6 ways Andorra offers you something different to the normal ski holiday

Andorra has the lowest VAT tax rates in Europe at just 4.5% compared to the UK’s 20%. Even tiny Liechtenstein and savvy Switzerland have VAT rates at nearly double Andorra’s at a whopping 8%!

This makes the value second to none when it comes to the cost of things like lift passes, equipment hire and tuition. For example, a six day adult Grandvalira lift pass costs around £300, about the same as St Anton’s.

That may not sound cheap, but you get high-speed access to 210km of world-class pistes and lunch every day including a sandwich, portion of fries and a drink (beer or soft drink). Buy that lunch on the mountain in St Anton and you would need to sell a kidney.

Essentially, everything from a chocolate bar and new gloves to a meal out in a restaurant and 15 hours ski tuition is that bit cheaper as you’re not paying the extra tax on it.

Few ski resorts are close to their country’s capital. Andorra is so small (only 15 countries on Earth are smaller and it could fit into the Yorkshire Dales nearly 3 times!), you’re only about a half hour bus ride from its capital, Andorra la Vella.

And what a shopper’s delight it is! Over 2,000 shops with everything and anything you can think of. Endless designer boutiques, toy stores, luggage outlets (you might need that one) and restaurants.

Andorra la Vella is also home to the Caldea Spa – Europe’s’ largest thermal spa with 6000m² of indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, hot tubs, waterfalls, bubble beds and much more. It’s all set in a futuristic-looking building reaching up to 80m high making it Andorra’s tallest building.

Buses run regularly from all Andorran resorts so it’s worth taking an afternoon or a whole day off the slopes to explore this wonderful capital, just don’t forget your wallet!

For some reason, Andorra has an incredibly high ratio of native English speakers teaching guests to ski and snowboard. It may be down to points number one and two, or just the fact that it's a lovely place to be.

Nestling at the heart of the Pyrénées provides some wonderful vistas which also makes for a pretty nice office for some.

This high ratio is obviously a benefit for us Brits. We all know that ski and board instructors all speak excellent English, but having a native speaker does make things that bit easier at times. There are particular words and phrases that help when learning, and the lack of heavy accent certainly helps when your ears are covered with a helmet or beanie!

Over the past five to ten years, Andorra has invested tens of millions of Euros on the infrastructure of its ski resorts. The benefit of this is each of the resorts, Arinsal, El Tarter, Pas de la Casa and Soldeu have almost been purpose built to cater for certain groups of people.

If you’re wanting a family holiday or it’s your first time on snow, head to Arinsal as it has quieter, gentle slopes, excellent après activities and some of the best value and family accommodation to choose from.

For lively nightlife, Pas de la Casa is for you. There are plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants to choose from. It’s also a good place for groups as the slopes and nightlife suit a wide variety of tastes, styles and budgets.

And for a good combo of the two, head to Soldeu and El Tarter. Set just a kilometre or so apart, El Tarter is quieter than its neighbour and has great access to the slopes and a very family friendly hotel in the Neilson Hotel Del Clos.

Soldeu has mainly four star hotels at three star prices with easy piste access and a great range of bars, shops and restaurants – essentially, the best all-rounder of them all.

For keen skiers and boarders, the Grandvalira ski area is for you. 210km of perfectly groomed piste with one of the best lift systems in the world. It’s a freerider’s dream and the area is often likened to that of a North American resort. The off-piste is so accessible with terrain and lines that are seemingly endless.

If you want to get even more time on the piste, go for First Trax. For one hour from 8am, you, your guide and up to nine others will share the mountain with no one else apart from ski patrol and the lifties getting to work.

Carve up the groomers for a few runs before everyone else ruins all the hard work the piste bashers have done the night before. Your guide will show you the best runs for that time of day so by 9am, you can feel smug with a coffee in hand that you’ve already had the best runs of the day. And the best bit is that it only costs around €15 per person!

Another advantage of not being quite as well known as the big named resorts is that you’ll have quieter slopes, particularly at peak times like Christmas, New Year and half term. You just don’t have as many people on the slopes for the size of area. On low season dates, it’s bliss as you sometimes feel like you have the runs to yourself!

The two ski areas, Vallnord (Arinsal, Pal and Arcalis) and Grandvalira (El Tarter, Pas de la Casa and Soldeu) both have such good lift systems that even at busy periods, you won’t be waiting as long as would elsewhere.

So, for a ski holiday with a difference, take a look at our Andorra ski deals.