Hotels in Arinsal and Pal, at the foot of Pal Arinsal

Arinsal and Pal share a ski area and a parish, but as places to sleep they’re worlds apart. One is a ski village with a gondola in the street and bars open late; the other is a cluster of stone houses that seems designed for doing nothing. That’s why they share a page, because the real question isn’t whether to stay here, but in which of the two.

Arinsal, at the lifts

The council’s official village page puts it plainly. In winter, Arinsal is one of Pal Arinsal’s slope-side bases, with a gondola from the village up to the Arinsal sector. At the top, a cable car links the Arinsal and Pal sectors, together more than 63 km of pistes. This winter the lifts run from 9:00 to 17:00, between 4 December and 4 April.

The same site has hotel listings with useful detail. The Xalet Verdú calls itself a three-star 200 m from the gondola, the Sant Gothard a four-star 1 km away, and the Yomo Patagonia says it’s at the foot of the resort, by the chairlift. Those distances come from the hotels, so I’d check them on a map. In ski boots, 200 m and 1 km are two different holidays. The council’s site also lists the Princesa Parc complex, whose newest wing calls itself a five-star, and the NH Collection Andorra Palomé, formerly the Hotel Palomé, both among the names people search for most around Pal Arinsal. I haven’t checked either rating against an official register, so treat the stars as the hotels’ own claim until you’ve seen them.

Who is Arinsal for?

The council describes it as the liveliest village in the country, and it means the nightlife. It’s the obvious pick for mates who want to ski without the car and hit the bars afterwards. It’s not where I’d take small children, unless the hotel sits a little away from the centre and its bars.

With children, in fact, I’d lean towards the Pal side. Andorra Turisme describes the Pal sector’s ski kindergarten with instructors, children’s circuits and Après Kids, a party with games and music at Caubella. You can reach it from Arinsal by the cable car, but if the holiday revolves around the kids, staying nearer Pal saves transfers. More ideas in family skiing in Andorra.

Arinsal isn’t just for winter either. It’s the way into the Comapedrosa Natural Park, 15.42 km² around Andorra’s highest peak, 2,942 m. The staffed Comapedrosa hut opens in summer beside the Estany de les Truites, and the Roca de la Sabina viewpoint, at almost 1,900 m, doubles as a Starlight stargazing spot. In July, walking out of an Arinsal hotel towards the Comapedrosa is one of the best days the valley offers.

Pal, stone and silence

Pal lies above 1,500 m, and its old core has been protected under a special plan since 1998. Its cobbled lanes lead to Sant Climent church, from the 11th and 12th centuries, with a three-storey bell tower. To me it’s the prettiest village in the parish, and by far the quietest.

The choice of beds is small. The council’s site lists the Apartamentos Bonet, right in the historic village and 2 km from the Pal sector, according to its listing. To reach the slopes you’ll need a car or the resort’s free bus, which runs to La Massana. If the village appeals, Pal has its own page.

Parking, buses and motorhomes

Pal Arinsal has free parking at each sector, with Pal reached on the CG-4 and Arinsal on the CG-5. Without a car, route L5 runs from Andorra la Vella and terminates in Arinsal. Flying into Toulouse or Barcelona, you’ll take a coach to the capital and change there.

For motorhomes in winter, there are overnight areas at the Comallemple car park in Arinsal, with 20 bays, and in Pal at Caubella, 24 with services, and Coll de la Botella, 20. On the CG-5 in winter, carry chains or fit winter tyres, as the law demands. If neither village suits, La Massana has a gondola to Pal from the centre and all the services of a proper town, as I explain in hotels in La Massana.