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Encamp Andorra what is it like?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi
I wanted to stay in Soldeu in an apartment but am having trouble finding one. I have however been offered what looks like a very nice place in Encamp. My question is what is it like? We are a family of intermediates two kids aged 8 and 10. Where is Encamp and how do we get there from Girona airport? ie how far away is it?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Encamp is on the road between Soldeu and Andorra la Vella. It used to be part of the Pas de Casa lift pass, but now this is all just the Grand Valira area.
I think you basically just have a long Gondola trip which dumps you in the Pas/Grau Roig sector.

As far as getting there from Gerona, I'm not sure... but I think it is about 5 miles down the road from Soldeu.

Hope this helps!

Try looking at www.grandvalira.com

Edit: It's a cable car, not a gondola.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hi there

When we got bored with Arinsal & wanted to try Pas de la casa we drove to Encamp and got the clearly under used 'Funicamp' up to the Grau Roig area which is at the far end of Pas. Encamp seemed a bit ugly,
truth be told almost as if they lobbed in this cable car to try and stop people driving past Soldeu on the way to Pas and choosing to ski there (this was before the two resorts got their act together and linked up).
For us driving from the other side of Andorra in the mornings it was perfect, the Funicamp was very impressive with a multistorey car park and airport style concourse (but as a place to stay it looked decidedly lacking in alpine or should i say pyrenean charm! Do you have transport? if you don't mind a quieter spot
you could try sispony or el tarter

On the plus side the area you get dropped off in the funicamp is pretty quiet and there is a cool James Bond villain style restaurant + some entertaining blue runs for youngsters

We too have struggled in the past to find rental apartments in Soldeu during school holidays
(thats why we have ended up going to Arinsal in the past)

Girona Airport is on paper about the same as from Barcelona, but the roads aren't as quick, I would alow 3-4 hours as you will go through the capital and the traffic can be a bit heavy. If you are self catering there is a very large hypermarket on the left about a mile over the border which we stocked up on provisions before
heading up to the resort
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Encamp is about five miles down the road from Soldeu. We are flying into Gerona this year but I dont know how far it is. I will look on routeplanner lwhen I have time and post later - meeting to go to now.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
[wrongsideof30]Hi there
Is Encamp uglier than Pas then?
I could just about stand the level of ugliness in Pas last year, cos the slopes were convenient and close to the hotel but I dont think i could go uglier than that and have the inconvenience of not being able to get to the slopes easy with two kids and their respective skis and stuff. Do u know if there is anywhere at the funicamp that has lockers for skis and boots so i dont have to trail back to the apartment all togged up?
cheers for the extensive info...
PS I have always got the shuttle bus from the airport but I might try driving if I'm feeling brave!
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Hi Badgerdot,

I think Encamp struck me as a normal town so there isn't a sense of being in a resort as such
never went to the town at Pas so can't compare (we never went that far across)
though I have seen pictures and Zermatt it ain't!

There seemed to be a lot of eastern europeans on the Funicamp so perhaps Encamps'
architecture appealed to them! I would imagine it is a very cheap place to stay and eat out even for Andorra

try this link for an idea of whats what www.encamp.ad

The Funicamp would almost certainly have lockers (& probably the drop off in Grau Roig too) the gondola ride is pretty quick considering the distance

Have always driven to ski resorts (never done a package!) and always glad i did (if you do go to Encamp
you wouldn't have any wories over snow not being cleared as it is pretty low and on a main road)

Who are you renting the apartment from Andorra Holidays?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Im sure Encamp has a big Ice rink aswell when we've driven through it
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
wrongsideof30
I am renting via holiday rentals I think...although I havent committed myself yet, I just got a flight to Girona very cheaply and could stay anywhere in Andorra really, its just I went to pas last year and loved the slopes, the pistes were very well served and were nice and wide and there were plenty of long blue runs. However on the way back we went through Soldeu and it looked so pretty I thought it would be lovely to stay there...but alas everywhere seems to be booked those weeks.
What's Arinsal like?
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badgerdot, I love Arinsal, but if you're above good intermediate level you may get very bored. The village itself is the nicest in Andorra in my opinion, especially for families.
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NadenoodleeCool! (pardon the pun) My husband and 10 year old son are Ice hockey players! it will be like home from home...ie me and the daughter at home whilst they are off skating:lol:
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badgerdot, Also dont be afraid to use the bus services! Theyre really good, especially if you want to get into Andorra La Vella for a bit of shopping and a spa!
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
NadenoodleeThats ok because we are the lower end of intermediate....the kids have actually only had 3 days of skiing in their lives but were keen to tackle red runs...but i am a bit of a scaredy cat so blues are fine by me! The husband is a good skier but he will have to calm it cos he has a bad ankle!
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
"That's ok because we are the lower end of intermediate".........


badgerdot.... in that case I definitely recommend you go to Arinsal... with the link to Pal you will have
enough skiing to keep you happy and the village is streets ahead of Pas in terms of charm

We have used this company for apartment rental on 3 occasions, www.ski-andorra.com
highly recommended and all the apartments have been to a good standard

Finally....... make sure you visit the resort website well before and send off for a discount card %10 off
a rental, lift pass tuition, restaurant etc....

let me know if you want any more info
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
badgerdot, Go to Arinsal. Its lovely, much smaller village than Pas and Soldeu, but lots of lovely restaurants, a Spa in the Princesa Parc hotel ( I stayed in there and it was gorgeous! ) bus into Andorra La Vella, link to Pal, lots of blues and a few good reds. Great for kids!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
wrongsideof30, Which is the official Arinsal website? 10% off everything sounds fantastic!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
wrongsideof30, Which is the official Arinsal website? 10% off everything sounds fantastic

here's the link.......

http://www.palarinsal.com/club.asp

click on 'establishments & services' and bring the list with you so you know what you can get discounts on
Everywhere we went they are happy to knock the money off no quibbles. I think Pal Arinsal has had to face upto the fact that it is never going to be as bigger draw as the Grand Valira ski area so it has to offer incentives like this. For what it is (i.e a smallish ski area for learners & improvers ) I don't think you can fault the place.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Actually try http://www.palarinsal.com choose the english version and follow the links for the club valnord from there
bizarrely this card gives you discount on buying a season pass in Gstaad! Puzzled don't know how many people
go to both of those resorts

oh and do it as soon as you can as they take an age to send them out! and don't give them
your usual email address as you get news letters every week during the season
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
wrongsideof30, Got there! Many thanks!
I'd been to that site before but not noticed the 'Club Card'.

It's my first trip to Arinsal, having been to Soldeu a couple of times before. It seems that Arinsal isn't trying to price itself out of the market like the Grand Valira area is now. I've got a week Half board cheaper than you can get a week self catering in Soldeu. Also the lift pass is half the price of the Grand Valira. Don't know about lessons though.

I'm a reasonable skier so I'm a little worried I may get bored, but I intend on using this week to take lessons and brush up my technique before my second trip to the 3 valleys in March, so I may be OK.

Sorry badgerdot, I'm Hi-jackiing your thread! Well, I hope this information is helpful for you too. Little Angel
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Paul Holland, My brother and I had private lessons from the main ski school, ask for a Scottish guy called Robin, he was an amazing teacher, and took us all over Arinsal and over to Pal, so we had plenty to work on!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Pal is definitely better and quieter skiing - at least it was when I was there.
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Paul Holland Don't worry its all useful and interesting stuff....I may even change my plans....one thing that has put me off though is another thread about Arinsal that I saw on here when I was searching...someone referred to the nursery slopes where they learnt to ski having a cliff with netting across that didn't exactly make them feel safe.....being a born worrier where my kids are concerned, I must say this concerns me...is this really the case?
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
badgerdot, from memory that does sound correct.

You will find El tarter or Soldeu much easier / less worrying.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
badgerdot: cliffs on the end of nursery slopes!! a bit of an exageration IMHO I wouldn't worry about it
I have been there twice and I wouldn't worry at all. Are you going during school holidays?
If so I would definitely recommend private tuition whcih is very good value as the ski schools
were are a bit of a zoo at 1/2 term

If you get bored there is always arcalis nearby (bus or car) which is covered on the same pass
is a cracking little place
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Paul Mason Gulp! I'm having nightmares already!! Shocked
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badgerdot, The end of the nursery slope in El-Tarter has one steep little bit (well, steep for beginners) followed by a drop with a net across it too! As Mr Wrongside says, don't worry about it!
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badgerdot, huge exageration, my brother learnt to ski there, as do thousands of other people every year, I learnt to snowboard there, and you dont go anywhere near where the netting is! Id say its a great place to learn as there arent any "cliff" edges on the edges of the piste, that can be scary when you're learning
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
badgerdot wrote:
Paul Holland Don't worry its all useful and interesting stuff....I may even change my plans....one thing that has put me off though is another thread about Arinsal that I saw on here when I was searching...someone referred to the nursery slopes where they learnt to ski having a cliff with netting across that didn't exactly make them feel safe.....being a born worrier where my kids are concerned, I must say this concerns me...is this really the case?


Having just come back and used the nursery slopes for half my hols I can confirm that at no point was I even aware of cliffs or netting, the only problem is the one single travalator for the nursery slope meaning aweful queues for the learners and quite a jump up for the one and only green. If I had not had a few dry slope lessons before I went would have spent most of my holiday queuing to get on a lift!
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