Deirdre Mullins finds skiing in the French Pyrénées a good option for a family ski holiday.
Dinner at the Hotel Lassus in the Pyrénées ski resort of Bolquère is a family affair. Maryline Vallero is the lady of the house and she manages the sitting with just one other member of floor staff almost effortlessly. Her husband, Philippe, works away in the kitchen and cooks the best Confit Duck I have ever eaten. Their three kids ramble around the restaurant, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there are over 40 strangers in their sitting room.
This was my first night of a ski holiday in the Pyrénées-Orientales, which is in the French part of Catalonia. Ski holidays are expensive and family ski holidays are even more expensive. By the time you add up the cost of transfers, ski gear, ski pass, accommodation and feeding the little brats, parents often feel that it's just not worth it.
But could the Pyrénées-Orientales be a good option for a family ski trip? It's definitely worth considering as the resorts are both family friendly and cost effective and the skiing isn't bad either.
Hostess and mother Maryline gives new meaning to the word multitasking. As she takes our food order, Adrian, her four-year-old, holds on to her apron strings - literally. Dressed as Zorro - complete with sword - he practiced a few of his English words in between his mother's explanations of the dishes.
Maryline and Philippe and their kids moved here from Paris three years ago "for a better life". "It's the perfect place to bring up a family," she tells us as her boy hands her a lollypop to hold so he can make a better swishing action with his sword.
French families have been coming here since 1910 when the Yellow Train (le Train Jaune) began linking the region to Villefranche-de-Conflent, a medieval town near Perpignan. The train's 64km route is dramatic as it climbs through the mountains to one of Europe's highest train stations at Bolquère (1593m). It promises a scenic and stress-free way to travel, especially if you have a brood in tow.
Using the Yellow Train is set to become easier for Irish visitors from March this year, as Aer Lingus will begin to operate a Dublin to Perpignan flight twice per week. The schedule will run from March to October, so unfortunately it will just get the tail end of the ski season.
I travelled an alternate route and flew with Ryanair to the Spanish airport of Girona, which is just 100km north of Barcelona. After landing into 22-degree heat, it had occurred to me to ditch the ski gear and sun myself in the Costa Brava. But fast forward two hours and I was wide-eyed amidst the French Pyrénées.
The first port of call was the ski station of Pyrénées 2000 which is a good place to stay if you want to be near the slopes. There is plenty of self-catering accommodation; ideal for families. The self-catering hotel Appart'Vacances Pyrénées 2000 offers basic clean rooms with a kitchenette that sleeps two adults and two children for €252 per week. But convenient accommodation aside, there is not much else to do in Pyrénées 2000.
Font-Romeu and Bolquère are both 4km from Pyrénées 2000. Font-Romeu is a pretty village with plenty of character and its restaurants, bars, casino, cinema, ice-rink, swimming pool and sports centre is enough to keep any family occupied. The village has a ski lift which connects to the ski area of Pyrénées 2000 where there is 58km of piste, 40 downhill slopes and 22 cross- country.
After exploring the Font-Romeu region, I ventured to Les Angles just a 20-minute drive away. Like Font-Romeu, Les Angles charm lies in the fact that it's a traditional mountain village not a purpose-built ski resort like many of its Alpine counterparts. This Catalan village lies at the foot of the mountains and overlooks a large lake where you can go ice diving in winter. The village is divided in to the old town with windy alleyways and the new town which developed when the village became a ski resort in 1964.
Both Font-Romeu and Les Angles have an emphasis on family skiing. Both resorts have a big kids' area and plenty of wide green, blue and red runs that are perfect for beginners and intermediate and great for advanced skiers who want to practice their technique. There is plenty of off-piste in good snow. Unfortunately it hadn't snowed in France in the three weeks prior to my visit, but the good snow-making facilities in the resorts meant that there was plenty of terrain to ski.
A representative from the Front-Romeu tourist board said that skiing in the Pyrénées-Orientales is about 30% cheaper than skiing in the French Alps. True or not the ski pass is well priced at €157 for one week in Les Angles. Alternatively, you can get a weekly pass for the whole area including Font-Romeu for €188. You pay for what you get so don't expect the hi-tech lift systems that you have in many Alpine resorts. The lifts are sufficient but many of them are basic and it's difficult to avoid using the dreaded button lifts. Their use is a skill is that I still haven't mastered.
The majority of skiers in the Font-Romeu and Les Angles region are French. The next most common nationality is Spanish who cross the border for cheaper skiing than in Spain. It's a weekend and school holiday trade and if you avoid these times you may feel like you have the mountains to yourself. Empty slopes and no queuing for lifts make for a happy time skiing with children.
While the Pyrénées-Orientales are in Cataluña, Catalan is not spoken that often - but there is a notable influence in the food. That said, the experience of skiing in the Pyrénées seems a little more 'French' than alpine skiing in France. There isn't much English spoken and most of the restaurant menus are in French. This could be helpful if you have teenage children who want to improve their French.
All this aside, there are plenty of attractions to keep a family entertained. Animals that are indigenous to the Pyrénées such as marmot, wolf, bison and reindeer can be seen at Les Angles Animal Park. The park attempts to create a natural environment for the animals and you can walk a one or two-hour circuit. To me, the bears looked sad and made me question the value of such a place.
Ten minutes drive away is the fortified city of Mount-Louis (1861) which is good for a wander around its narrow streets. Close by is another big tourist attraction, a 2,000 square metre solar furnace. It's basically a huge mirror and it's fascinating to watch the reflection of the surrounding countryside and sky. Its location is testament to the region's good weather which boasts about 300 sunny days per year.
The Pyrénées-Orientales has many natural sulphur water baths that are perfect for soaking your ski-tired muscles. I visited the Basins de Saint Thomas which also has a hammam, Jacuzzi and a relaxation room and cost €12 to use the lot.
While relaxing in the baths I met an American couple, who just like Maryline and family had moved to Pyrénées-Orientales for a better life. As I soaked in the 36-degree bath and looked out to the snow-capped mountains I was tempted by this better life too.
Now, what's the name of the place that I get the Yellow Train from again?
Ski Resorts
www.font-romeu.fr
www.Pyrénées2000.com
www.lesangles.com
Sleep
Self-catering hotel Appart'Vacances Pyrénées 2000
Pyrénées2000@appartvacances.com
www.appartvacances.fr
Hotel Restaurant Lassus
www.hotel-lassus.com
Hotel le Bel Angle, Les Angle
hotelangle@orange.fr
www.chalet-hotel-bel-angle.com
Bains de Saint Thomas
www.bains-saint-thomas.fr
Mont Louis
www.sites-vauban.org
For more information about the Pyrénées-Orientales, visit: www.cdt-66.com.
Ryanair flies to Girona Airport on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. For more, visit: www.ryanair.com.
For more information about France, visit: www.franceguide.com.
Frog Bus is an Irish-owned company that offers a transfer service to Les Angles and Font Romeu on request from accessible airports - Perpignan/Girona/Barcelona/Carcassonne/Toulouse. For more information on prices and to book, visit: www.FROGBUS.com.
Deirdre Mullins
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