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  3 of 5, "Good laugh...didn't learn much snowboarding though. Went in Jan 2006" 14/02/2007 @ 17:18:11 |
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| 1 member has given this review a rating of 4 of 5 |
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| Price Paid |
| After everything ~450 quid |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| Independent. Flew Ryanair to Gerona, drove with Pepe Cars and stayed at Solneu Apartments (not sure they still run as their website has disappeared) |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
Took this as a cheap option for my first snowboarding trip with two advanced skiers. Did it very much on the cheap and was impressed for a first holiday though in retrospect, having been to other places now, consider my week at board school a complete waste of time.
Getting there was fine. Drove from Gerona (allegedly Barcelona but about an hour and a half away) and got there easily. Hadn't booked anything in advance but found some reps from companies in the big Irish Bar by the gondola who took care of passes, board & boots.
Gear was rented from the oficial rental place near the gondola and was atrocious - boards and boots seemed about two seasons old (and boots smelt it) and no wax on my board at all. Not sure what other options there are but I'd find them (or pay more!)
Ski School was a good laugh and potentially my only option as the others were off skiing the blacks all day. Instructor was a good laugh and the class fortunately slimmed down after half dropped out after first day however was still probably 10 people which really means you can't learn much in the time available. Days 4 and 5 were spent throwing yourself off a jump, having slalom races and using the boards as sledges when most people couldn't put turns together...fine at the time but looking back not useful. Get private lessons (there were a lot of guys training as instructors who would cut you a good deal) as they only do this to flog you a crap dvd when you meet on the thurs/fri night.
Nightlife was good with a mix of heady (tax-free) spirit drinking in the apartment followed by Fat Joe's and the T-Bar though the long walk home didn't help.
Slopes were good and well-linked along the Grandvalira though a little icy when we were there.
Overall until I went away again I thought it was pretty good and would go back however looking back now, with a bit more experience, am not so sure. |
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| Strengths |
| Well-linked slopes. Cheap Booze in supermarkets. |
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| Hot Spots |
| T-Bar |
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| Weaknesses |
Ski School
Tiny, overpriced shops for things other than booze/cigarettes (stock up on the way if travelling through France/Spain) |
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 3.5 of 5, "Great for beginners!" 26/10/2006 @ 20:31:17 |
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| 1 member has given this review a rating of 4 of 5 |
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| Price Paid |
| £400-£450 half board |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| Thomson |
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| Times Visited |
| 2-5 Times |
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| Review Detail |
I thought I had written a review of this resort on here so if this a repeat then please just ignore it!
I have been to Soldeu twice, staying both times at the Bruxelles. The hotel itself is dead basic, two single beds in our room and only a shower, no bath. However, what I will say is that it does have the best restaurant in Soldeu, and does great set menus for very reasonable prices. Those staying at the hotel have to sit for dinner at 7pm - 7.30pm, which is very limiting, but when the food is good you don't mind so much.
The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the gondola. It has it's own ski storage room on site, only guests have access to it. We chipped in with some mates and hired a locker by the gondola. It was about 50 euros, between 4 we though that was fair we thought. The gondola queue can be a little long if you are not there bang on opening time but it does move pretty quickly and the lift guys are very friendly and helpful.
As for the slopes themselves, your lift pass now covers the whole Granvilara area so extends over to Pas de la Casa too. I went to Soldeu as a total beginner, and cannot recommend the board school highly enough. The two years I have been there the instruction has been so good, the instructors I met were all English speaking, and those that were Spanish spoke the most amazing English anyway. They were patient, kind and really encouraging. The one problem I have found as a total novice was that all runs seem to have been re-graded, all the greens have been changed to blue on the map, and some might be a little steep for some just learning. I can't comment on reds or blacks, I'm not that good (yet), but what I would say is that I didn't hear anyone moaning about the slopes!
Nightlife is OK, the village itself is pretty small. The best bar in my mind is Fat Alberts, they do have great live music and Leffe on tap. Say no more. There is also the T-bar, run by a former instructor (under the Himalaya hotel) which is definitely worth a visit. The hot whisky is great for sore throats too. Not sure what eating out is like as we were half board, but the choice probably isn't huge due to the size of the village. |
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| Strengths |
Reasonably priced but perhaps not as cheap as everyone says.
Board school raffle - I have to say that as I won the board on my first year!
Board school - simply brilliant
Gorgeous sunshine
Not too busy when I have been there, lift queues not that long at all
Duty free fags/booze - careful on the way back in through customs though |
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| Hot Spots |
| Fat Alberts |
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| Weaknesses |
Small village, limited nightlife
Been twice, never had any fresh snow while I have been in resort |
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| Similar Resorts Visited |
| None! Hitting the USA this year though |
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 4 of 5, "cheap and cheerful" 11/10/2006 @ 09:57:40 |
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| 1 member has given this review a rating of 4 of 5 |
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| Price Paid |
| £400 |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| iglu.com |
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| Times Visited |
| 2-5 Times |
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| Review Detail |
Last went 05/06 season and stayed at the Himalaya. Excellent hotel for the money, big, clean and warm rooms - and most importantly near the lifts. Watch out though, they had a spate of thefts from the lockers [including my mates board], which neither the hotel or the tour company warned us about.
Anyway, boarding at Soldue is excellent. Always good snow, plently of runs to explore, including a great day trip over to Pas. Sure there's a few dirty cat tracks down to the bottom and that run gets a little slushy, but what resort doesn't have that? For a weeks boarding there is plenty to explore, you shouldn't ever get bored. For the price, its great. They also have the barcode lift passes that reduce queues, bonza.
The towns OK, a few bars, clubs and resturants. And the duty free prices make fags and booze very reasonable. |
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| Strengths |
snow and slopes
cheap booze and fags
cheap 4 star hotel |
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| Hot Spots |
| erm, ok the bars weren't good enough for a hotspot! |
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| Weaknesses |
theft!
the police station is in another resort
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| Similar Resorts Visited |
Pas de la Casa
Les Deux Alps
Courchevel
Sauze d'Oulx
Grouse Mountain - Vancouver
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| 3.5 of 5 10/02/2005 @ 17:47:48 |
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| 1 member has given this review a rating of 3 of 5 |
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| Price Paid |
| pricey |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| first choice |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
| Stayed over new year 2004/05. The resort itself is small with a few restaurants and bars. The locals are very friendly. There was lots of fresh snow even though it was early season. Some nice long red runs and a few tree runs but nothing very challenging. |
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| Strengths |
| Good snow record, friendly lifties, good for beginners, big skiiable area. |
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| Hot Spots |
| Pizza place up on the mountain. |
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| Weaknesses |
| Really rubbish buses, always late and quite often just drive past you. Not as cheap as everyone says. Not very challenging terrain. |
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| Similar Resorts Visited |
| Morzine, Vallandry (les Arcs), Whistler etc. |
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| 4 of 5 04/02/2003 @ 13:28:51 |
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| Price Paid |
| £169 |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| Iglu |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
| Great place for a beginner. I found that there was planty of room on the slopes to manouver & get a face full of snow. Pretty long runs down "the hill" & the lifts were pretty good. The quality of snow was excellent. Nightlife was pretty good, try Mulligans, the Irish bar. Food at La Gargantua was great. |
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| Weaknesses |
| The nursery slopes are quite flat, OK for kids but not for getting down it - more like shuffle down it! |
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| Similar Resorts Visited |
| None |
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