Hotel Himàlaia Soldeu, the gondola-side four-star with a new name

Plenty of people still look for Soldeu’s Himàlaia by its familiar name, so it helps to know that its group’s website no longer lists it that way. It now appears as Hotel Nexta Soldeu, with Himàlaia in brackets. It’s the same four-star as ever, a few steps from the Soldeu gondola, and one of the village’s most searched-for hotels.

A rustic-style four-star

The rooms have a warm, rustic look that, the hotel says, evokes the spirit of the Himalaya. There are doubles or twins, triples with a third bed or sofa bed, quadruples and a slightly larger family room for four. For a couple or a group of friends it strikes me as a sound, unfussy base.

Breakfast is continental, English or healthy, and dinner is Pyrenean and international, with show cooking and coeliac-friendly options. There’s a bar with a pool table to round off the day.

What’s there after a day’s skiing?

A hot tub, sauna, steam room and gym. As at the Piolets, they cost extra, here €12 an hour for adults and €8 for under-12s, according to the website. If you want the spa thrown in, I compare the options in spa hotels in Andorra.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Hotel Himalaia Soldeu before prices climb.

Skiing in winter, walking in summer

Location is the strong point. From the hotel to the Soldeu gondola is just a few steps, and that’s your way up to Grandvalira in winter and to the mountain trails in summer. Nexta has a team of guides offering walks, via ferratas, snowshoeing and other outings every day, free for guests who book on its site. That’s why I like it for a summer of walking in the Incles valley and around.

Parking costs €24 a day and depends on availability on arrival; there’s an EV charging point. To see the rest of the village before deciding, I have hotels in Soldeu, and its stablemate next door, Hotel Piolets Soldeu Centre, suits families better.

Getting there and parking

From the capital, the L3 drops you in Soldeu after passing through Canillo. If the hotel has no space left, there are the covered car parks at Basers and Avet, which Grandvalira charges at half price to anyone skiing that day on the Andorra Pass.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Hotel Himalaia Soldeu before prices climb.

Who it isn’t for

If you want a spa included or designer rooms, this isn’t your hotel. If you want to walk and sleep a few steps from the gondola, it is. For a family with small children who want a pool, the Piolets has the edge, and for a big-spa treat, the Hermitage. I’d book on its own website to get the free guided outings, and in summer ask which ones are on that week, as they change with the day and the weather. Couples and groups of friends who walk in summer get the most out of it. In winter, the location by the gondola is the deciding factor.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Soldeu and choose by the reviews.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Andorra la Vella on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

So you do not pay over the odds, look at trains, coaches and flights to Andorra la Vella on Omio and pick the one that suits you.