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Arinsal Reviews
24 reviews of Arinsal in Andorra.
Voted 2nd out of 3 reviewed ski resorts in Andorra
- Superb(8)
- Good(13)
- O.K.(3)
- Poor(0)
- Awful(0)
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Arinsal
Reviewed 1 Jun 2016
A small resort that’s best for beginners and intermediates, with a great mix of reds and blues. It doesn’t have that many testing runs to be honest - you’d need to go over to Andorra’s other ski area, Grandvalira, for those. We spent a lot of time at Cisco’s as we’re friendly with the owner there.
Second trip to Arinsal
Reviewed 31 May 2016
We visited Arinsal the year before which was the first time we’d skied. We felt like we hadn’t really seen the mountains so decided to come back as better skiers. I would definitely recommend Arinsal to beginner / early skiers. The tuition is amazing! Because the resort is so small everyone is really friendly and approachable, we met our instructors on nights out. We liked all the bars and restaurants, and spent most of our time in Quo Vardis. They play your skiing footage from the day (which they film up on the mountain). It would be a really nice thing to have as a group as you can support less confident skiers, it really brings you all together.
Arinsal 2016
Reviewed 31 May 2016
We had a lot of fun in Arinsal. When we arrived it was pretty warm so we were worried, but then we had heavy snow on the mountain. It was my first time here, and although I wouldn’t go back (4 hour transfer is a bit long) I would recommend it to other people. The ski area is especially good for middle/intermediate skiers.
We'd go back!
Reviewed 23 May 2016
First time in Arinsal and we enjoyed it, we’re already thinking that we might go back next year. The skiing’s good and the atmosphere in town is nice. Ski school was really good. We had a mix of beginners and intermediates and everyone enjoyed the ski area.
Arinsal New Years 2015/16
Reviewed 23 May 2016
The snow was average to poor over New Years, but it’s a nice little resort and it would be nice to explore it again when there’s good snow. Generally, it’s a good place for beginners and intermediates, but there would definitely be more for expert skiers and snowboarders (they host the Freeride world cup just around the corner). As it was, there were still a few places that you could get to where the sun had softened the ice.
There are enough bars in the village, two quite lively ones and a few smaller ones where we could just sit outside and have a beer.
New Year’s Eve was very tame, nothing crazy, no fireworks… We ended up in a little bar at the top of the high street with about 10 other people.
In all, Arinsal’s one of those resorts that is good, nothing to rave about – just a pleasant resort.
Good all rounder
Reviewed 9 May 2016
Quite a good ski area, especially for advanced intermediates. We were a mixed group and it was great for us. It’s a good all round resort and I was impressed!
Snowboarding in Arinsal
Reviewed 5 May 2016
First time in Arinsal and we absolutely loved it. We will definitely go back. As a snowboarder I had a cracking time and the ski area was ideal, just what we needed for a first snow holiday.
Our tour operator tried to sell us a wristband for 10 euros which gives you discounts in the bars and restaurants but having spent the week there you don't need to bother with the wristband. We found that they'll give you the discounts in the pubs anyway - one place gave us their own wristband for the whole night.
Small ski resort
Reviewed 4 May 2016
The resort is a lot smaller than other resorts I’ve been to. I would say that if you are a really good/advanced skier and looking to ski a lot, there isn’t much for you. I went with a friend (both great skiers) and had a great time. I wouldn’t say there are plenty of slopes, but it was fine for us.
A perfect family ski resort
Reviewed 28 Apr 2016
The resort was good, perfect for families. The resort is also very beautiful and picturesque. It was good enough to get some skiing under your belt, but if I wasn’t skiing with my children, I don’t think it would have been interesting enough. If you are a good skier and looking to ski all day, it might not be the best ski area.
Great great great
Reviewed 27 Apr 2016
Lovely resort, friendly people, great for families. We hope to return next season. Tip top!
Recommended for a cheapish holiday
Reviewed 28 Apr 2015
We had a really good week in Arinsal, we were all new to the resort (although one of us had skied in Pas de la Casa before) and all liked it. We had one really hot day in the middle of the week which meant the snow wasn’t great for the rest of the holiday – had the conditions been better we would have had an amazing time. The town has a few bars, ski shops etc., which were all really good; we’d come down off the slopes and there would always be people advertising their bars and giving out vouchers for free drinks. I’ve already recommended Arinsal to one of my mates looking for a cheapish holiday later this year!
Awesome first ski holiday in Arinsal.
Reviewed 10 Apr 2015
I have nothing to pitch Arinsal against but this seemed to be a really good ski resort, the slopes were nice and wide and we had so much snow that they were really powdery all week – we were really lucky.
We had two days of closure (due to high winds) which was a bit of a pain. On the first day we went down into the capitol to have a look around and on the second we managed to go up and get our skis (in hindsight it was an error to store our skis at the top!) and then travelled over to Pal to ski there. This meant we missed out on two days of tuition but for the rest of the week the ski school were very good. We were in the novice class and at first I thought it was a bit slow but it turned out to be pitched just right.
Cheap and cheerful
Reviewed 24 Mar 2015
Arinsal’s alright, the skiing is a little limited but you can link over on the gondola to Pal where the skiing is a lot better. At the beginning of the 2014/15 season the snow was rubbish which meant that quite a lot of the local area was closed. However there were more runs open over the gondola so we had enough to keep us entertained for the week. My wife was taking lessons in the beginner’s class and found the instructors good.
Everything’s cheap and cheerful – there’s a standard Irish bar and a couple more bars that had events for New Year’s Eve.
Perfect little resort for families
Reviewed 19 May 2014
A very family friendly resort. It’s a small town but I couldn’t wish for a better place. My daughter learnt to ski here and she loved it. It’s great for beginners. Initially she didn’t want to go on the gondola, she wanted to stick to the nursery slopes, but within 2 days she had really progressed and I couldn’t stop her! We had the sort of holiday you dream of here. We recently came back from Cuba, which was lovely, but it just doesn’t compare, Arinsal was top. Ski holidays are much better than sun holidays, it’s just great to be out doing something together, to be active. I’ve also been to other resorts in Andorra, like Pas de la Casa, but I prefer Arinsal. The atmosphere is better here, and it was so nice for my daughter. It’s a tiny place, there are only a few pubs, but we really enjoyed going out and also staying in and meeting people at the hotel. I really want take my daughter back again. Full marks all round.
Lovely family-friendly resort
Reviewed 16 May 2014
Arinsal is such a lovely little spot and I’ve been here several times. Everything is within walking distance (the furthest place would probably be 150m away) and there’s a little river that runs through the village which makes the place very pretty.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the village, it would be hard to get to them all in a week. It’s nice to go back somewhere you’ve been before, I’ve got to know the people in the restaurants etc and it’s become a home from home. The people in the ski shops are always very helpful and friendly, they don’t overcharge and the whole system is very organised (I’ve been to Austria before when it’s been an absolute bun fight to get your equipment sorted!).
The shopping is a bus ride away in Andorra LaVella, although you might want to consider hiring your own car if you do lots of shopping as the buses are not that frequent and go once every hour or so. It’s the most fantastic place to go shopping and you can buy anything!
The ski slopes in Arinsal suit beginners and intermediates really well (I’ve bought some family members to learn to ski or snowboard here and they’ve had a super time). It’s not really a place for advanced skiers at all but it is connected to Pal by another gondola which opens up another huge area of skiing suited to beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers. The resort slopes are at 1800m where the ski school is down at the bottom, which is very high so there is always snow (the village is very much lower, you get the gondola up).
An ideal location for beginners
Reviewed 8 May 2014
We’ve been to Arinsal before, we like it. It’s an ideal location for beginners. Good for families and people with young children.
Amazing holiday
Reviewed 6 May 2014
Hadn’t been to Arinsal before but wanted to try something different and really enjoyed it! The skiing is at the easy end of the scale but there are a couple of good snowparks if you want that sort of thing. It’s so quiet that even though it only snowed on the day we got there, I was still finding untouched off piste throughout the week! If you’re skiing here, definitely go to the Arcalis resort which is round the corner as it has a lot more runs. We enjoyed the long transfer as we stopped in a lovely little village which had a bakery and cafe which was really nice.
Great for a group of mixed skiing abilities
Reviewed 24 Apr 2014
The bars in Arinsal may seem few and far between but they are enough for 1 week. We found ourselves in Ciscos every day and night it was that good. The lady owner and the staff were very friendly all the time and the themed parties every night were great - The food there is also brilliant as the club has 3 floors with the top floor being occupied by the restaurant. We were very well looked after and the steaks are to die for. They are also the size of a horse and we were shown the steak before it was cooked.
Snow Conditions - Apparantly when we went it was the best powder in 9 years. We had a massive dump in the night we arrived so were very lucky for the whole week
There are different Sectors and mountains for skiiing (Pal Arinsal and 1 other) and we skiid / snowboarded the lot. Great if you are going with a mix of friends with different skiiing abilities which is why Arinsal is a good place to ski for groups
In respect of the main town of Andorra you have to catch a bus which takes 30 mins away but the centre is nice although we only had 2 hours to spend their at the end to get souvenirs etc.
Overall great Holiday - Im looking to go again next Feb.
Wouldn't hesitate to go again
Reviewed 24 Apr 2014
Arinsal is more a place for beginners and intermediates rather than for experts, but I went with my boys with all of us as beginner snowboarders, and it was perfect for that. I wouldn’t rate it as an expert ski resort but even if you feel like you’re going on the same slopes again and again, you have access to other resorts. You’ve got the gondola that takes you up to the main slopes in Arinsal but the ski pass also gives you access to two other slopes – there’s one resort called Pals that’s a 5-10 minute bus ride away, and another resort further still about half an hour away which we did as well.
There are only about four or five bars in the main area, El Cau is a pretty fun bar and the Irish bar had a guy with a guitar which was good fun. One of the things which was a lot of fun about the bars is that they have people who come down and film you during ski school etc and then the bars play those videos in the evenings after you get off the slopes, I think they’re hoping you will buy the film but it’s fun to look out for yourself!
The ski school were fantastic and the sizes of the groups weren’t such that you didn’t get enough attention.
We’ve been in Arinsal twice over half term and we were quite surprised how not busy it was – I was expecting it to be hectic in terms of ski schools and queuing for lifts. The only time you had to wait was at the beginning of the week if you got caught behind the ski schools, and even then it was only a couple of minutes.
All in all I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Arinsal again.
Small but nice - close to neighbouring resort
Reviewed 24 Apr 2014
Arinsal is generally nice but it’s a small place. I was a skiing and my boyfriend was snowboarding, the actual resort is pretty small but it’s linked to another resort that you can go over to.
It’s definitely a good place for beginners, not so much for advanced.
There’s nightlife if you need it in the evenings. The resort is basically one long street, so if you’re picking a hotel make sure it isn’t right down the other end.
Great for beginners like us and good nightlife
Reviewed 22 Apr 2014
The skiing is great for beginners, it was my first ski holiday and my partner had been once before – he was up doing the reds in no time. You can get the cable car over the top to another local slope or hop on the bus and go down to another area.
The snow was very good while we were there in February, there was one blizzard where the slopes were snowed off, but on other days it was absolutely lovely and sunny.
The little village has a good nightlife with lots of late night clubs and lively dancing which we liked, I’d definitely recommend it to groups but it’s also a nice place for families.
We didn’t eat out as our hotel was all inclusive, but every other premises they do food so there’s lots of variety.
Very good value
Reviewed 22 Apr 2014
Arinsal is very good value, there’s a lot of 2 for 1 stuff and vouchers that you can pull off the Arinsal website where you can get a free pizza in a bar and happy hours and stuff. All the bars and things posted their own vouchers so there’s usually a lot up there that you can print off and use in resort.
We got lucky because the snow was great, my kids are decent skiers so they didn’t need ski school this time round. The great thing about the Arinsal valley is that you can go off to Pals over the top of the telecabin which opens up loads of different slopes. I think out of all levels, intermediates would get the most out of it. There are some decent black runs but once you’ve hammered those you’ve done all the expert terrain. Grandvalira is only a little coach ride away (the bus is free from the resort) and opens up this huge set of mountains, so advanced skiers should make sure they get the Grandvalira pass, it literally felt like three different mountain ranges.
We stayed over February half term and it was alright, I’d been to France and Italy before and it’s been nightmarish, but Arinsal wasn’t that bad as there are multiple lifts to get you up, and once you’re up and beyond it’s pretty clear. Because the beginner slopes are at the bottom, all the beginners stay lower down so the more advanced skiers have the rest of the area to themselves.
We went on three outings with the resort reps, one was a ski jumping thing with a BBQ and another was a little night club thing with a band and live music. We also took the kids husky riding where the Mrs and I were in a pulled sled where there’s a bloke who does the steering and the two kids rode on their own with 4 dogs each, it was brilliant!
Moutain is amazing
Reviewed 4 Apr 2014
I hadn’t been to Arinsal before – the mountain is amazing! We had two days of brilliant sunshine, when everything was open and a couple of days of heavy snow when the top of the mountain was closed... you need to get to the top of the mountain to get to the other areas but because it was closed we had to get the bus, although we still had a great time. They’ve got a good beginners slope and I’d say the area is probably best for beginners and intermediates. The ski area is quite open, we didn’t venture to the other side too much but they do have a Snowpark if you want it.
We didn’t really venture into the town but there is a supermarket and a few bars if you need them, (we tended to keep within walking distance of the hotel where we were staying).
Great for intermediates & beginners, recommended for families
Reviewed 4 Apr 2014
I really like Arinsal, we’ve been there twice. It had too much snow while we were here and a lot of the runs were closed.The skiing is best for intermediates and beginners, if you’re looking for black runs, they are few and far between. There’s really good access if you go up the mountain as you can go down the other side of the mountain which opens up about 120 different runs – it’s a good day out and you can get the bus back at the end of the day. The whole area is very family friendly as there’s nowhere for children to go too far away from you. When we were all having lunch, the kids would finish first and leave us to eat while they’d go off skiing, which was fine because we knew they had to come past us on the way down.
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