To help you make the most of this fabulously under-rated area, However, for those looking to immerse themselves in the distinctive local culture there are a number of captivatingīaqueira has developed a reputation for its extensive and under-used off-piste terrain, much of which is accessible from the lifts. The main resort, Baqueira, is purpose-built with easy access to the slopes. Also in the Val d’Aran area are K-Fay in the village of Bossost and Trokotro (+02) in the village of Betren.Situated at the head of the beautiful Val d’Aran in the heart of the Pyrenees, Baqueira Beret is widely considered to be Spain’s premier ski destination and is regularly visited by the Spanish In Arties there is De Net for tapas and wine, followed later on by the Divino, Millennium, 1844, and La Luna nightclubs which carry on until 4 or 5am. Later on the nightclubs to try are Club 7, Eth Clot, Eth Com (+74), Elurra Disco and Vielha Dance Club. Vinacoteca Alsur is a wine bar and Saxo Blu (+71) calls itself a ‘music bar’. The others are Urtau, Bar Era Canaula (+98), Cafe Nuevo, Don Vielhito, Era Gripia, Eth Paer, Matador, Petit Basteret (+14) and Picoti – all of them serving homemade tapas and Rioja.

These include Bar Era Place, which is a popular spot in the main square. Vielha in the valley (taxis are not expensive here) has even more apres-ski, with a dozen tapas tapas bars for the early evening. Tapas bars everywhere, and nightclubs that get busy very late AC Baqueira hotel has The Suite Bar with DJs and a good range of cocktails. In Baqueira itself, Tiffany’s and Tuc Nere are the main nightclubs.

On the slopes at Beret is the chic Moet Winter Lounge (+39 682 737 679), popular both for lunch or just a glass of champagne from lunchtime onwards. There’s a good range of bars in all of the villages, with none of them starting to get busy until after midnight.

Baqueira and Arties are the centres where most tourists go in the evening, with Vielha attracting the locals and a younger age group. Dinner en famille is at 10pm, or 11pm for child-free couples and groups, and the clubs start to warm up around 2am. Lunch can be as late as 3pm, followed by a last run to the base area, then Rioja-and- tapas until 7pm when the bars empty and everyone goes to bed for a siesta. The timetable in Spain is completely different from almost everywhere else in the skiing world. The resort is at its busiest at weekends when skiers come up from Madrid and Barcelona. The apres-ski and nightlife are varied in Baqueira Beret and the Val d’Aran, with prices generally lower than you’d find in the main Alpine ski resorts.

Baqueira beret ski