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Grandvalira El Tarter Resort Reviews



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Visitor reviews for Grandvalira El Tarter Ski Resort

Grandvalira El Tarter Ratings

Overall: 4.2. Based on 23 votes and 6 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.3

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Grandvalira El Tarter is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.4

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Grandvalira El Tarter has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.8

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.2

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.6

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Grandvalira El Tarter

Public Transport: 3.9

  • There are no buses or taxis to Grandvalira El Tarter
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.6

  • No places to stay in/near Grandvalira El Tarter
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.9

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.6

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Grandvalira El Tarter

Ski in/Ski out: 4.5

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.4

  • There are no child care facilities at Grandvalira El Tarter
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.3

  • Grandvalira El Tarter relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.4

  • There are no snow groomers at Grandvalira El Tarter
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Grandvalira El Tarter are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.8

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Grandvalira El Tarter is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 4.0

  • If snow conditions are poor at Grandvalira El Tarter, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.0

  • Grandvalira El Tarter usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.6

  • The staff at Grandvalira El Tarter are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Grandvalira El Tarter are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 4.1

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.6

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.7

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.8

  • No intermediate terrain at Grandvalira El Tarter
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.3

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.4

  • Not even a kicker at Grandvalira El Tarter
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.7

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Grandvalira El Tarter
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.8

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Grandvalira El Tarter has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.4

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.1

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 4.1

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.7

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.6

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

Winter Walks: 3.6

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.4

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.3

  • Overall, Grandvalira El Tarter is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.4

  • Overall, Grandvalira El Tarter is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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March 30, 2023
J Chilcott from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Staff at the Grandvilaria purchase liftpass office very rude. One of my group asked for a 1/2 day non ski pass and got told no! Today went to slopes and returned within 30 mins as sheet ice on slopes and was told I'd been advised of the conditions up there before I bought my ticket. Absolute rubbish.
March 21, 2023
J R from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
This was my fifth time skiing in Grandvalira area. I am an experienced older skier and love the Pyrenees and this is why I returned to Grandvalira again. I have skied in many parts of the world. This year for the first time in my long skiing career on my first day a young snowboarder speeding at a ca 50 km/hr skied on the back of my skis. This stopped me immediately with my body flying forward and then hitting the ground with considerable force. I was understandably shocked but sustained no injuries. The snowboarder disappeared and was probably unaware of the consequences of his behaviour. I reckon if a heavy snowboarder collided with my body, rather than over my skis, you would not be reading this review and the likelihood of a serious injury or fatality would have been high. On the fourth day of skiing a snowboarder hit me from behind and we both fell on the ground. This was in an area near a chairlift where there were clear signs on the slope advising skiers and snowboarders to pay attention and slow down. Grandvalira ski area authority should perhaps consider increasing the number of effective patrolling personnel similar to the USA resorts. It might increase safety if the number of signs alerting skiers to slow down were increased. I would question the sales of alcoholic beverages at lunchtime. Driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous and is a crime. Skiing whilst inebriated too. I was very surprised that the first language on the signs on some slopes was Russian above Catalan!(e.g at the bottom of the Rossinyol slope).I encountered many Russians with whom I spoke. One couple came directly from Moscow and were vociferously pro Putin and the war. This was in the week when Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, met President Zelensky and spoke about increasing sanctions against Russia. What are the Andorran authorities doing in this regard? As usual, the slopes were extremely well groomed and the staff in the cafes and restaurants very friendly. I was fortunate to have only one day of poor visibility and heavy snow during my holiday. Thank you for your attention.
November 17, 2021
Marcus Summers from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Grandvalira has undergone extensive investment over the last decade or so. Not a year has gone by without some form of infrastructure civil engineering work being completed to improve the visitor experience. The Pisteurs (ski patrol) do an excellent job and decent well equipped medical facilities are located at the base of the slopes. Andorra is no longer the destination it was say 15 - 20 years ago - it will very likely be barely recognisable to anyone that visited that long ago. The lift system is modern, efficient and impressive. There are just over 200km of piste - enough to keep most recreational skiers busy for the typical week ski holiday. There are a lot of options for Beginners and Intermediate / Advanced Intermediate skiers and things are family friendly. There are two World Cup ski runs - Avet (Soldeu) and Aliga (El Tarter). There is also the Riberal (Grau Roig) that is used for World Cup Speed Skiing. Grandvalira has set aside inbound Freeride areas and in recent years Arcalis has been added to the Grandvalira ski pass - Arcalis is a stop on the Freeride World Tour. There is a dedicated Freeride Centre as part of the ski school. There are three snowparks (El Tarter / Peretol / Grau Roig) for freestyle skiers. Accommodation across the Grandvalira resorts is high standard (often 4*+ rated) and is relatively reasonably priced - there are also activities and day out options for non-skiers including duty free shopping and the large Caldera Spa in Andorra La Vella. El Tarter is generally quieter and laid back - typically bed by 10 pm / 11pm - entertainment is usually centered around the hotels for the evening. That said L'Aberset (El Tarter) in the early evening on a Saturday is the Apres place to be, with Ibiza DJs playing to packed outside audiences. Soldeu is generally somewhat busier with a later bedtime and a wider choice of bars etc. Pas De La Casa is much more of a party town with partying into the early hours. Something for everyone? Expect to pay about 3 / 3.5 Euros for a large beer - that's good value when skiing? The ski school has an excellent reputation and employs British & Irish ski instructors to cater for British & Irish (and other English speaking) visitors. It can get extremely busy on a Saturday - so that's the day to take a break from the slopes if you are going to take a break from skiing /boarding. We visit Grandvalira every year and meet up with others (British, Irish, French & Spanish) that do exactly the same.
January 27, 2018
Pete T from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Well groomed ski area. Nice mountain restaurants and bars. Can be busy at weekend. Great ski schools. Big ski area between 3 resorts.
February 28, 2014
James Ogden Nash
Unfortunately, Gran Valira has no safety policy and there are no piste police - visitors from eastern Europe lack comportment and ski etiquette - watch your back at all times because they don't !
April 11, 2008
Peter from Ski Germany Germany
Grandvalira is a great skiing area, especially for medium skiers, with nice and interesting long runs. After a snowfall not all slopes are groomed - great! Most of the 150 km of slopes are blue or red. There are also some nice bumps above El Tarter. There are a lot of people from Spain, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The best way to come here is by flight to Barcelona-Gerona. On the way you can visit another great area: Alp 2500 (La Molina) with another 101 km slopes. There are some nice towns and churches on the way.