Apres Ski in Arinsal

Arinal is a good resort for families and offers a choice of several apres-ski bars and restaurants for tapas and Mediterranean fare. It’s away from the noisiness of Pas de la Casa or Soldeu and there’s a sense of staying in a real community, not a purpose-built resort.

Arinsal Village

Arinsal is located at the top of a valley tributary of the Valira del Norte and still has the feel of a typical Andorran village. 

The little stone church, St Andreu d’Arsinal, still dominates the village and its bell rings out the quarter hours. One of the hotels, Micolau, is an original stone Borda (Pyrenean inn) dating from the 13th century. There are a few shops: Ev’s Deli which is useful if you’re self-catering and some snack bars like The Bull but the tone of the place is low-key.

Arinal is a good resort for families. It’s away from the noisiness of Pas de la Casa or Soldeu and there’s a sense of staying in a real community, not a purpose-built resort.

Apres-Ski Bars & Nightlife

Disco-pub Solana (located in the Hotel Solana) likes to stay open late. El Cisco offers house and ambient music. Rocky Mountain and Bogart vie for best live music, all year round while Derby, an Irish pub, just likes to be noisy. Its main rival is Quo Vadis, a traditional English pub next to Hotel Ayma.

Restaurants in Arinsal

Good tapas can be found in Arinsal at La Tasca (Tel: +376 839 630) and El Bsoc (Tel: +376 835 519) For Italian food not far from the main car park try Casa Bassi (Tel: +376 839 981) while next door the Restaurant Arinsal de l’Hotel Arinsal (Tel: +376 838 889) serves good Mediterranean fare. Surf (Tel: +376 838 069) specialises paradoxically in grilled meat.

Many hotels offer half board so there is a temptation to stay in to eat however one evening you should take a taxi down into Andorra La Vella (approx 15 euros) and sample at least one restaurant in the capital. Among those highly recommended are San Marco (chef Marco Mora) www.sari_restaurant.com, El Rusc (chef Pablo Urcelay) www.elrsuc.com, El Cresper (chef Michael Bayloco) [email protected] and Can Benet (chef Jospeh Maria Benet) www.restaurant-canbenet.com.

Other Activities in Arinsal

There’s a 25 m indoor heated swimming pool, children’s pool, fitness gym, aerobics hall, squash court and tanning booths at the Ordino Sports Centre (Tel +376 87 81 10) and a pitch and putt at El Torrent Camping Park (Tel +376 738613 ) in Xixerella, just outside La Massana.

Finally, for something completely different, the world’s largest badge museum (el Museu del pin) is housed inside Vall d’Ordino’s Hotel Sant Miquel (Tel +376 749 000 / http://elmuseudelpin.iespana.es). Admission is free to this display of over 42,000 different badges. Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday: (10 am – 1 pm. and 4-7 pm).

Arinsal Tourist Office Information

Arinsal Tourist Office
Information & Reservations Pal Arinsal: +376 737 000
Information & Reservations Ordino-Arcalis: +376 739 600
Website: www.vallnord.com