• Send visual report
Ski Andorra

Grandvalira-Soldeu Resort Reviews


ski hire discount link
Grandvalira-Soldeu Forecasts
Users Viewed Next:(Advanced)
Users Viewed Next:(Live)
Popular Grandvalira-Soldeu Pages
Users Viewed Next:(Maps)
Popular Grandvalira-Soldeu Pages

Visitor reviews for Grandvalira-Soldeu Ski Resort

Grandvalira-Soldeu Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 42 votes and 35 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.2

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Grandvalira-Soldeu is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.4

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Grandvalira-Soldeu has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.7

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.1

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.2

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Grandvalira-Soldeu.

Public Transport: 3.7

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Grandvalira-Soldeu, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.5

(1) No places to stay in/near Grandvalira-Soldeu, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.8

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.3

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Grandvalira-Soldeu.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.2

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.7

(1) There are no child care facilities at Grandvalira-Soldeu, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.4

(1) Grandvalira-Soldeu relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.6

(1) There are no snow groomers at Grandvalira-Soldeu, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Grandvalira-Soldeu are groomed daily.

Shelter: 4.1

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Grandvalira-Soldeu is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.5

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Grandvalira-Soldeu, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.2

(1) Grandvalira-Soldeu usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.2

(1) The staff at Grandvalira-Soldeu are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Grandvalira-Soldeu are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.8

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.7

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.7

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.5

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.7

(1) No intermediate terrain at Grandvalira-Soldeu, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.3

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.3

(1) Not even a kicker at Grandvalira-Soldeu, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.2

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Grandvalira-Soldeu, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.2

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Grandvalira-Soldeu has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.1

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.1

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.3

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.2

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.4

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.4

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.0

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.1

(1) Overall, Grandvalira-Soldeu is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.3

(1) Overall, Grandvalira-Soldeu is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

Latest
Oldest
Most useful
Top rated
Lowest rated
February 21, 2020
Guy Pocock from Ski Austria Austria
We visited Soldeu, in the Grandvalira region of Andorra, from 9th to 16th February 2020. We booked the accommodation, transfers from Barcelona, ski hire & ski passes from a wonderful agent, “Andorra Travel Service” ... Gemma, Jackie, James & Iain couldn’t do enough for us. They replied to emails within minutes, were friendly and made our stay so enjoyable. One example of their help, we were delayed by 4 hours reaching the ski centre, by Storm Ciara, but Iain still met us at midnight as we got off the Andbus transfer and delivered us to our apartment, Bellavista, which sits facing south with a fantastic view of the village and ski runs. We had a fabulous ski holiday and really enjoyed travelling to the 6 different valleys and 4 ski centres. There are loads of areas throughout the 210km of slopes to visit with good variety and interest. We enjoyed six bluebird days during our holiday & good snow conditions, considering the resort hadn’t had a heavy dump of snow for two weeks. The food and drinks on the mountains were good value, probably close to half the cost of other French resorts we’d been to recently. Also, in Soldeu, there are several good eateries and watering holes. We had an excellent meal in a fabulous restaurant called La Cort del Popaire... it wasn’t cheap but is really worth searching out for a special occasion. All in all, we’d highly recommend you give Soldeu and the Grandvalira ski region a visit. It’s a good quality ski centre with excellent lifts, minimal queues, affordable food and drink with lots of ski options that probably suits all levels of skier. Enjoy .... Guy
February 18, 2019
DIONYSIOS CHATZIS from Ski Greece Greece
Just a few words about Andorra: it is a small state in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. Best connection from Barcelona El Prat airport with directbus every two hours at the price of 34 Euros per person. The trip lasts 3 1/2 hours. Andorra has two main ski regions. 1) Vallnord, which encompasses Pal, Arinsal (these two are interconnected) and Arcalis, and 2) Grandvalira, which encompasses six interconnected ski areas (Encamp, Canillo, El Tarter, Soldeu, Crau Roig and Pas de La Casa). Well, skiing in Grandvalira is fantastic. I was there on Friday, 15th February 2019. The ticket is expensive, thus 51 Euro for a full day, but it offers unlimited options. I skied 5 hours non-stop and have not managed to ski maybe even half of the pistes. I did not have time to look at the map. I just skied where it happened to go! For an advanced skier the Grandvalira area is perfect. It consists mostly of blue and red runs. I have found some of the red runs rather blue, like Isard. On the other hand, Obagot was a true red, although short. The black Mirador was really easy, as the snow has been softened because of the sun and was cut like butter! Some of the pistes are in pine forest, but most of them. Especially the ones in higher altitude; they are treeless. The lift system is really efficient. It was quite busy, but there were almost no queues with the exception of Cubil lift, when I wanted to return back to Soldeu at 16:00. I was afraid of high temperatures, as on the base the temperature was 6 degrees above Celsius. However, the snow kept in fantastic condition. I think Grandvalira is a great place not only to learn how to ski but also to improve your skiing skills. The only drawbacks is Andorra itself, as it lacks charm and it is outside European Union (which means expensive phone calls and very expensive data) and the capital is quite boring. Also, a major issue is the traffic. The bus took 90 min. from Soldeu to Andorra La Vella at 17:00, which is less than 20km distance! However, I did not regret to visit to Andorra, as skiing there was fantastic and I look forward to visiting it again in the future to enjoy skiing there more.
February 06, 2018
Alice Armstrong from Ski Ireland Ireland
Fantastic snow conditions here in the Grandvalira and the sun is coming out too....couldn´t be better!
February 09, 2017
Sarah from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just back from Soldeu. Excellent snow conditions, plenty of it, combined with some days of beautiful sunshine. Full 210km of slopes open.
February 26, 2015
Tj. Bekker from Ski Andorra Andorra
Excellent appartment between Pas de la Casa and Soldeu; good slopes, a lot of snow, nice friends next door but.....why not organise bus transport more efficiently? Some of our bus adventures in one week: 1 bus per 20m but not on fixed times, tickets not included in ski passes and, on top, to be bought and printed per person (delays!), Different companies seem to operate the buses (week cards don't work), skis to be stored in the boot below (put all on top of each other, falling from the bus when leaving), bus stopping 200 mtrs after the ski station because there is no place to stop, when in the bus driver hits 90km/hr on snowy road while printing the tickets. Incredible for such a nice resort to 'forget' this important part of a successful ski holiday. When this improves might consider coming back!
January 25, 2015
Jose from Ski Spain Spain
25th January. Very windy on top, link Soldeu - Grau Roig closed today due to this. Summit tracks with hard snow and ice, little stones everywhere. Snow quality is better as you descent, some powder tracks at mid-bottom. No queues at lifts. Ski day rating, 3 over 5. [note from the editor: this weather report will hopefully also appear with the Eyeball Reports for Grandvalira-Soldeu.)
December 29, 2014
V Williams from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
With high winds closing off chairlift access to upper slopes all telecabinas/ chairlifts from Soldeu and El Tarter had very long queues. It would be interesting to know why Corb button lift was out of action all day? Perhaps worst of all were queues to buy lift passes. 1 hour to buy a walk-up pass and at least 35 - 45 minutes to buy a regular lift pass. I think Grandvalira need to re-think their online application procedures as this seems to cause massive hold ups at the caixes. Staff doing their best but management needs to take more positive action regarding customer service.
January 27, 2014
lynn from Ski Ireland Ireland
Absolutely phenomenol instruction; the instructors, in the ski and snowboard schools, are a cut above the rest. Lesley is just amazing. What she did for my confidence in the space of a week I will never, ever forget! Never thought I'd enjoy red or black slopes! The apres-ski is also great: La Caneta and Dat Alberts for food and The Harp for drinks!
February 05, 2013
Paul from Ski Andorra Andorra
The Grandvalira skiable area is huge, plenty for everyone from beginners to advanced, ski school is international and based on the Canadian style of teaching, additional clinics also available for carving, off-piste skiing etc. The lift pass, for the amount of skiing available, is great value. Wide range of accommodation available in Soldeu, which is where we were. The Roc Sant Miguel is a great little hotel just at the bottom of Soldeu; very reasonable, or for big budgets, try the Hermitage Hotel & Spa. Apres-ski is great, the Harp has live music daily, the Aspen and Fat Alberts are two others well worth a try. Pick up a local guide for a couple of days whilst you are here, track down Green Haired Pete or Paul Safari in Soldeu and get them to take you around the mountain for a day or two. Overall, Grandvalira Soldeu is one of the best resorts in Europe!
April 02, 2012
Chris Alcock from Ski France France
I live 1.5 hrs from Andorra and Grandvalira is the best resort in the Pyrenees.. This season I also went to Superbagneres Luchon, nice, but full of kids end Feb/Mar, queues everywhere, not like Soldeu/Pas/Tarter/Canillo. The ski pass is expensive but the slopes are very well maintained. I have taken Australians and South Americans and they love it too. Only problem with accomodation is that the ski companies block-book nearly all of it, leaving little choice to those who wish to arrange their own. Apres-ski is good and overall, I would say Grandvalira is very good value for those who are not expert skiers.

Nearest