Ski Blog | Archive P30/2021

FONT ROMEU - PERFECT FOR FAMILIES [VIDEO]

Font Romeu is ideal for families and beginners  – there very few steep slopes here so there is no danger of finding yourself on a difficult run with people (big or small) who can’t ski it.

The ESF offer a fantastic area for children from just 2 and a half years old – offering anything from a 2 hour lesson to full day care where they combine skiing with indoor activities and can even feed the little ones so Mum & Dad can head off and ski themselves.

As a progression from this there are two lifts that are free of charge as you progress.

Rich talks to Joelle from the ESF about the options.

THE SECRET NATURAL HOT BATHS - SHHHH DON’T TELL ANYONE!  [VIDEO]

This one is a bit of a secret and you won’t find any leaflets in the tourist office about it but if you are in the area and in any way like a little adventure ask a friendly local about the natural baths of Meren. 

It’s just outside Ax, you’ll need a car as it’s a ten minute drive and then a ten minute walk but it leads to some fabulous natural hot baths in the middle of the woods.

It’s a bit of an adventure but one that is well worth it - just make sure you don't tell anyone else about it! 

AX 3 DOMAINES & LES THERMES - AN AMAZING PLACE!  [VIDEO]

Ax 3 Domaines is the ski area just above Ax Les Thermes  and Ax Les Thermes is an amazing place as Rich finds out it really is a ski resort with a difference.

There is a lot of history in this area and its baths date back to 1250. 

AX 3 DOMAINES - NOT JUST A SKI RESORT [VIDEO]

Ax 3 Domaines is a ski resort that is much more than a ski resort!  There is so much more than skiing.

Rich discusses with Jacques Murat the commercial manager of Ax 3 Domaines what else there is to do here in Ax.

It really is a ski resort with a difference – there is a lot more than just the skiing.

AX 3 DOMAINES - THE BEGINNERS AREA [VIDEO]

Ax 3 Domaines is investing in new lifts and expanding – their most recent addition has been to improve the beginners area.

It is a completely safe, fenced off area only for beginners – more experienceD skiers are kept out of the way so that beginners of all ages can practice without the fear of someone skiing too close to them and putting them off.

Jacques Murat the commercial manager of the area explains a bit more about this to Rich from Altitude.

AX 3 DOMAINES - A SKI RESORT SUITABLE FOR ALL LEVELS [VIDEO]

Ax 3 Domaines is unusual in that even beginners can get all over the mountain. It really is a great area for all levels of skiers so whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced skier you’ll find something so suit so it is ideal for a mixed group of skiers.

In this video Stephane from the ESF explains why.

AX 3 DOMAINES - THE SKI AREA [VIDEO]

Stefane an ESF instructor guided us around all of the areas of Ax 3 Domains and in this video he explains a bit more about the ski area and about the three different domains that make up the whole ski area.

MORE THERMAL BATHS IN THE PYRENEES - BAINS DE LLO

About a 15 minute drive outside Font Romeu are the thermal baths of Bains de Llo - pronounced yo - as in yo-yo.  We're clearly very close to Spain!

We'd spent the day skiing and I can't think of a better way to relax tired legs than a visit the hot baths. The Bains de Llo consist of a series of outdoor and indoor pools filled with naturally hot sulphurous water. The water in the pools is kept at a comfortable temperature above 35 degrees Celsius. There are also heated rooms inside including a sauna and steam room.

This area of the Pyrenees boasts numerous natural hot springs, some of which have been used to create the kind of apres ski relaxation and treatment offered here.

We were warmly welcomed and the series of pools was explained to us and we were even given a suggested order in which to enjoy them to maximise the benefiit.  In one pool they even have the unusual underwater music in the relaxation pool. There is a wide selection of massage jets, bubble benches and mini waterfalls to treat your muscles. The warmth of the outside pools felt particularly special on such a cold day.  The steam room was an especially quiet and relaxing environment. 

The natural waters are renowned for their health benefits which means the Bains de Llo really a perfect place to rejuvenate the body and soul.

Attached to the baths is a state of the art spa treatment area.

There are many rooms all boasting a different type of massage or treatment including water bed massage, water jet treatments and more mainstream wellbeing massages. Their ethos is completely natural so they only use natural products for all the treatments.

They also have apartments available for stays. The apartments are beautifully furnished and decorated to a very high standard. This would be dream getaway with skiing available a short drive away, thermal baths included and a huge array of natural wellbeing treatments available.

The Bains de Llo offer five and six day cure packages aimed at treating health problems, details are available on their website and over the phone - the staff here couldn't have been more helpful so don't hesitate to contact them with any questions.

OFF THE SLOPES IN THE PYRENEES

In addition to a wide variety of skiing in this part of The Pyrenees, it is a tourist destination in its own right with many attractions. This means that there is a lot for you to do off the slopes if you are feeling tired or have non skiers with you.

These are just a selection of them.

Mont-Louis

From Les Angles and Font Romeu ski resorts the village of Mont-Louis is a short drive away. The fortification was ordered by King Louis XIV and was engineered by the highly acclaimed military engineer Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

Mont-Louis was created in 1679 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the twelve strategic fortifications of Vauban built in the same period. Mont Louis' highest fortifications are still used as a French Army base but the surrounding village is free for visitors to explore. Entrance to the village is still via a drawbridge at the Porte de France.

We visited in the snow and it is so picturesque watch our short video here.

Solar Furnaces

At Mont Louis the world's first double reflection solar furnace was created in 1949 and can still be visited today. The solar furnace consists of an immense mirror which concentrates sun light to a temperature up to 3000 degrees Celsius.

The solar furnace is historically important as the first one to be used for industrial and craft production. It was here the whistle of the famous Little Yellow Train - Train Jaune - was made.

A much larger solar furnace is located at Odeillo, part of the Font Ramou commune. which is a popular tourist attraction.

The Little Yellow Train - Train Jaune

The Little Yellow Train is one of the world's great railway journeys. Opened in 1909 it is an historic metre gauge electric railway and is still going strong.

There are stops close to both Font Ramou and Mont Louis.

The line rises through dramatic scenery from its starting point at Villefranche de Conflent - a stunning example of Vauban fortifications - to Bourg Madame a few hundred metres from the Spanish border. From here it is easy to walk to the old Spanish town of Puigcerda.

It runs for nealy 40 miles and stops at the highest railway station in France.

Find out more here.

Thermal Baths

There are several thermal baths in The Pyrenees

- Bains des Llo - near Font Romeu

- Bains de St Thomas  - 30 minute drive from Les Angles

- Bains De Cooulobret – central Ax Les Thermes.

Animal Park

Near Les Angles, popular tourist destination.

We didn’t visit as the weather was too bad but you can find out more here.

Dog Sledding

See our separate report on this by clicking here.

THE THERMAL BATHS OF AX LES THERMES

Ax les Thermes the home of Ax 3 Domaines ski area is an ancient commune of - at the last count - 1363 inhabitants. The commune is served by about sixty sulphurous hot springs which range in temperature from a swimming pool-like 25 degrees to a very hot bath-like 78 degrees Celsius. They have been ingeniously used by the commune for all sorts of purposes including the heating of roads and pavements to prevent ice forming and the heating of municipal buildings. 

The sulphurous hot water is believed to have medicinal qualities, with patients from all over the country being prescribed long stays at the commune's highly acclaimed thermal spa hospital. Here the waters are used to treat rheumatism, skin diseases and other maladies including asthma.

The use of the springs dates at least from the medieval period when the Bassin des Ladres (Lepers' Pond) was created in 1260 to treat soldiers returning from the Crusades suffering from leprosy. The Bassin des Ladres is still in the town centre today and people can be found soaking their feet in the evening, usually suffering from tired feet rather than leprosy! Just a metre or two away stands the original hospital built to treat patients by using the waters. 

During the 19th century Ax les Thermes became known as a spa destination and the tourism industry began to develop. In essence what Ax les Thermes has become therefore is a spa town with direct access to the ski area using the central telecabine. There are very few ski resorts can boast this!

When booking a ski holiday I usually look for somewhere with a hot tub, sauna or steam room so there is somewhere to relax and get warm after a day on the slopes. Well in Ax les Thermes you have a lot more than the usual jacuzzi!

In the centre of town you will find the Bains du Couloubret, reopened after remodelling and modernising in 2009. The Bains du Couloubret is a large public thermal pool complex which has been designed in a style reminiscent of Ancient Rome. There are a number of different pools both inside and outside, with stunning mountain views from the outside pools. The pools have different styles, different heats, a variety of jets, bubble benches and a lazy river. Inside there are steam rooms, a sauna, a cold plunge pool and a hot plunge amongst the attractions. The baths are very popular but there is a maximum entrance capacity permitted to prevent the pools from becoming over crowded.

With the bonus of the water being renowned for its health benefits, treating yourself to a relaxing hour or two in the spa may do you the world of good.

The Ax Trois Domaine ski resort clearly understands the draw of this very unusual apres ski opportunity and offers inclusive deals on lift passes to cover both the ski pass and entrance to the baths. 

There is free access to the water in the town centre too, the commune have has provided pools of natural hot spring water where people can be found in the evening soaking their tired feet.