In theory, they are hotels for skiers, but seeing the services they offer (massages, bubble baths, open bar of chocolate with churros, restaurants of all kinds and even champagne bars), it seems that they have been designed for those who prefer to watch how it snows through the windows of a spa while others queue up at the ski lifts. Whatever our choice and whether or not we bring our ski equipment, it is clear that in any of these hotels we will find the perfect rest after a day on the slopes.
Rafaelhoteles by la Pleta (Baqueira Beret, Lleida)
This is one of the few hotels in Spain that offer the possibility of heliskiing. But to tell the truth, when we arrive and see what’s inside Rafaelhoteles by La Pleta, the last thing we think of is flying off to nowhere. There are rooms of up to 70 square meters with goose feather pillows, comforters and underfloor heating. The décor is eclectic, ranging from eighteenth-century motifs to Afro-inspired ones.
Among its facilities we find a spa to shake off stress with treatments based on plants and fruits of the Val d’Aran. There is a gastronomic restaurant (Del Gel al Foc), a Japanese restaurant (La Pleta Sushi Restaurant) and a Cigar Bar to savor whiskies and brandies from around the world in the warmth of the fireplace… In short, the chairlift is 400 meters away, but it is as if it were 400 kilometers away.
Sport Hotel Hermitage & Spa (Grandvalira, Andorra)
Skiing with a guide, renting snowmobiles and snowshoes, flying over the mountains in a helicopter… Except for making it snow in summer, any wish will be granted if we stay at the Sport Hotel Hermitage. It is not heaven, but it is not far from it, because it is at 1,850 meters above sea level, surrounded by forests and the 210 kilometers of slopes of Grandvalira, the largest resort in the Pyrenees and one of the largest in Europe.
The protagonist of this five-star resort is the Sport Wellness Mountain, a spa with five floors and 4,500 square meters where we can relax with its treatments and contemplate the snowy landscape behind the glass walls or (if we look inside) the sculptures, paintings and serigraphs of Domènec Fita. The gastronomic offer, with five restaurants, is at the same level, that is, touching the sky.
Vincci Rumaykiyya (Sierra Nevada, Granada)
After burning down El Lodge, which was the undisputed king of Sierra Nevada, the throne has been taken by the Vincci Rumaykiyya, a mansion with an alpine air, with a lot of eaves and wooden beams, which boasts of being one of the highest hotels in Europe (2,400 meters) and of having direct access to the slopes and a chairlift at the door. Here it is not that you feel like skiing, it is that there is no other choice.
In addition to breathtaking views, it has services in keeping with its five stars: free transport to and from Pradollano, equipment rental and purchase of ski passes from the hotel itself, restaurant, garage, children’s club, medical care, hairdresser … As for the name, Rumaykiyya was the slave that Al-Mutamid made queen. Now, another Rumaykiyya is reigning again.
Tierra de Biescas (Huesca)
If we want to go skiing for a few days to Panticosa and others to Formigal, the ideal base is the Tierra de Biescas hotel, which is 15 and 23 kilometers away from both resorts. It is also a good place for those who flee from the typical, because neither its modern architecture (lavish in glazed enclosures and treated wood) nor its bright and minimalist interiors, heated by a double-sided fireplace, are reminiscent of any other building in the Tena Valley.
It has a sauna, heated swimming pool and rooms with views of the mountains. To recharge your batteries, there are two dining rooms with different proposals: the San Pelay restaurant (signature cuisine) and the Arratiecho cider house (grilled meats). Another argument in favor of this hotel is its reasonable rates (for a four-star hotel), which allow us to indulge ourselves without going broke, such as the suite with king-size bed and whirlpool bath under a skylight.
Hotel Palomé (Vallnord, Andorra)
On the banks of the Pollós river, far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Arinsal, is the Palomé hotel, which is dressed in stone and wood on the outside, as is traditional in the area, but on the inside it sports a brand-new urban design, with materials such as leather, steel or bare concrete. Nothing to do, certainly, with the pine furniture of the apartments at the foot of the runway. Everyone raves about this small four-star hotel, the scent you breathe when you enter and the way the staff treats you. It is appreciated that the minibar is free, not to mention the parking, because Andorra is the country of the Pyrenees, yes, but also of parking meters. It is a very couples’ hotel, with a chill-out bar, fireplace and restaurant for quiet dining. Skiing couples, of course, because outside is the Vallnord resort, the second largest in Andorra, with 93 kilometers of slopes.
Santa Cristina Petit Spa (Canfranc, Huesca)
It is not melted snow that oozes from the stones of the Santa Cristina Petit Spa hotel, but history. They were customs of the Carabinieri Corps in the late nineteenth century (very close is the port of Somport) and witnessed the visit of Alfonso XIII to the inauguration of the Canfranc railroad. Not to mention the generations of pilgrims who have passed in front of them, following the Aragonese Way. And of the skiers who have frequented the place since it became a hotel (1991), taking advantage of the fact that it is five minutes from Candanchú and a little more from Astún. More recently, it has been renovated in a contemporary key by the architect Ignacio Arzubialde and the artist and interior designer Vicente García Plana and has gained new spaces: the Petit Spa, with heated pool; the restaurant El Boj, with creative cuisine, and the magnificent terrace, with a view of the valley of the Aragon River that hypnotizes the guests.
Val de Neu (Baqueira Beret, Lleida)
What differentiates a luxury hotel like the Val de Neu from a five-star hotel is not so much the expensive whims. For example, there is fresh juice and fruit at the reception and an open bar of chocolate with churros in the afternoon or toys for the children or a restaurant designed for them, in addition to the three that their parents have to choose from: El Bosque, La Fondue and the Bistró. Everything is big here, from the rooms to the living room with a central free-standing fireplace, not even in the palaces of the Viking kings was there a fire like that. And convenient, like the ski lockers that open with the room card at the gondola station, which is next to the hotel. Two places that envy: the spa with outdoor Jacuzzi to bathe surrounded by snow and the Champagne Terrace for oysters, caviar and Iberian ham with champagne.
HG Cerler (Huesca)
Next to Cerler, which is a charming old village of stone and slate, any new construction is out of place. Any, except the hotel HG Cerler, which uses these same materials to blend in with this grandiose landscape, where 80 percent of the peaks over 3,000 meters in the Iberian Peninsula rise (including the Aneto, which with 3,404, is the roof of the Pyrenees) and half of the glaciers that have not yet melted glitter. To admire this immense picture of mountains, the hotel has a glass façade, behind which it is almost obligatory to sit down to rest and have a hot drink after walking the 79 kilometers of slopes of the resort. The relaxation area of the spa is not bad either, with a view of the same panorama.
