Off-piste plans for all audiences
The paradoxes of life, an untimely injury, the most random hedonism or a badly given OK in a WhatsApp group can take you to the snowy slopes of Veleta without having any idea of skiing or much desire to learn. Nothing happens, Pradollano has plans for everyone.
The first consolation in this unusual situation is a geographical and social reality: ** Sierra Nevada ** is the only European ski resort south of the Tagus. A fact that is added to the fact that it is the highest (it reaches 3,300 meters of altitude) and the one with the greatest accumulated difference in altitude.
This salad of facts translates into two realities that are constantly felt in this place: this is the south, for the good, for the bad and for the clichés and here there are many fun alternatives without having to take a ski lift.
There are a thousand plans to do in Sierra Nevada without having to take a ski lift, take note!
ANOTHER SPORTS
The popularity of this station has always had its side effect: Sundayness. But not as a pejorative concept, but as a term that defines those families and groups of friends who go up to the snow with the aim of play with snowflakes, slide down any slope and spend a different day.
Both for them and for anyone who wants to enjoy the white mantle in another way, there is El Mirlo Blanco, a kind of theme park structured by the mere joy of sliding.
In its hills there is everything, from tracks for sledding to streets prepared for the descent in inflatable donuts, a wonderful and off-road contraption that already deserves an Olympic discipline. As minimum.
No lack the russian sled, a kind of unsophisticated roller coaster based on the unevenness of the mountain capable of making all types of public salivate with adrenaline.
The Sistine Chapel of emotion is the Bike-Slalom and the Bike-Ski , two 'transformer' versions that modify the Mountain Bike to adapt it to snow. The falls are guaranteed, but also that stimulating feeling of debuting.
Sierra Nevada, the only European ski resort south of the Tagus
Outside this enclosure located in the lowest area of Pradollano (the complex of houses-restaurants-hotels at the foot of the Sierra Nevada) the snow is used in other ways.
On weekends, in the area Borreguiles An extreme driving circuit is improvised by Audi where it is proven that ice and compact snow can turn into asphalt when tamed with the right traction.
The ultimate treat comes when the sun goes down. The most exclusive activity (by price and availability) offered by the roof of the Peninsula is climb to the second highest peak in the south of the Alps, the Veleta, and watch the sunset there.
The combination of the views, the fact that it is accessed here aboard a snow groomer and the appetizer that accompanies the moment, makes the end of the day absolutely memorable.
And if the night surprises those peaks, you can always take advantage of it to get started in astronomy in the courses that are periodically taught at more than 3,000 meters from the sea.
Views from Veleta peak, Sierra Nevada
DESTINATION HOTELS
Then there is the option of not leaving the hotel. And not because the inclement weather outside forces hibernation, but because staying on the other side of the glass is a real P-L-A-C-E-R. The best choice? Opt for the ** Meliá Sol y Nieve. **
The reasons are many, but you have to start at the beginning: your name. Although it seems like an old concept, his election obeys to the first name that the station had, a demonstration of rootedness that is strengthened by the second powerful reason, the location.
And it is that this establishment with the appearance and essence of an urban hotel is located at the beginning of everything, right where the road becomes a street and just a few meters walk from the ski lifts that go up to the slopes.
Then there's your gastronomy , of universal flavors based on the Andalusian product where a breakfast of those that satisfies Vikings and anesthetizes hunger until the ski lifts go out stands out.
In addition, the best rooms have access to the Level, an exclusive service that offers access to a comfortable lounge where you can have brunch in front of the snow and an 'Only Adults' room to spend the afternoon between sparkling wines and poker games. And, of course, spacious rooms with careful details that make the landscape more sophisticated.
And between naps, readings and feasts is the ** Yhi Spa **, a wellness complex where you can disconnect at stratospheric levels. Their water circuit It is spacious, reserved for adults only (children have an alternative area) and is complemented by a Thermal area with sauna, hamman, wells and showers for all colors.
The other fundamental leg of this self-pampering paradise is its massage tables, where there is no injury that resists or tension that stands up to its specialists.
Yhi Spa, the wellness temple where you can treat yourself to dolce far niente
GRANÁ WITH PIZZA
"Let's see, this is like Graná but at more than 2,000 meters of altitude." This comment is very useful to define the gastronomic panorama of Pradollano. Here the tapa is generous and the food is well cared for due to the inertia of the Nasrid city and the tough competition.
Because, unlike other stations, here the good gastronomy is at street level and hotel and not between slopes and cable cars. One more point for those who come here without wanting to ski. The gastronomic offer can be divided between Andalusian liturgies and international dishes.
Among the first are the beers -Alhambra, by law- with views in The visor or the reign of the product that is The Tijana. Located inside the hotel ** Meliá Sierra Nevada ,** this restaurant transports Granada with its broad beans with ham or even Barbate with its tuna tacos. The meat is up to par with American cuts and Iberian methods of preparation, while its wine list leaves no room for fraud.
Another option for carnivores is the The wall and its meats on the stone For those looking for a less entrenched cuisine, Titus Luigi He is the king. Their baked pizza and its lasagna they are so popular that going without a reservation is a kamikaze act, although in the upper part of the urbanization they do have a second, less crowded branch.
Another 'fast' alternative in its essence but not in its bill is The Mountain Club , a place that has made a name for itself thanks to its hamburgers, fries and good beers.
The broad beans with ham or the tuna tacos from La Tinaja will not leave you indifferent
‘APRESKI’ IS AN ANDALUSIAN WORD
Fame precedes him and it is not a hyperbole: in Sierra Nevada they know how to toast the moon. And they do it, above all, based on rigged venues and improvisations, without the need to organize festivals that sometimes turn out to be artificial. Because there is no season between Calafate and Tromso in which the jarana is cooked better in that way that we sublimate in Spain, through bets, effeminate dances and 'cargaditos' drinks.
However, Sierra Nevada has something for all kinds of night owls, from those looking for a sophisticated drink paired with jazz in the English Pub of the Meliá Sierra Nevada even those who yearn for the afternoon in the crowded The Carthusian and its passageway, an alley full of bars that digivolve into nightclubs.
Other options to go from the caña to the gin and tonic are the Nice , located in the Plaza de Andalucía or the Crescendo , the perfect definition of a sophisticated après-ski club. Of course, be careful with its sofas that sleep, trap and dope the shoelaces. And to continue without stopping, the Jaleo, the Mango or the Believe They guarantee fun until the body can bear with a somewhat heterogeneous and eclectic environment. And without limits.
Fame precedes him and it is not a hyperbole: in Sierra Nevada they know how to toast the moon