 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm thinking of taking my partner and her two senior school children skiing in february, around half term. Money a bit tight so looking to do it on a budget. Possibly flying to Barcelona and hiring a car and finding accomodation in Andora on booking.com , im an intermediate but the rest of the party are beginners. Any info about aranging the trip, ski school ,ease of driving/ airport transfers etc are very welcome .
Mark
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Its many years since I was in Pas de la Casa so can`t really help with the resort specifics but in terms of booking ski accommodation for many years I have never found booking.com helpful. Chalets direct https://www.chaletsdirect.com/forum/category-view.asp have been the most use, but sites like airbnb are also useful. Some one with more resort knowledge is likely to along soon!
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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?
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We go to Soldeu quite often, which is part of the same ski area as Pas. We always use Andorra Travel Service to book transfers, passes etc, Kathy there is always really helpful. The drive from Barcelona is fine, it take about 3 hours, but I'm always wary of booking Toulouse as when it snows heavily it can make the journey difficult, it took me 6 hours last season rather than the usual 2 1/2 hours.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've driven there a few times in a van during winter, and in an MX5 (in summer time). I do not remember any specific issues, getting to Pas de la Casa, other than it seemed a long desolute route. (i.e. not much in the way of villages or pit stops on the way there, so do not run out of fuel)
There is a hard border there, so you will be stopped and asked if you have anything to declare. Maybe have a look in the back of your van, or boot.
Going past Pas de la Casa can result in some steep climbs and declines, particularly on the way to the capital of Andorra. So probably not a good idea to plan that if the weather is poor (unless you have a 4x4 and snow chains).
Petrol is duty free in Andorra, so take a large petrol can and fill it up there and you will save loads. Also alcohol is duty free, so you will find it very cheap compared to UK and even compared to Spain or France. There are duty limits in Andorra as it is not in the EU, however I do not think is particularly well policed.
The resort is very well suited to English speaking beginners or intermediates. The ski schools seem to have a lot of English speakers (sat on the lifts with a few). Also the runs are mostly suited to beginners and intermediates. (not many blacks at all)
Can get icy and windblown, but I guess all resorts have this problem somewhere.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If you are on a tight budget you may want to also consider Arinsal. As well as being closer (when driving from Barcelona) there is more reasonably priced accommodation with stacks of free parking (something which can be an expensive extra in Pas if wanting to be near accommodation), but best of all ski packs with lift pass, equipment and lessons are circa £250 for adults and £135 for kids (upto 15 years).
The ski area isn't the biggest but fine for beginners, and you also have Pal as they progress. Pas / Soldu is a much better ski area but depends on priorities.
The drive itself is very easy including the route avoiding the tolls.
I too would recommend Andorra Travel Service, great options for ski extras as well as the accommodation too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi Mark,weve have been going to pas last few years,this year we booked thru esquiades.com, found them the cheapest,also have used booking.com previously.Tranfers thru ATS as above Jja said. M.
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Stayed a few times in Pas, contacted hotels directly rather than through booking.com. If on a budget try Hotel Panda. Good parking outside, although last time they decided to clear snow from car park. Thought car had been stolen until I realised all cars had been towed/pushed to far end of car park 
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Definitely check out esquiades.com . That's about the only one that comes to mind though; alas Spain doesn't do package holidays in the way that the UK does. Contacting hotels directly is also a good plan; if it's a "proper resort hotel" then don't forget to ask them if they do a combined accommodation and lift pass offer.
There's a tunnel connecting Pas to the rest of Andorra so you won't need to drive up and over the pass as long as you're prepared to shell out the €7 each way. That doesn't negate the need for chains or winter tyres though because just getting to Pas means driving to 2100m.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Not sure how you check, but if snowfall is heavy, make sure tunnel is open! We got caught out when driving from Carcassone to Pas one year. Tunnel was snowed in so we had to detour and enter from Barcelona side 
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Wasn’t that a couple of years ago? There was a massive avalanche just past the Andorra end of the tunnel IIRC, took them 36 hours to clear?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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+1 for Esquiades for packages including lift passes, can often get 4*accom/half board/ski pass for about £60 a night
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