Aparthotel Patagonia Austral, Arinsal

Advantages: Ski School,Value for money
Disadvantages: small ski area, mountain restaurants

...After a very long transfer from Tolouse which goes past Pas de la Casa and Soldue you arrive an quite a nice little resort of Arinsal. Accomodation is varied from cheap apartments to De luxe Hotels. A high number of bars/restaurants reflect a lively nightlife. Getting up to the skiing is by a cable car from the centre of Arinsal which tends to get very busy at peak times at top and bottom, for those staying at the top end of the village there is the advantage of a two man chair right up to the base station and snow conditions permiting a choice of a blue or black run right back down to the Hotel Crest and Patagonia Apartments which never seems to get busy.So the skiing, well arinsal's stretches right up the mountain with a series of easy blues and reds coming back down to the cota area,so no chance of getting lost, ideal for beginners... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Stunning scenery and enough adventure to last a lifetime
Disadvantages: Huge distances and the developing transport system

...at the moment, but watch this space...! I'm sure within the next few years most of Chile's ski resorts will be packed with tourists! Look into Argentinian resorts as well in this region of Patagonia (although I never managed to visit any). Carretera Austral: this is the oftentimes dirt road that leads south from Coyhaique, taking you to the very depths of Patagonia. The towns Cerro Castillo and Puerto Ibañez are the two that you encounter first. Cerro Castillo (pop. 300) is a beautiful town at the foot of the mountain Castillo, which can also be climbed. Puerto Ibañez (pop. 500 - also at the foot of another climbable mountain) is the gateway to southern Chile: this is where the boat departs to cross Lake General Carrera, the second biggest lake in South America. The towns are quiet, but persistance always finds suitable family-run residences... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: cheap, good value, plenty of pubs & restaurants, mixed crowd
Disadvantages: long journey, very little public transport

...Pal Arinsal is the perfect ski resort for beginners or intermediates. It is well structured as beginners use different slopes than intermediates. The skiing instructors are very nice and helpful. In case you don't catch on they keep repeating the instructions over and over again. Arinsal is a good spot to have fun because there are plenty of pubs, restaurants and even 2 or 3 nightclubs. Apart from that there is the true beauty of that area. The mountains, the wilderness, the blue sky... And the best thing is -of course- the snow! The best time to go is February/March as there is nearly always snow. I was there in the middle of March and it was so hot in the mountains. I skiied in tanktop and got a nice tan. 2 days later the weather changed and we got plenty of fresh snow and teperatures dropped suddenly and I was happy I'd bought... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful