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Arinsal has apres-ski and nighlife to suit most tastes, so here is a rundown of the bars to give you a flavour of what is out there. Bar owners/managers, please get in touch if you want us to add to or edit your listing, or if you are interested in a sponsored listing with more detailed information.
El Derbi - The Derby Irish Pub
Arinsal's Irish bar is a short distance from the Gondola and has Videoski footage from the slopes (and DVDs for sale), pub games and live music. British and Irish footie and rugby matches shown live.
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The Derby Website
Ciscos cave bar is built into the rock in the old part of the town opposite the Gondola. Popular with English and Spanish speakers alike, with various themed nights (80s Disco, Ladies Night) and pub games.
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Apres ski and sports bar close to the slopes. Popular with English speakers. Video footage from the slopes and live sports on the big screen. Occasional live music.
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Loud and lively bar popular with English and Irish visitors. Free toasties apres ski. Pub games, occasional live music, videos from the slopes. Theme nights include the Beach Party and Arinsal's legendary 70s night.
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Ambient nightspot with resident DJs from the Andorra Sound Project. Videos from the slopes.
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Apres ski the Surf shows videos from the slopes, and the restaurant is well knows for it's steaks. However the venue is best known for the discotheque which starts to get lively after midnight and carries on until four or later. Ibiza DJs appear from time to time and house beats are the order of the day (night). Very popular with Spanish speakers.
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A friendly bar well placed directly opposite the Gondola. Formerly more of a cocktail bar and restaurant, it has expanded over the last couple of years and now has an upstairs restaurant and downstairs bar. There is still an excellent cocktail menu, but it is also a lively apres ski bar with varied entertainment later in the evenings.
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The large bar below the Hotel Solana is sometimes lively with part nights, big screen sports, and pub games. It is popular with Spanish speakers at weekends.
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Latest Posts on the Message Forum |
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Latest News |
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8th November 2009
Vallnord have announced the official opening and closing dates for this winter season as the 28th November and the 18th April respectively. As usual these are subject to change depending on snow conditions - last year the resorts opened early and closed late due to the excellent snow cover - and visitor numbers. These dates apply to Vallnord as a whole. Usually Arcalis opens slightly longer than Pal and Arinsal so Arinsal may shut a week before on April 11th. Remember that the resorts close in April because of a lack of customers, not because the snow has gone, and there has always been (even in relatively poor seasons) plenty of snow to ski on right up to the last day of the season.
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The Big Snow Festival Update |
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2nd November 2009
As we mentioned previously, The Big Snow Festival is coming to Arinsal from 14th - 21st March. The festival lineup, headlined by Calvin Harris, has now been announced. We have posted it in our Forum, or you can click on the banners arround this site to visit the Festival Webpage.
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29th October 2009
Vallnord have announced that all lift passes and ski/snowboard lessons this winter will remain at 2008/2009 prices in Arinsal, Pal and Arcalis. This means that an Adult Day pass will still cost 30.50€ low season and 36.00€ in high season. One hour's private ski lesson (1 - 2 people) will cost 38.00€ / 40.50€. You can see the full pricelist here. |
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Number One's Report |
I am so glad that half term week is over. I feel so sorry for the many families who have paid top price and received, perhaps the poorest service of the season. This week I had to take two groups and the classes were quite large due to the number of clients booked into ski school.
I noticed that there was a rush for breakfast and that the dining room was very crowded. The staff coped well with the extra numbers. Indeed they even added black pudding and hash browns to the breakfast menu. Then after breakfast there was a queue for the ski bus. When they arrived at the telecabine there was a queue to get on. The hire shop and yet another queue, however most of our guests got their equipment the previous evening. After the lesson there was a huge queue for the bars and restaurants. I usually advise the clients to go back to the village where they will find a good selection of bars serving quick lunches. This week a lot of the families took my advice after their experience on Monday.
In the early evenings there were a lot of people watching videos of their classes.. But of course, the footage was very much shorter than on other weeks as the camera men rushed around trying to catch all the extra classes. The evenings were very much quieter than usual. So much so, I was in bed every night by midnight, except one, when Mike was singing in the Palarine. (That is another story).
I realise that this is the only week that families with school age children can come skiing in February but I feel very sorry that due to the sheer numbers, we cannot deliver the service that we want to provide. I hope that they were not disappointed and that they may be able to visit us during a much quieter period when we can make their holiday a much more pleasant experience. |
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My luck is definitely in this year. I had a wonderful group yet again. The men were of mixed ages; father and son, grandfather and grandson and Mike, aka Elvis, a local entertainer, of indeterminate years. The ladies were all lovely and liked to party. Some of them would have had a quicker time in the slalom race if they had enjoyed themselves just a little less in the evenings. They had a great time and I very much enjoyed their company. I would like to mention one young lady, Debra, who arrived in the resort on Saturday and so was able to have a private lesson with me on Sunday. We progressed so well on the beginners’ lift that she was able to join my intermediate (1) on Monday morning. This returns me to one of my favourite topics; private or group lessons? There is absolutely no doubt that progression is much faster with private lesson.. This week I had private lessons with two separate ladies, who were very timid and tense. They both would have hated the pressure and competitiveness of a group lesson.. I honestly believe that they made great progress during their lessons. I am not against joining a collective class. It is ideal for some people. It gives you the opportunity to meet lots of other people and as Arinsal is a small and friendly resort, there is a huge chance that you will meet other class members in the evening. This all makes for a great social life. Earlier in the week I was involved in m impromptu Malt Whisky tasting session, hosted by Graham at the Palarine. Stuart (BBA) sadly missed this event as he was enjoying one of his many evenings off. We are considering organising a tutored Malt Whisky Tasting Evening in March, when we will taste six classic malts. However, I am reminded of an old Scottish saying regarding whisky: ONE is fine, TWO is too many, but THREE is never enough |
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During Your Stay 
