Hotel Palarine

Summer is still here and The Hotel Palarine Andorra set in the midst of beautiful mountain scenery is in the best location for all those summer outdoor adventure activities. Vallnord bike park is readily accessible in the morning, downhill to the cable car and downhill via the road in the evening after the challenge of the world class MTB circuits up in the forests surrounding the hotel. We offer big discounts for all mountain bike rentals, equipment and passes for the Vallnord bike park. We also have a free secure garage and free off road parking. You can choose from a host of other activities such as the "via ferrata", white water rafting, abseiling, golf and many more.

For the family enjoyment there is a wealth of activities to choose from swimmimng, horse riding walking and hiking and a great adventure park at Vallnord in the mountains above the hotel, not forgetting those sum,mer BBQs beside a mountain stream. Please see our summer activities page and contact us for further information on our best prices for the great outdoor adventures.

Not only is the Hotel Palarine within a DOWNHILL wheel spin of all the mountain tracks of Vallnord Mountain Park, we even have our own secure garage workshop area. We are keen to become part of the mountain bike scene. We have an also offer discounts with local bike hire and equipment shops. If any Mountain bike Club or Association are interested in Andorra for a holiday, call us first and see what we can offer for group rates

Tel: (376) 737393 or email info@hotelpalarine.com

Mountain biking is challenging in Andorra due to the topography of the country! However, there are a few rides you can do such as the ascent to the top of the cable car station in Arinsal and the ascent to the Estanyò mountain hut. For those that prefer a "lighter" excursion, there is a beautiful 9 km ride one can do that is virtually flat from Ordino (at 6 km from the Hotel Palarine) to El Serrat.

There are mountain bike trails for all levels in Pal and since the cable-car opened in la Massana (2 min downhill from the hotel) a new summer sport has emerged from beginning of June to mid-september: take the gondola up and ride back down through the forest trails.

Courtesy of "Spike" we now have a youtube helmet cam video which gives you an idea of the set up. The video is of the last run of the day having gone down to the cable car in La Massana in the morning, experienced the world cup mountain bike circuits at the top in Vallnord Bike Park.

New developments of the Vallnord Bike Park:

This year there’ll be loads of new developments at the Vallnord Bike Park:

The first one isn’t really a new development as such but we think it is important to highlight that, for the second year running, the Vallnord Bike Park will hold one of the 2009 ATB World Cup races for the Four Cross and downhill disciplines on 16th and 17th May.

Cedric Gràcia/Vallnord Mountain Bike School.
Given the high demand for classes we’ve had for these first few seasons, we’ve decided to set up the first Vallnord mountain bike school, it will be the Cedric Gràcia school at Vallnord Bike Park, and throughout the whole season Cedric and his qualified monitors will offer classes for adults and children, group or private classes, lasting from one hour or packages of several hours or days. All of this so that everyone can learn or develop their technique in complete safety.

This year we will continue to extend the Bike Park with more ski lifts and new circuits:

The big new development is that we’re going to open a third ski lift, el Cubil. It is a disengageable chair lift, like the Serra 2 one, which will mean that throughout the whole month of August you can access the highest part of the mountains in the Pal sector, the Cubil peak (2,358 m). Therefore, this point will become the highest part of the Bike Park, meaning there will be descents with slopes of over 1,000 metres to La Massana, situated at 1,300 metres altitude. Up till now, this point could only be accessed during the Maxiavalanche. In fact, one of the new circuits will be the one used for the Maxiavalanche.

Another great new development is the inauguration of 6 new circuits:

* - The red level "Maxiavalanche Superior" circuit goes from the Cubil peak down to Planell and has a spectacular descent that follows the legendary route of this tough event, the Maxiavalanche. From there, it follows the traditional circuit of the Maxiavalanche down to the village of La Massana.
* - The red level "Cubil" circuit goes down from the Cubil peak to the foot of the Cubil chair lift. This circuit means you can go back up to the Cubil peak with the chair lift or carry on going down to the lower part of the Bike Park.
* - Two new green circuits have been built: the Verdet, that goes from Planell to the bottom of the Serra 2 chair lift, and La Serra, that connects the Pla de la Cot with the bottom part of the Bike Park. They are very easy circuits for the youngest cyclists and for families who want to get started in mountain biking. The Vallnord Bike Park is the Bike Park for everyone, from beginners right through to experts.
* - The new blue circuit, called Corpalanca, is very important because it will join up with the new Cubil area and with the base of the Serra 2 chair lift.
* - The new Project 1.0 circuit was inaugurated in the middle of last season and this year it will be fully established. Because of the slope and the technical difficulty of the circuit it is classed as a black level circuit. It has been built on a base of wooden modules and a large number of natural rocks.
* - New offer for female cyclists: special price on the purchase of a Bike Park pass + beauty and relaxation treatments in the sports centre Mountain & Wellnes Spa Resort in Anyós and in Carita. Girls who like downhill also look after themselves!
* - New special offer for under 14’s who are starting out in mountain biking at our resort: if you buy a pass we’ll give you a free t-shirt with the official image of the 2009 ATB World Cup that will be held at the Vallnord Bike Park.
* - Camps with Cédric Gracia (Vallnord): come and practice with one of the most famous cyclists from the world of mountain biking, in the top 10 of the ATB World Cup circuit, who has been living and training at the Vallnord Bike Park for years now.


The scheduled dates are listed below:
4th and 5th July: Camp for adults
25th and 26th July: Camp according to demand
1st and 2nd August: Camp according to demand

Introducing Tobotronc......

20 km from the Hotel Palarine



Andorra's latest attraction, at 5.2km long, the longest toboggan run in the world. Only 35 minutes drive from the Hotel and suitable for all ages over 5 years old.


Caldea


Less than ten minutes from the hotel Palarine lies Caldea, Europe's largest health spa. caldea offers 6000 square meters of inside and outside lagoons, saunas, jacuzzis, a grapefruit pool, an Aztecian pool, Indo-Roman baths, cascades, bubble beds, warm marble slates, and much much more.

Imagine a place where everything is light and space, where you can forget fatigue, stress and routine... a new and unique spa where, throughout the year, you will find peace and calm in the beneficial effects of thermal water. A haven to retreat to, dedicated to rest, getting back in shape, health and beauty.


Caldea uses the water which emerges from the thermal source in Escaldes-Engordany at 68º C to create a harmonious interrelation between the body and water in futuristic surroundings. In ancient Catalan, the word 'caldea' means tonifying and warm.

In Roman times, the word 'calidae', from which the name of the town of Escaldes in Andorra originates, designated a warm water source. Two thousand years later, Caldea offers you a new form of well-being and enjoyment, an encounter with water in all its possible forms, from steam to ice, from Japan to Finland...

Horse Riding

Horse riding in Andorra is open to all. . The mounts are sturdy mountain horses - a variation of the well-known Merens breed, named after a small village in the Ariège just over the border on the way to Ax-les-Thermes. The horses know the country and are used to high mountain conditions.


Horseriding is available at Pal station as part of their range of summer sports and there is a permanent riding school and stables at l'Aldosa de La Massana. Indeed, horseriding is available for all visitors of all ages. Please ask for details, we are only minutes away from the stables.



Every year in mid-June the local Equestrian Federation holds its annual event in Ordino. The first prize is known as the Red Rum Trophy, after the famous British steeplechaser and unique 3-time winner of England's most famous race, the Grand National.
While we are waiting for the snow we are a golf ball's drive from Xixerella Pitch and Putt course


Golf Pitch & Putt

Playing Golf Pitch & Putt or discovering the multi-activity circuits are some of the other activities on offer in Andorra. In Xixerella (La Massana) and La Cortinada (Ordino) there are enjoyable Golf Pitch & Putt courses for both beginners and experts. The multi-activity circuits are from an hour and a half and can be carried out in a group or alone.

El Torrent Pitch & Putt in the village of Xixerella (La Massana) has a course which follows the course of the river, with an area of 1,229m and 1,138m with 18 holes. It is open from April to October depending on weather conditions.

You can also play in the Ordino valley at the Pitch & Putt Golf Par 3 Vall d’Ordino in the village of La Cortinada. It has nine Par 54 holes, a practice green with 25 tees, putting green, golf pro-shop, club house and equipment hire. You can also take beginner’s lessons or improve your level at the Vall d’Ordino Acadèmia de Golf. Open all year depending on weather conditions.

Fishing

As you would imagine, Andorra's mountain streams and lakes offer good fishing. The highest lakes are re-stocked every couple of years from the government-run trout hatchery which can be seen from the road at Les Salines near El Serrat in Ordino parish. Enthusiasts will climb to our highest mountain lakes such as Tristaina in Ordino to fish, but rod and bait anglers are perhaps best served at Lake Engolasters above Escaldes, which is Andorra's biggest. The lake is actually man-made to provide flow for the hydro-electric station below on the main road from Andorra la Vella to France. All the angling competitions run by the local fishing clubs are held at Engolasters.

Fly fishing the rivers is best done in the higher parishes. In the Arinsal valley one can fish down to Erts, in the Ordino valley fishing is best above La Cortinada and on the Valira del Orient which runs down the main eastern valley, fishing is best above Ransol.

The season for river fishing starts in mid-April, but you must wait until mid-June for the lake fishing season to start. The season ends by tradition on our National Day on September 7.

Licences for visitors are available from any fishing tackle shop or from the local tourist information offices in each parish. There is a daily ticket (only for lake fishing) which costs 5.40€, but the more normal weekly permit for all areas costs 15.95€.