Well we took the plunge and as part of our 10 day January visit to Villa Failte in Argeles Sur Mer we booked 2 nights in an apartment in Font Romeu so that we could sample a few days skiing. Font Romeu is one of the oldest and most historic ski resorts in France ... but it has modern facilities ! See this PO link for some history and background reading. The resort is not a busy apres-ski resort but is very pretty and has numerous bars and restuarants after a good days skiing. An excellent feature of the resort is that there is a cable car that links the village to the slopes so no need to drive there every day. Indeed there is no need to drive to Font Romeu as there is a regular bus service from Perpignan to the resort.
For information on Font Romeu skiing as well as Les Angles (which is a nearby resort) see either our Skiing webpage or this excellent website (no recommendation on the company but the info is really good). For webcams and slope information see this link and for places to eat see this link.
There had not been much snow so far in the year and in fact the last decent days snowfall was 10th December, however the Font Romeu / Pyrenees 2000 complex (the ski areas are linked) are renowned for having amongst the best snow making facilities in Europe. Indeed hardly a days skiing is lost throughout the season through lack of snow. However we needn't have worried ! ...the day before we travelled it started snowing and over the next two days there was over 100cm of snowfall.
The journey up was fine (should take about 1.5 hours normally) but because of road conditions took as closer to 2.5 hours. If driving you MUST take snow chains in the car (or snow socks which in our opinion are easier to fit). We had to put them on about 20km before reaching Font Romeu.
The village is very pretty and has several shops, restaurants and hotels. There are plenty of places where you can rent ski equipment relatively inexpensively.
As it turned out we ended up with only one full days skiing as on the 2nd day there was so much snow fall that many of the lifts and slopes were closed due to avalanche risk ! Hey ho ... to be fair to the place that rented us skis they gave us a full refund for that day without being asked. The day we did get was excellent (we are Intermediate skiers). The set up is probably most geared up to beginners and intermediates, although there are also several black runs for the more advanced skier.
Everywhere we went people were friendly (slopes, chairlifts, restaurant areas at the ski area, restaurants and shops in the village).
We ate at night at :
La Potiniere, which although listed on TripAdvisor 28 out of 30 restaurants in Font Romeu, we thought was excellent. This is our review on Trip Advisor :
We found this restaurant by chance but what a great find ! The owners / staff were very helpful and friendly and the atmosphere / decor of the place very welcoming. We chose the mixed meat platter that you cook at the table... massive portion and excellent quality. We couldn't fit in a desert so settled for coffee. House red was excellent as well. Thoroughly recommended.
and
Le Cellier which did pretty good pizza and tarte a flette.
In summary a really good trip and a good option for anyone going to Villa Failte, Argeles Sur Mer in the Winter.
For information on Font Romeu skiing as well as Les Angles (which is a nearby resort) see either our Skiing webpage or this excellent website (no recommendation on the company but the info is really good). For webcams and slope information see this link and for places to eat see this link.
There had not been much snow so far in the year and in fact the last decent days snowfall was 10th December, however the Font Romeu / Pyrenees 2000 complex (the ski areas are linked) are renowned for having amongst the best snow making facilities in Europe. Indeed hardly a days skiing is lost throughout the season through lack of snow. However we needn't have worried ! ...the day before we travelled it started snowing and over the next two days there was over 100cm of snowfall.
The journey up was fine (should take about 1.5 hours normally) but because of road conditions took as closer to 2.5 hours. If driving you MUST take snow chains in the car (or snow socks which in our opinion are easier to fit). We had to put them on about 20km before reaching Font Romeu.
The village is very pretty and has several shops, restaurants and hotels. There are plenty of places where you can rent ski equipment relatively inexpensively.
As it turned out we ended up with only one full days skiing as on the 2nd day there was so much snow fall that many of the lifts and slopes were closed due to avalanche risk ! Hey ho ... to be fair to the place that rented us skis they gave us a full refund for that day without being asked. The day we did get was excellent (we are Intermediate skiers). The set up is probably most geared up to beginners and intermediates, although there are also several black runs for the more advanced skier.
Everywhere we went people were friendly (slopes, chairlifts, restaurant areas at the ski area, restaurants and shops in the village).
We ate at night at :
La Potiniere, which although listed on TripAdvisor 28 out of 30 restaurants in Font Romeu, we thought was excellent. This is our review on Trip Advisor :
We found this restaurant by chance but what a great find ! The owners / staff were very helpful and friendly and the atmosphere / decor of the place very welcoming. We chose the mixed meat platter that you cook at the table... massive portion and excellent quality. We couldn't fit in a desert so settled for coffee. House red was excellent as well. Thoroughly recommended.
and
Le Cellier which did pretty good pizza and tarte a flette.
In summary a really good trip and a good option for anyone going to Villa Failte, Argeles Sur Mer in the Winter.