Transfers - Barcalona to pal/arinsal

hey all,
im going to pal/arinsal for the first time in march 2008. ive found flights at a resonable price to barcelona but im having trouble finding cheap tranfers to the resort ie £700 for en 8 seat minibus.
there are at least 8 of us travelling.

Does anyone know if barca is the best destination airport from the uk and if there is a cheaper method of transfer to the resorts?

Many thanks! scott

You could always get the bus from the airport.
http://www.hola-andorra.com/arinsal/english/novatelgb.html

A single is 40 euros, return is 68 euros.

Barcelona has good road links to Andorra, Pergignan is favoured by some lo-cost airlines, and the Tour Ops, seem to use Toulouse, with their own transfer buses.

cheers bandit! if your about in the first week in march then there will be a cold amstel waiting!

theres a point, how much is a pint??

scottdog28 wrote:cheers bandit! if your about in the first week in march then there will be a cold amstel waiting!

theres a point, how much is a pint??

Thanks, you never know I might just be there )

As for the beer, about 75p per pint. Probably cheapest if you ask for it in Spanish or French in the locals bar )
http://www.pintprice.com/region/Andorra/

im assuming youve been a few times then?

we're a group of 12 with complete novice and intermediate abilities looking to stay in any resort we can get close to the gondola station with the most variety of slopes.

i know everyones opinion is different but can u point me in the rite direction. i was thinking pal/arinsol but looking at it grandvalira looks to be higher and with more runs....

all the same or very different?

Grandvalira is a bigger area.Good for mileage hungry intermediates.
Arinsal is good for beginners and families, quieter nightlife.
Pas de la Casa, good for party animals who like to ski.Linked to Soldeu on Grandvalira pass.
All the ski stations have good access to skiing, all have english speaking tuition available. It really depends on your budget and needs. Andorra is heading upmarket with some smart hotels and spa centres.

As you have a large mixed group, have you costed out Hotels and apt's? Quite often it's cheaper to hand the whole booking to a tour operator because they get bulk rates in the hotels. Then you won't have to worry about transfers, crossing the border, finding a ski school etc
BTW if you do go the car/minibus rental route, make certain that the vehicle can be driven outside of Spain (ie into Andorra) as not all hire companies include this.

thanks again bandit!

not sure which tour operators would get us discount but im going to call a few hotels and see what we can do !

countin the days till then!!

chat soon

From my own searching for accommodation in Andorra, I have found that all the hotels I have approached only offer full "rack" rate for independent bookings. This situation seems fairly unique to Andorra, and many of the decent hotels belong to just a couple of Andorran hotel groups. When I have priced up flight, transfer and accommodation, it's been a close call, and I'm guessing that as the Tour Ops get bulk allocation, they can get the price down.

It may be worth you approaching one or two of the big TO's like Crystal or Inghams to see if you can get a "groups" rate, which will get your price down a bit, and you will be able to sleep at night because someone else is doing the organising.
Good Luck :D