Grau Roig Andorra Boutique Hotel & Spa ★★★★

Going on holiday en famille can be a wonderful and memorable experience, but if you don't get the location or venue quite right, nerves can begin to fray. We were a medley spanning four generations, brought together by my aunt's seventieth birthday. Our party included children, teenagers, young professionals, parents, and grandparents. Between us we needed child-care, entertainment, gentle walks in the countryside, adrenalin-fuelled sports, and hours of pampering. We all shared an epicurean streak and wanted lavish luxury. None of us had been to Andorra before, but those of us fortunate enough to have already visited the Pyrenees waxed lyrical long enough to cajole the others into choosing this mountain paradise. We found the Hotel Grau Roig, just thirty minutes’ drive from Andorra la Vella, yet deep into the mountain idyll. Everything we could desire was on-hand, plus some indulgences we didn't even know we wanted…

The Grau Roig Andorra Boutique Hotel & Spa **** nestles proudly among snowy peaks and beautiful sweeping valleys. Made of local stone and wood, it is a grand building, though still dwarfed by the mountains around it. On arrival we were all quite excited, fuelled by the enthusiasm of young teenagers and on my part a little too much French coffee. Despite our rowdiness, the staff couldn't have handled us with more ease and friendliness. My husband and I chose a 'romantic room', mostly on my insistence when I heard they came with an over-sized wooden-barrel-style hot tub! My sister and her two teenagers took a suite for the family, and the rest double rooms.

Our room was gorgeous - Nordic-inspired with a big oak bed, sloped wooden ceiling, and tasteful leather and faux-fur. It was like staying in the guest house of a wealthy couple, a marriage between a rugged Norwegian lumberjack and his elegant aristocratic wife. It merged perfectly with its surroundings, echoing those snowy peaks around. Best of all was watching horses grazing the pastures just metres away from the warm luxury of that wooden barrel hot-tub.

We saw the same elegance throughout: a neo-rustic leitmotiv, with exquisite natural materials and light, earthy colours paying tribute to the world outside the window. My sister's deluxe room was stylish and spacious in copper, basalt, and warm wood. The kids had their own room and TV to keep them happy, and there was a work-station for her husband to check his emails. Their bathroom was stunning too, with gold-leaf and marble, a Jacuzzi, and separate shower. The one thing all the rooms had in common was amazing views over the flower-covered valleys and private balconies perfect for a morning coffee, or toasting the view with wine at night.

When we weren't trooping along mountain paths, bike-riding, horse-riding, mountain climbing, golfing or being pampered, preened and massaged in the top-class spa, we could be found in one of the special 'spaces' of Grau Roig. There's a peaceful reading room, a swanky 'jazz room' where you can share sofas and cocktails, a kids’ club for the youngsters, and as the weather was fine for our stay, the terrace was transformed into a 'summer lounge' with hammocks and hot-tubs.

The culmination of our family gathering was a celebratory birthday meal in the Haute restaurant, which was delicious, creative, and served by attentive staff. We surprised the birthday girl with a trip into the Wine Lounge, which boasts the largest, most impressive collection of wines in Andorra. We had the most fun, relaxing, and memorable family holiday in years at the Grau Roig, and are already talking about taking up skiing as an excuse to return!