About the Accommodation

Lovely family ski chalet located in the historic centre of Arties just opposite the renowned Tauerna Urtau. The Chalet which dates from 1815 has been recently renovated but retained its rustic charm and now provides 7 bedrooms configured as follows: 3 double beds with ensuite bathrooms, 1 large family room with en-suite bathroom sleeping 4 and 3 double bunk bed rooms sharing a family bathroom. In addition there is a large Kitchen / Breakfast / Sitting room with electric fireplace on the ground floor seating 14 for dinner, a ground floor Utility room with WC and Washer / Dryer, a large upstairs Drawing Room with wonderful views over the Placa Ortau and Montarto and TV area equipped with a Bar and Fridge. 

The Chalet is ideal for Winter skiing holidays and Summer walking holidays in the beautiful Pyrenees mountains. Baqueira Beret, Spain's leading Ski Resort is 7 minutes drive up the valley with skiing available from November to mid April. With 165 kms or groomed pistes catering for all levels form Beginner to Advanced Skiers and 36 Lifts covering a huge skiable domaine this is the biggest and the best skiing in Spain. Nestled in an Atlantic facing valley the Val D'Aran is one of the most snow sure locations in Europe.

In Summer the Valley turns into a paradise for walkers and cyclists. There are numerous marked trails including the famous GR11 which crosses from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. This Summer we completed the famous Escape route taken during the war from France - the "Chemin de La Liberte"- an arduous four day hike with overnights in mountain refuges which runs from Saint Girons and finishes up in Arties just opposite the Chalet in the Taverna Urtau !! We highly recommend it. Ask about our guided walking tours if this is something you are interested in.

Amenities

Notes

Free on street parking is available outside the Chalet. Except during peak tourist season these spaces are usually very quiet. There are 3 additional free car parks provided by the municipality within the village of Arties and these are only a short walk away.

Because the Chalet is located in the main square it can get busy and noisy at times particularly when there are village festivals and during the peak tourist season.

For Rentals of 6 days or more the Cleaner will come on the Wednesday and change towels and make beds

Please note that NO SMOKING is allowed on the premises and PETS are not allowed.

Neighbourhood

Arties is the Apres Ski centre of the Naut Aran area. There are numerous good Restaurants and Bars in the village and also two nightclubs so there is really no reason to leave the village to look for fun elsewhere. There is an excellent Epicerie where you can do a daily food top up shop but we recommend you visit the Mercadona supermarket in Vielha to do the main shop for your holiday. Prices are excellent and the choice is amazing.

For those not committed to self catering all the time we recommend the Taverna Urtau just across the street for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner ! The Tapas are amazing and the prices very reasonable. Taverna Urtau was one of the main reasons we bought the Chalet as it makes catering so easy if you don't want to cook every day or every meal. And when its packed at peak times you can order food for collection or sometimes delivery across the street so you can eat at home and not have to struggle to get a table. 

There is a fantastic choice of restaurants in Arties at all price points. You need never eat at the same restaurant twice in a week although we regard the Taverna Urtau as our home from home and are in there multiple times a day !!

Transport

Toulouse Airport is the nearest airport and this is an easy 2 1/4 hours away mostly by Autoroute. Barcelona, Madrid and Girona airports are all about 4-5 hours away so if you are flying in we definitely recommend Toulouse which is served by British Airways as well as Ryanair and Easyjet.

We recommend you rent a Car for the week. Parking in the village is free and easily available and will allow you to explore the valley at your leisure.

If you are skiing (and particularly if you are with children) we cannot recommend more highly that you rent a parking space with a ski locker for the week for your boots and skis under the main gondala lift at Baqueira. Each Parking space comes with a locker holding 6 sets of skis directly under the main gondola and the cost is 15 Euros a day. Please contact us for further details so we can put you in touch with the agency that deals with these private lockers and parking spaces. The Ski hire shops, of which there are many to choose from, and the Lift ticket sales are also right above the parking and adjacent to the gondola and this makes the whole process much quicker and less stressful. The huge relief of not having to cart skis and boots down the mountain every evening is worth every penny.

There is an at least hourly bus service that stops in Arties and which services all the villages in the Valley including Baqueira and Vielha so if you do not want to drive the 7 minutes up to Baqueira or down you don't have to. If the teenagers want to come down the mountain later than the adults we simply tell them to get the bus down and meet us back at the house or in the Taverna Urtau where we are usually found Apres ski!

In very Peak Season weeks the road up to Baqueira in the morning or down in the evening can be congested and what is normally a 7 minute drive can take 20 mins. To avoid this either go early ( before 8.15am ) or late (after 10.15 am) in the morning or leave early (before 15.00pm) or late at the end of the day (after 6pm) to avoid the traffic. We usually leave late in the morning after a hearty breakfast at the Taverna Urtau and come down late the end of the day after a long stop off with the kids in Haagen Dazs for coffee and Ice Cream. The adults however may prefer to come down early and have a late lunch in Taverna Urtau right across the Placa from the Chalet.