Hola! WOW!!!! When does your Guide/Travel/Ski/EVERYTHING Book hit the stores???!!! To both of you, TKS and CONGRATS on incredible advice offered, and the dedication. I just hope you can help lil ol me...<BR><BR>This has to do with SKIING and the ARAGON Pirineos, each one of you can answer what you want, and I will follow to the T!<BR>For aggressive Intermediates (wife and I) who found Soldeu, Ordino and Baqueira great but a bit TOO EASY, how do CANDANCHU, FORMIGAL, ASTUN, and last but not least CERLER rank? Mind you, we are aware of Lift and Size differences, which is not really the issue, but rather just piste conditions, steepness, lengths, GROOMING, and general &quot;feeling&quot; for the skiing. Apres is not an issue, as we have our 4 yr. old &quot;spiderboy&quot; with us (he's actually quite fearless and does the chairlifts sin problema with one of us or monitor holding just in case...). <BR><BR>Hotels can be 2-3*, and only Breakfast included, not Media Pension, if indoor Pool all the better for the kid, and Satellite TV. Oh, any chance of finding 1 King or 2 Double sized beds...?<BR>Lodging suggestions for Cerler or Benasque (we will have car so distance to Resorts is not important (20-30 min. drive max.)? Would Benasque be more &quot;beautiful/quaint?<BR><BR>For Candanchu/Astun/Formigal, between Sabinanigo, Sallent and Jaca, which would be more convenient as base for about 8-10 nights? <BR>After skiing all 4 we will decide on which to do again, or maybe... maybe drive down to Sierra Nevada for last 3-4 days?? <BR> <BR>We will dedicate 12-13 days to skiing, and the 2-3 days we take off will be to go from Jaca to Pamplona, S. Sebastian, Biarritz, and possibly return via the French Pirineos for change of pace. If we go to Sierra, we want to stay in Granada.<BR><BR>Sincerely hope this is not a bother, and de antemano express our deep gratitude. All the best!

Hi Paul,<BR><BR>something short :<BR><BR>- if you found Andorra and Baqueira easy, so you would with the rest of the Pyrenees (although you could try to go down the black slope of La Zapatilla in Candanchu, not exactly for intermediates ...)<BR><BR>- between Benasque and Cerler, I´d stay in Benasque, more of a village.<BR><BR>- I´d stay in Jaca. It´s bigger and it has more to do. But I don´t know of nay hotel with indoor swimming pool. There are a couple with a pool (in Jaca and in Formigal), but it is open-air.<BR><BR>- The trip to Sierra Nevada is pretty long. I have stayed both in Granada and in the resort, and in both cases there are pro´s and contra´s. I always found hard to get up early when staying in Granada <BR><BR>Rgds, Cova

Tks Cova. Any camparison ski-wise between Canda/Formigal/Astun and Cerler?<BR><BR>Gracias!

Gpaul,<BR>Sorry I can't help you with the comparisons of ski conditions, but I can put in a plug for the cute town of Benasque, below Cerler. We really, really, really like this village; it's our very favorite Aragonese mountain town! It's as quaint as it gets-has a great feeling to it. It boasts a lively young crowd, pretty stone houses, some which were built for the Aragonese nobility in the 17th century, spectacular mountain scenery, cross country skiing at the Hospital de Benasque and nice lodgings with low prices. Check<BR>www.benasque.com<BR><BR>If you're thinking of skiiing in Cerler, I would highly recommend (strongly urge you, actually) to STAY in Benasque. (the Cerler hotels/apartments we've experienced are very, very bare bones-the Hotel Monte Alba's rooms are dismal). <BR><BR>Regarding Benasque lodging, there's the superb family run Hotel Ciria (no pool but 3 family rooms &amp; babysitting) and their terrific restaurant, El Fogaril (www.hotelciria.com), or the pretty and cozy and slightly newer San Marsial. They also own the antique store in town with gorgeous furniture. (www.staragon.com/hsanmarsial) <BR>Then outside of town, in Eriste, you have the Linsoles complex (outdoor pool only) with apartments and hotel. <BR>The only hotel with indoor pool, I think, would be the Gran Hotel Benasque. See it at www.hoteles-valero.com/spain/granhotelbenasque/<BR><BR>If you choose Formigal, I'd stay in Sallent de Gallego. You might be interested in the brand new Hotel Saliecho, just reviewed in El Pa&iacute;s. Their rather persnickety hotel critic gave it an 8/10. It has an indoor heated pool, lots of amenities plus fine restaurant.<BR>See it at www.ecohoteles.com/ing/s1.htm Very reasonable.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR>

Tks Maribel. We most definitely will try to stay in Benasque, it's just a matter of availability.<BR><BR>Your suggestion for El Fogaril is on our agenda. Gracias.

Gpaul,<BR>De nada. Sorry it took me so long.<BR><BR>I know you've already hit the Baqueira slopes, but since you'll be in Benasque (it's so cute and quaint), you really might like a short drive over in the Viehla direction to another gorgeous valley, the Vall de Bo&iacute;. There are even slopes at Bo&iacute;-Taull (although nothing like those of Baqueira-Beret; it's the youngest ski area in Spain, started in '90-but they say it has the highest slope in the Pyrenees, at 2,750 meters), and the villages built of grey stone and slate in this valley are so very picturesque-Durro, Barruera, Erioll la Vall, Taull, From Bo&iacute; you can make nifty Jeep excursions into the gorgeous Aigues Tortes National Park, and there's dog sledding and other winter sports stuff. Some folks miss this valley when they go up to the Val d'Aran. It's truly beautiful as well. Just thought I'd throw that in, in case you haven't already seen it,<BR>www.boitaullresort.es <BR><BR>I don't think I'd venture down to Sierra Nevada-I'd stay and explore the whole Pyrenees area instead-there's so much to see. Between Jaca and Benasque you have the spectacular Ordesa National Park that you can access from Torla (west) or Bielsa (east). As cova says, it's hard to get motivated to get up early in Granada and make the 30 km. drive up to the Sol y Nieve slopes of Sierra Nevada.<BR><BR>Have a great time!

Make that &quot;the VIELHA direction&quot;. Can't spell today in either Spanish or Catal&aacute;n-orthography even worse than usual. <BR>You'll hit the Vall de Bo&iacute; well before the Vielha tunnel, just north of Pont de Suert.<BR><BR>

Maribel, we did go to Boi last year, but it was on a foggy/cloudy day, so really did not see that much. Sierra Nevada is just one of those Must Do mountains, and we may not go back to Spain for a while, so we will get it out of our system and hope for the best. In any event, muy agradecido for remarks. Keep 'em coming!