Ski Instructor Report 4th February 2012

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. rom 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 Moniz and Pobtlao 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 one 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.