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  5 of 5, "Soldeu Andorra" 21/02/2010 @ 16:44:37 |
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| Price Paid |
| 550 |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| Independently |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
| went to soldeu with little expectation but was very much so pleasently suprised! i went as an intermediate border with 3 skiiers! Grandvalarria as an area was excellent the blue and red runs all have a good mixture of steep to flat parts which is ideal! also there are several black runs that were also enjoyable for me as a border and suitable not just for skiier, in particular the one down to soldeu centre to finish the day with! we went on missions every day and didnt get bored at all! the equipment i hired from ski calbo was top quality the boots were brand new and the board was almost so! we only had 1 lift stop on us all week which was a bonus! there was ample cafes on the slopes which meant we were only ever a couple of runs away from a coffee and pit stop! the snow park also looked very good with lots of jumps and rails and a brilliant half pipe shame im not at that level yet! off the slopes we stayed in a 3 bed apartment 5 mins away from the gondola which was clean and spacious! the supermarkets were basic but had everythink we needed to get by for the week! for drinks in the evenings we went to the "Aspen" bar which was good it has all the football games and major sporting events, also the drinks were cheap 2.50 euros for san migue, the shots with coke were 5.00 euros but yoyu do get a triple for that, no measurements! for food i highly reccomend the FAT ALBERTS restaurant but you do have to book the food was amazing and no more than 20 euros for anything on the menu! we ate ut every night and HOTEL BRUXELLES was by far the best we ate in and was also no more than 20 euros for anything on the menu, but you also have to book as its very popular! compared to LA PLAGNE, SOLDEU is in a different league for value for money in terms of food and drink! |
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| Strengths |
Restaurants FAT ALBERTS, HOTEL BRUXELLES
Drinks ASPEN BAR
The ski runs
the lifts
Value for money
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| Hot Spots |
FAT ALBERTS,
HOTEL BRUXELLES
ASPEN BAR
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| Weaknesses |
Journey from Barcelona by coach was 4 hours
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| Reviews: 9 |
| Review Mod |
| Berkshire |
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 4 of 5, "Soldeu - Bruxelles" 08/04/2009 @ 18:00:25 |
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| Revision #1 (Last edited: 08/04/2009 @ 18:01:44) |
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| Price Paid |
| 360 - HB |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| thomson ski |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
Got a late deal half board staying at Hotel Bruxelles. Flew out end of March. Very lucky with weather - big dump just before we arrived and 2 days of fresh whilst in resort. Was only the last day where ice in morning and slush in afternoon. Learnt to ski - instruction was first class. REsort was quiet (late season), lift lines and slopes practically empty. Not a huge amount of vertical but plenty of runs available via the lift pass - covers a large area.
Bruxelles hotel fantastic food. Rooms basic and noisy.
Apart from smoke in bars was very impressed with Soldeu. Fresh snow helped too.
should have booked lift pass, hire gear and ski school as part of booking as could have saved a packet!!! In resort you can only buy the entire ski area pass and not just 1 for beginners!
Pas La Cas looked a dump. |
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| Strengths |
great instruction
quiet off season |
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| Hot Spots |
| fat alberts |
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| Weaknesses |
smoking allowed in bars :(
gongola lockers a rip off |
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| Similar Resorts Visited |
| mainly North American. |
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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 of 1 people found the following review helpful: |
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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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| 4 of 5, "Great for beginners!" 26/10/2006 @ 20:31:17 |
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| 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: |
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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 of 1 people found the following review helpful: |
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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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