions were excellent and we had plenty of snow to keep to the runs in good condition. The runs on the lower sections back to the resort get very busy (effectively known by many as death valley!) and if you are an intermediate or advanced skier just take the black run (avec) back to the bottom to avoid all the beginners traversing or falling on the slopes! The best runs and snow are above the mid station - take the gondola from the resort, turn left at the top down the blue run to the six man chair lift to access the better part of the resort. Although we didn't use the ski school people we spoke too were impressed with it and a lot of the instructors are English or Kiwis and many of the local ones speak very good English! It is advisable to only drink bottled water (etc) and no one we knew fell ill. As an intermediate/advanced skier I certainly found enough to keep me amused for the week. Some of the run gradings are a little dubious in places - blue runs with very steep drops (on a par with the reds and blacks) in the middle of them! We would definitely recommend the resort and will certainly go back there again.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Dave (26 January 2004)

  Just back from my third visit to Soldeu. As usuall the runs were in pretty good condition just a little icy on the 24th Jan. As noted the food is best described as warm!! unless you go to the Villager Pub (reserve a table at lunch time) where the food is piping hot and good value. Ignore what's been said about ski school, the teachers still speak english as they are mainly from Australia & NZ.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• stephen.quigg@paconsulting.com (22 January 2004)

  Soldeu 4-11 January 2004. This was my first time snowboarding abroad and found Soldeu wonderful. Fresh snow the day before we arrived and clear blue skies for 4 days. Slopes were perfect for progression from beginner to low intermediate like me. Stayed in a beautiful apartment and though the drink prices may not be any cheaper than the UK the usual Spanish hospitality prevailed and every pub was very friendly. Recommend Fat Alberts Pub and Resturant for anyone a little more mature and it's quite easy to enojoy both snow and off-piste without being caught up in crowds of package-holiday youths being guided round the town by Tour Reps!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Simon Bishop (20 January 2004)

  have just come back from el tarter which for those who don't know is just over a mile up the road form soldeu. with regards to comments regarding off the slopes conditions i think u got it wrong. certainly don't drink the local water - buy bottled, avoid the gippy tum in the first place. no raw sewage was observed all week. As for warm/cold food at restaurants the one we tried served it hot and the standard of food as good as any decent pub in the uk. with regard to the snow/skiing conditions well one is up to the weather gods. It snowed on the very last evening but otherwise was dry and sunny. the piste was hard and icy; for a beginner like me a bit tricky. further up the slopes especially on the south facing slpoes conditions were better. my two kids had never skied before but became quite competent in reaching a one star and a two star standard by the end of the week. my main gripe is that the spanish seem to ski as they drive! on the whole reallly enjoyed myself and would recommend soldeu el tarter

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• John Albright (18 December 2003)

  As a full-time resident of Soldeu, I have to warn you that the authorities seem to have lost the plot. Lift prices have been racheted up to 31euros a day (just 6 less than Val d'Isere and 3 valleys). This entitles you to 200 miles of piste - a third of fore-mentioned Alpine resorts, and a vertical drop of only 700m, again a third of what can be had in the Alps for little extra expense. Also, Soldeu did have a reputation for being UK friendly with English ski-instructors. This is no longer the case as many of my friends have not had contracts renewed to be instructors this season - reason being that the ski-school now only takes on Spanish speakers as the vast majority of skiers are coning from Barcalona. I have to concur about the comments about food hygiene. I personally worked in an establishment where spare food arriving back from tables would be re-used. As most owners only rent their restarant, they seem to have no interest in building up a reputation. If complaints come in and the Andorran authority closes the place down, there is nothing to stop the owners renting the place next door! Anyway, the main gripe with the resort is about the abandonment of its cheap and UK friendly nature. The 'poor mans Alps' just got expensive.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Chris O'Loughlin (25 August 2003)

  Went to Soldeu February 2003, staying at Sport Village Hotel. Snow conditions great, very few queues away from the central area (though some queuing for the gondola up the mountain in the morning). Wide range of ski slopes, though more geared to beginner/intermediate than advanced. Some of the grading of slopes a little bizarre (scary red runs and fairly easy blacks). Hotel - good room, fine food and service BUT (AND THIS COULD BE IMPORTANT GIVEN OTHER COMMENTS) both of us had quite bad diarrhoea for the last couple of days - no vomiting thankfully and not quite enough to stop us skiing but the food hygiene does seem to be in serious question across this resort. Also - limited nightlife, cheap alcohol at supermarkets ("tax free"), few restaurants. Would we go back? If it weren't for the food poisoning - definitely, as it is ? - maybe

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• ANDY BURROWS (17 March 2003)

  just returned from soldeu stayed at sport village hotel, found hotel and staff excellent. skiing absolutly excellent apres ski 1st class definatly return next year 17 03 03

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Dennis Sherman (11 March 2003)

  Dont trust the Doctors to read an x-ray at Canillo medical center Andorra. The sprained wrist was broken and the torn knee ligaments was a tibia fracture that needed a bone graft! This was diagnosed using the original x-rays back in UK. In hospital for a week. Not back to work 'til June.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Dick Northcote (26 February 2003)

  Stayed at the Sport Village Hotel 16-23 Feb. Excellent all round hotel. Ski instruction and conditions best I have seen. Although crowded for 1/2 term, no huge queues. Only snag 3 out of 7 of our party went down with tummy troubles - seems to be a feature of Soldeu?

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Garry Davies (11 February 2003)

  Recently returned this last weekend from Soldeu, Andorra. Fabulous snow and weather conditions. Stayed in Hotel Piolets. (Never again) Food definetely not up to 4 star standard, staff indifferent, room service chaotic and to cap it all most guests went down with food poisioning. Meals were buffet style. If you did not like the choice on offer, it was tough luck. There was no other alternative for those who are not great meat eaters. I do not know how they can market this hotel as 4 star standard. More like 2 or 3 star in comparision to other 4 stars we have stayed in. We complained to the tour representative and hotel management, but they were not interested. Our holiday was spoilt by the food poisioning outbreak, and we are still suffering now with having to take time off work upon our return. I have been to Andorra on several previous occasions without any problems,but I would definetely not frequent this hotel again.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Paul Cannell (11 February 2003)

  I have been on several holiday's to Soldeu since the mid 90's, and cannot knock it as a resort. There is no better ski school for beginners, intermediates and one to one tuition for those wanting to progress to advanced.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• craig (03 February 2003)

  Just got back from soldeu weathers been terrible huge dump of snow with high winds forcing 2 days of no play on them there hills. Saying that, its a great place and im off to book again for next year. Stopped at the hotel naudi great hotel food can be a bit cold though. Only the weather a let down, I just wish I was going next week to enjoy the tons & tons of the stuff.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Simon (24 January 2003)

  If you are thinking of being enticed by the extremely good prices in Andorra, don't be. I have visited Soldeu twice and although the food in the hotels is of a high standard, for half the week I was lying in bed being repeatedly sick along with the rest of my party and 80% of the hotel's visitors.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Neil Hurrell (27 December 2002)

  Went to El tartar Feb 2002 stayed at the Hotel Del Clos had a great time food accomodation and skiing/boarding great for all ages and abilities our family party had everything from 3yr old starters to teenagers on short ski's and Boards and middle age parents on anything including trays! Would recommend this resort and hotel to anyone we go back this Sunday 29th Dec 02. See you there!!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Matthew Bingham (10 December 2002)

  Went to Soldeau in Feb 2002. The skiing was supurb. This is my favourite skiing resort with it great restraunts and super apres-ski i would recommend it to the young at heart!!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Hugh Sansom (04 December 2002)

  Last season the conditions in Soldeu were generally good. Après ski in Soldeu was very good, loads of bars/nightclubs/restaurants - everything you need. Having skied most of my life I didn't really find Soldeu the most challenging resort for skiing. However there were areas that I discovered that had superb off-piste/backcountry skiing - don't hesitate to ask.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Shirley Turner (18 November 2002)

  This December marks the third year we have been to Soldeu. We are staying at the Hotel Sport Village, which sits right over the gondola station,and is also close to the very good ski depository. The skihire facilities are topnotch, with very helpful staff, and a good system for getting people through quickly and easily. All skis there are also now carvers! The runs are excellently pisted, and the ski school is fabulous, with friendly english speaking instructors who really know their job. The Sport hotel to my mind is the best in town. Its tastful well appointed rooms are a joy to be in, and if you request a mountain view its superb! The runs are good for beginners and intermediates, although I would say to all beginers, don'[t attempt the run down to the village. There are too many people on it, especially at the end of the day, and it becomes quite frightening. All-in-all, a great ski resort. GO!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Linda Taylor (26 June 2002)

  My husband and I are used to skiing in Austria and skied in Zermatt two years ago. We went to El Tarter in January 2002 and had a brilliant holiday. We stayed at the Hotel Del Tarter and the food, accommodation, sevice was brilliant. The skiing is very uncomplicated, easy, relaxing and the snow was fabulous. In fact we have booked up again for this year. Our opinion is that it was great value for money and we are glad we went to El Tarter.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Janine Norris (19 February 2002)

  Just been to Soldeu. Stayed in the Edelweiss apartments attached to the Sport Hotel. 18 of us had a fantastic time. Sport hotel had lots of space in the lounge for us all to sit and tell our ski stories. We are desperate to go back next year. The food was good - just what you needed after a day skiing. It was half term, a little busy, but still not many queues due to the high speed chair lifts. Just a brilliant holiday resort!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.

• Temperature Map
• Pre-Register With A Leader