Andorra: the perfect winter as a couple
Rarely does a getaway to the mountains turn out to be such a complete experience. Much more than skiing Andorra has managed to position himself like that winter destination with a sexy and carefree image that other countries try to achieve, but fail in the attempt.
And yes, we have to admit that Andorra may not have the **glamor of Gstaad** or the majesty of **Mont Blanc,** but no one can deny its already won battle for sophistication.
Surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains, winter is when you feel like it the most get close to a good fireplace shelter and, we have verified, there is no better place to do it than in the Hotel Grau Roig .
Here, at the foot of the track, in the middle of a white landscape, verbs such as love, ski or relax.
A whole fairytale setting that began as a stone shelter for hikers and skiers and thanks to the efforts of its owner, Dunia Sans , today is one of the most coveted hotels in the destination. There is no greater pleasure than getting rid of those choking ski boots, then filling the bathtub in any of its rooms, lined with wood and warmth , and immerse yourself until dinner time.
Warm wooden tubs to compensate for outside snow
Although this relaxation could compete with the idea of having a glass of wine in front of the recently opened BarCooper, the new jewel of the hotel, an intimate space where wood and leather merge to make evenings eternal under the warmth of the fireplace.
The Grau Roig Hotel it is pure romance, sense and sensibility. It is true, it sounds like a movie title, but it is that the stay can be the most cinematographic in a hotel where the bosses of the mountain rule, but with a lot of style: hearty breakfasts, fondue at midday (their restaurant La Vaquería serves the best in Andorra) and long nights to conquer. Get ready, Instagram.
Grau Roig hotel restaurant
At daytime, Grandvalira station offers, in addition to skiing, endless activities ranging from a underground concert until eat oysters in a shelter that was an old barn , not to mention the obligatory glass of wine in front of a beautiful lake in the Llac de Pessons refuge.
Grandvalira It continues to be the largest ski area in southern Europe, with more than 200 skiable kilometers and boasts of being, in addition, one of the most innovative and attractive resorts on the white scene.
But beyond the snow and the fun, Grandvalira also offers that point of fatal (winter) attraction that has made it a benchmark not only for skiing, but also for savoir faire world.
Grandvalira: get ready, Instagram
The kitchen is largely to blame for all this at a time when gastronomic revolution reaches its highest point and does so at 2,000 meters of altitude in the main ski resorts. The snow business no longer only includes skiing, but also enjoying an extraordinary gastronomy at the foot of the slopes.
It is a pleasure for any skier, although you don't have to be one to enjoy it, and find sophisticated restaurants like Arrosseria , that champions the offer of high mountain cuisine at the station. Coca de vidre with baked vegetables , tempura squid and main dishes as an unforgettable rice with foie and boletus they make you eat 2,100 altitude become the greatest of pleasures.
Haute mountain cuisine in Grandvalira
And for those who want more, champagne and party meet at the après-ski of L'Abarset , whose most VIP section has a capacity for 30 people and is accessible only with prior reservation.
Off the piste, there are numerous **independent restaurants known as bordas ** (it can be translated as 'barn'). One of the most famous, there are approximately 20, is The Llar de l'Artesa , in Soldeu , where it is acceptable to enjoy an appetizing escudella (a kind of soup with a million chunks) very hot followed by a good cut of meat cooked with firewood. No evening worth its salt can do without a good wine.
In Andorra, the tall wines , produced exclusively on the territory of the principality. They are a product grown at more than 1,000 meters of altitude , which positions its vineyards among the highest in Europe; It is precisely their location that gives them unique characteristics and quality.
A borda ("barn") where you can eat like an Andorran
And even if night falls the offer of leisure between mountains does not stop . Hence you stations like Grandvalira or Vallnord , also offer moonlight activities to experience at night. In the first you can practice night skiing on the slope of La Solana, in Pas de la Casa , which has night lighting and access to the gondola lift.
To recover from the experience, nothing better than ending up recovering, or not, the forces in the restaurant Cala Bassa Beach Club Rodona Coast which, located right on the ski slope, transfers the festive spirit of Ibiza to Andorra.
For its part, in Vallnord Excursions with snowmobiles, snowshoe rides or the Gicafer, a caterpillar vehicle made up of two different modules with a capacity of 14 places that reaches inaccessible areas and whose plan culminates in dinner at a restaurant like the Coll de la Botella. A party end at the height of the country and the circumstances.
Andorran snow, a fairytale setting