Hotel Montarto

“I would go back to Baqueira but to another hotel”

First impression of the hotel was good. Well manned reception with three bars leading off it - the Wine, Drinkery and Piano bars. Restaurant was less visually impressive. Our initial reaction to our room was positive but then reality set in. It is a masterpiece of space engineering, a bit like... more

First impression of the hotel was good. Well manned reception with three bars leading off it - the Wine, Drinkery and Piano bars. Restaurant was less visually impressive. Our initial reaction to our room was positive but then reality set in. It is a masterpiece of space engineering, a bit like an upmarket Ibis - not a lot of actual space. The toilet and shower (a very good one) are hidden each side behind the TV which is set into the wall so you don’t damage it as you walk by. The wash basin is in the room - no separate bathroom. Strangely there are two fall inducing steps down to wardrobe and desk area with an office chair and two miniature tub chairs (unusable for many). All look as though they were bought in an IKEA sale. I am 170 cm tall but I had to throw items onto the two top shelves because I couldn’t reach them, no doubt I will have to stand on a chair to retrieve them. Bars are pleasant and prices reflect that it is supposed to be a four star hotel. Large screen Sports TV in the “Drinkery”? We preferred the bar at the 3 star TUC Blanc just up the road. Food: Breakfast buffet is excellent with self dispense ground coffee and fresh oranges pulverised before you eyes. The availability of Cava to add to your orange juice might impress alcoholics but it is not my scene. There is a fresh ‘cook to order’ station to fulfil your egg and pancake requirements. Dinner is a mixed bag. The format is ‘buffet’ for starter and dessert courses (both excellent) with a choice of three options served from the kitchen for the ‘main’. Over the week these options have been poor (personal opinion*), OK and occasionally good but I had expected a higher standard overall. To be fair, if you didn’t want one of the three main options there was always at least a couple of pasta dishes available from the buffet section. *I am a Coeliac and they did try to cater for a Gluten Free diet but again I expected better out of a 4 star hotel. Location: The main gondola is a 10 minute uphill walk from the hotel so the hotel has an eight seated van with a ski rack to shuttle guests both ways. The round trip takes only 5 minutes. Never had to queue coming back and rarely waited more than 10 minutes in the morning. Ski Locker room: Recently renovated cabinets that work from your room key. Boot pegs not heated but the well heated and ventilated room meant there were no cold boots on the morning. Pool & Gym: They have quite good but modest size facilities but swimming after a day on the slopes is only possible if you accept the noise of screaming kids. Baqueira skiing: It is like going back in time with slow chairs and too many drags for my liking but they can be avoided. This is not a worry because there are so few people about. The largest queue I encounter was 11 people which leads to multiple eerie experiences of being the only ones on the piste. The snow is good and well maintained (late March). You can ski down to the bottom at the end of the day but it unlikely you will do it more than once. Baqueira: Clearly the town/village was built from a drawing board and is totally souless. There are alleys and lots of steps but very few small bars. Apres ski seems limited to a pop up bar in the car park next the hotel at the weekend.

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“Good for solo travellers”

Almost the only hotel for solo travellers in Baqueira, at least near the slopes. Good services and awesome dinners, even though the breakfast was pretty simple. Single room was pretty small but imho was worth the money.