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Like the rest of Europe, Arinsal has been bitterly cold this weekend.  It meant that we had excellent snow conditions, if you could wrap up warmly against the wind and cold. It is very difficult in these conditions to keep children warm. If you examine a child’s glove that due to the size there is very little insulation, therefore a child’s hands get cold much sooner than an adults.

Regular readers are aware that I stay in the Palarine hotel and enjoy staying there.

Early last month, this hotel had their first bad review on Tripadvisor.  The couple who complained were here during a week when the weather was bad and the ski conditions were not very good, so they blamed everything on the hotel.  One complaint was that there was not a kettle in their room. Tea making facilities are commonplace in England but I do not remember having a kettle in any room in a continental European hotel. If this facility is important to you, like me, you will have to bring a travel kettle with you when you visit Arinsal.  This misunderstanding had me thinking that I should tell you what I know about the hotels in Arinsal.

The Palarine has a good reputation for a friendly service and for its food, many of the expats say that it is the best food in Arinsal and book in for the excellent themed evening meals.  From the village centre, it is 15 minute walk, if you run.  I walk down most evenings in 20 minutes.  There is a free bus service during the day and a half hourly pay bus (€1-50) running until 10 pm. 

The St Gothard Hotel is about 10 minutes walk closer to the village centre. It is much larger and is popular with school and group bookings and puts on live entertainment some evenings.

In the village centre there is a great selection of hotels all a very short walk from the lift, some only seconds away. They are: the Montane, Coma Pedrosa, Arinsal, Ayma and Micolau.  I have not stayed at any of these so it would be unfair to comment on the facilities. The Ayma and Arinsal are traditional Andorran hotels and the others have been recently modernised.

There are two apartments both very conveniently situated: St Moritz and Poblado Apartments. Clients have praised the standard of accommodation in both. I have not been in either. About three or four minutes walk up the main street is the Princessa Park, thought by some to be the best hotel in Arinsal and perhaps the most expensive. It has magnificent public rooms, a piano bar and a livelier bar in Bogart’s.  Some clients have told me that the bedrooms are not as big as they had expected, after seeing the grand entrance and reception area. The Crest and the Patagonia are another ten minutes or so up the hill. Both are situated close to a chairlift and at the end of a ski run that is suitable for intermediates.  They are a bit isolated from the other bars in the village. At the very top of the village are the Velvet Apartments they have a magnificent view and are apparently well appointed but only suitable for those with a car.

Like they say in Yorkshire “You pays your money and you make your choice".

Booking next winter's ski holiday

If you want to get the best possible deal for next season's ski holiday, it is always a good time to start looking. You may not want to book right away, but it is worth researching some prices. Tour operator prices may well drop if you wait until the absolute last minute, but the days of the ridiculously cheap last minute deals seem to be over, perhaps because too many people were leaving it later and later to book. Many prices will go up nearer the time as well, depending on demand for a holiday.

In the past we have often advised people that a DIY package is usually cheaper than going with a tour company, but over the last couple of seasons we have seen that this is no longer the case. With the tour companies competing to maintain their market share in the current economic climate, there are great bargains to be found which are hard to match putting together your own package on the internet. As well as the big tour operators, there are also smaller (but still reputable ABTA bonded) companies such as Fast Track Ski offering cheap ski deals to Arinsal and other resorts in Andorra. Of course the DIY route has its place, especially if you want a shorter or longer break, or you want more control over the holiday.

The basic decision you need to make then is whether to book with a tour operator or put together your own package. If you already know where you want to ski (Arinsal we hope) then price is probably the single biggest factor for most people, followed by convenience. You can stay in the same accommodation, and ski the same slopes whichever way you choose to book. Try comparing like with like, finding your own hotels and flights, and getting quotes from the tour company websites. Make sure you are clear on what the package includes, particularly regarding the ski pack and insurance which may be add-on extras on a tour company website. Remember to include everything when pricing up the DIY option. Packages are convenient, but many people prefer the freedom and flexibility afforded by the D.I.Y. approach to booking a holiday, and it isn't all that difficult.

Starting with the packages, here are all the tour operators we know of who are currently selling packages in Arinsal for next winter.

Neilson Active Holidays
Thomas Cook
Airtours
Inghams
First Choice
Topflight (Ireland)
Thomson
Crystal

Moving on to the self-booking option, here is a checklist of everything you need to allow for when pricing up your own package (and if booking with a tour operator, make sure all these are included as well).

• Hotels/apartments - use the hotel search tool to the left, or look at our accommodation page for hotel details.
• Flights - try the flight search on the left, a flight comparison site like Cheapflights or look at individual airlines. You can fly to Toulouse, Barcelona, Gerona, Perpignon, Carcassonne, Lleida or Reus. All are 3-4 hours drive.
• Transfers - Novatel run buses from Barcelona, Toulouse and Gerona. Or you could hire a car - see the Fly-Drive page for driving advice.
• Travel insurance, including winter sports cover. Remember that the EHIC card is not valid in Andorra as it is outside the EU. The comparison site, Quote Banana (as advertised on this site) is a good starting point but there are many insurance companies so look around. Even if you decide to travel with a tour company you might save money by organising your own insurance.
• Ski Pass - essential for all skiers/snowboarders. You can purchase it when you arrive in resort. See the Vallnord website for details. It is also worth registering for the Vallnord card (free from the same site) to get a discount.
• Ski/board hire - unless you have your own equipment you will need to hire it for the week. You can do this on arrival, but will probably get a better deal booking online with Skiset or Snowrental for example. Keep an eye on this site as we may be publishing some good deals on ski hire nearer to next season.
• Ski lessons - for beginners, ski lessons are absolutely essential. For everybody else they are still worthwhile and will enhance your enjoyment of the sport. Again, more details are on the Vallnord website.

The last three are often packaged together as a ski pack, both by tour companies and by some of the hotels. You can wait until much nearer the time to book them, but do allow for them when comparing package prices.