https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/travel/the-snow-in-spain.html

Stylish beautiful 125m2 (1,350sq feet) duplex apartment located in a spectacular mountain environment (south facing village of Mont – altitude 1,250 m) in a new construction building in typical Val D´ Aran style (Occitan-Pyrenees). Just 12 km to Baqueira-Beret ski resort (probably the best in the Pyrenees) and 4 km to the Town of Vielha (geographic & life epicenter of the Valley; altitude 975 m., nearest airports: Toulosse and Pau - France). Mont is accessible from Vielha by car, foot, bike, horse, etc. The view from the apartment presents you an eye bleaching panoramic -hard to match anywhere else- while enjoying all sunshine hours thanks to its favorable location. CAR NEEDED AS THE MAIN CITY (VIELHA) IS 5KM AWAY
The exceptionally luminous flat consists of two wooden-attic design floors: The ground floor comprises two bedrooms (a double-bed room with TV, and a two divan-beds room -we use it for our children-), a big bathroom with a large window, a good sized and comfortable living/dining room (fully equipped) -with four large roof windows offering marvelous views-, a wall mountain chimney to make your staying even more memorable (wood supply included), a fully equipped open kitchen and a small laundry room with an automatic washing/drying machine.

The upper floor holds a good-size double room with TV and DVD, a bathroom (with a window for natural light) and an “en suite” wardrobe. The room also offers stunning views of the spectacular mountainous & alpine forest landscape.

The apartment has two indoor parking places and a storage room down-stairs. A car / motorbike is necessary so you can fully enjoy all the different leisure possibilities that Val D´ Aran offers (cars may be hired at the airport).

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Val D' Aran (Aran Valley). Lleida Pyrenees (Catalonia-Spain)

The Aran Valley is located in the heart of the Pyrenees mountain range, in the region of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain –natural frontier with France-). It is a unique valley with an Atlantic orientation & climate, specially favored for the quantity and the quality of its snow.

It is a valley surrounded by peaks, many of them 3,000m high, with over 200 beautiful lakes and numerous waterfalls. Some of these lakes, such as the Restanca-Mar, San Maurici, Colomers, Sabodero or the Tort de Riu, are among the largest in the Pyrenees. Their extensive humid forests contain pines (including the characteristic dark pine), firs, oaks, beeches and ashes.
Historically isolated from the rest of Spain (up to the mid-1960s) due to its orographic and climatological conditions, the Aran Valley preserves and maintains its enormously rich artistic-cultural heritage, with its many Romanesque churches: Salardu, Arties, Vielha, Garos, Bossost, etc. The much-admired carvings of ancient images such as the Christ of Salardu, Casarilh and Vielha. Or the unique christening fonts of Arties, Vilac or Vilamos and works of art that date back to the 11th - 13th centuries.

Skiing and snow sports have an outstanding reputation in Val D' Aran thanks to its privileged geographical situation, cold weather conditions, remarkable infrastructures and many facilities like hotels, shops, spas, sports and rural tourism. The valley is establishing itself as a tourist destination throughout the year for its attractive, natural beauty and astonishing preservation. Outdoor activities and adventure sports have also contributed to the consideration of Val D´ Aran as an ideal destination to visit at any moment of the year.

Another feature of the Aran Valley is its rich gastronomy. Being a frontier valley, Aranese cuisine is very much influenced by French cuisine, although it also has its own typical dishes such as the well-known “Olla Aranesa” (Aranese Stew). The basic defining features of local cuisine are its natural and traditional character and its excellent flavor. The predominant ingredients of this cuisine come from the vegetable gardens, hunting and fishing. Aranese dishes have enabled Val D’ Aran’s gastronomy to establish itself as an obligatory point of reference for lovers of good food and haute cuisine. Just try it and you will never forget this different way of experiencing holidays in the “warm & sunny” Spain!

Vielha (Val D´ Aran capital)

Vielha (974m; 4.500 inhabitants) is the main Pyrenean town in Val D´ Aran. Surrounded by peaks over 3,000m, its streets and buildings conform an interesting commercial center full of restaurants and with and an animated night life (as opposed to the rest of the villages in the valley -such as Mont- which are much more peaceful), where visitors will find all kind of businesses specialized in adventure sports, mountaineering and snow, crafts and foods from Val D' Aran, first necessity goods and services, fashion outlet stores, supermarkets, cinema, museums, banks, a reference public hospital, and a sport centrum with indoor ice-skating activities as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Vielha is 20 km from Luchon (6,500 inhabitants), a French town famous for its relaxing natural “hammans” (unique in Europe). In the ride to the vaporarium, you will pass by the Val D´ Aran Park, located in the Portillon mountain pass, an astonishing place and an amazing way to watch and learn about local wildlife in its natural mountainous surrounding (i.e. bears, wolfs, eagles, foxes, mountain goats, deers, capercaillies, river otters, etc., all in semi-liberty conditions. -not exactly a Zoo!-)

Winter/early spring: Skiing in Baqueria-Beret

Baqueira-Beret has become the finest ski resort in the Pyrenees (natural border between France and Spain) and one with the best and most quantity of snow due to its location (north-facing and naturally protected from southern air currents from the Iberian Peninsula). It offers its visitors up to 153 km of sign-posted and prepared ski slopes, 14 km of itineraries (country skiing), 7 km of cross-country track, 2 snow parks, 2 slalom stadiums, 35 ski lifts and 546 artificial snow cannons while improving their facilities each year.

Apart from these off-piste spaces and the central Baqueira area, the resort comprises two other contiguous large skiing areas. Firstly Beret (2,200m) which is the best choice for beginners. Secondly, the area called Bonaigua which is perfect for specialists. According to ski experts, the resort holds in the surrounding area some of the most sought-after off-piste skiing spaces. Many enthusiasts travel from all over Europe to enjoy these possibilities and the great quality after-ski services all throughout the Valley (including husky or horse sleds, snow rally motor racing, etc.).

Rest of the year in Val D´ Aran

Val D´ Aran also offers great possibilities and facilities for those who want to enjoy the countryside while admiring its extraordinary landscape: walking, cycling, trekking, hiking, horse riding, swimming, mountain-biking, quad & 4x4 off-road routes and cultural activities, as well as the more exciting, canyoning, rock climbing and rafting or the action-packed adventure sports. The youngest members of the family will also live their most exciting experiences with outdoor games in the middle of nature (don´t forget to visit the Adventure Park for exiting outdoor physical activity which is a totally different experience).

We will provide you with useful information about the most important/beautiful trips (there are plenty of alternatives), selected restaurants (very numerous), cultural activities and some other useful tips you may require.

Just try it and you will never forget this different way of experiencing holidays in the “warm & sunny” Spain!

More info (web pages available in English and French):
www.visitvaldaran.com
www.baqueira.com