Ski Soldeu

No longer regarded as a No-Frills resort for northern Europe, Soldeu in Andorra is fast becoming renowned for its dynamic vibrant ambience and variety of well groomed pistes.

The recently born Grand Valira covers the villages of Soldeu, El Tarter and Pas de la Casa giving you access to 193km of piste the largest skiable area in Andorra.

Nestled in the Pyrenees with Spain to the West and France to the right, Soldeu is a great resort to work on that tan. Its highest altitude of 2560m (resort height 1710m) ensures a good amount of snow but if the year is exceptionally bad, there are over one thousand snow cannons to guarantee the pistes will be well covered up.

Fly into either Toulous or Barcelona, transfer time is between 3 and 4 hours, perhaps not perfect if youre travelling with young children.

The super-modern speedy lift system is one of the most efficient in the world, although I hesitate to say which position the lift operators hold in the friendly stakes. Watch out for those extra fast lifts whacking the backs of your knees!

Soldeu has been sympathetically expanded as the ski area has grown. The accommodation available is very high quality and modern, however the sheer amount of Brits here taking advantage of the countrys duty-free beverages do tend to give it a slight Tenerife feel.

Make sure you leave space in your suitcase because its not just the alcohol that is duty-free. If you need any new kit buy it here, the end of season sales are unbelievable.

This is a great resort for beginner ski holiday makers, and in fact the ski school has just been voted best in Europe.

About 60% of all the runs are blue. 20% green and 20% red. There are no black runs.

Head over to the Riba Escorxada Valley for some wide fast blues and if you need a challenge the Llebre and the Avet are the most difficult runs in the area. Theres an amazing off-piste run through the trees down to El Tarter and if that is your scene make sure you check out the piste-basher towing service which accesses four more off-piste routes.

Snowboarding holidays are well catered for here with three terrain parks, a half pipe and two permanent bordercross trails.

You have a wide selection of restaurants here with the average price for three course being around eighteen euros. Fat Alberts, based in one of the oldest buidings in Soldeu, has a superb reputation so book well in advance. Borda del Rectar is on the road towards Pas de la Casa, give them a call and theyll collect you and drop you off at your accommodation free of charge.

The Apres-ski here is pretty wild, the cheap drinks and volume of Brits abroad contribute to a crazy night out by anyones standards. The major partying starts around 11pm and goes on until breakfast! Check out Aspen Bar, Pub Iceberg, Avalanche and Pussycat for a vibrant atmosphere and first class live music.

Alternative activities include squash, swimming pool, an ice-driving circuit (near Pas de la Casa) and the sumptuous Sports Wellness Mountain Spa is becoming an attraction to rival the skiing!

This well equipped resort is perfect for those on budgets who love the sun, dont mind the Anglo feel to the place and enjoy spending their days on cruising blue runs (probably best for dealing with the unavoidable hangover!). We would not necessarily recommend the resort atmosphere for family ski holidays but the terrain is nice and gentle so would suit well on the skiing front.