Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez Takes Family Holiday in Andorra Ski Resort
Pedro Sánchez, his wife, and daughters are enjoying a private New Year's getaway at a luxury hotel in Les Pardines, featuring skiing and shopping.
Key Points
- Sánchez family staying at Les Pardines luxury hotel in Encamp for flexible leisure including skiing and snowshoeing.
- Chose Andorra over Spanish Pyrenees for greater tranquillity; usual Soldeu hotel fully booked.
- Trip secured by Spanish police and Andorran forces; no meetings with officials, who are on holiday.
- Occurs amid Spanish coalition turbulence and parallels Macron's disrupted Andorra visit.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived in Andorra on Sunday with his wife and daughters for a private family holiday spanning New Year's Eve and into 1 January, basing themselves at a luxury hotel in Les Pardines, Encamp.
The family plans a flexible schedule of leisure activities, including skiing, ski mountaineering, snowshoeing, and urban outings such as shopping, with no fixed programme or meetings with Andorran officials. Andorra's head of government, Xavier Espot, and Spanish ambassador Carles Pérez-Desoy are both away on holiday. Sánchez opted for Les Pardines—featuring a presidential suite and luxury accommodations—after finding his usual spot at the Hermitage hotel in Soldeu fully booked. He reportedly considered the Aragonese Pyrenees but chose Andorra for its greater tranquillity compared to locations in Spain.
The trip follows private visits, including one in late August after cancelling a July plan due to the Mountain Bike World Cup in Pal-Arinsal. Sánchez, an avid cyclist and snowboarder, has previously practised mountain biking during events in the area and hit the slopes in winter. This stay shifts from a prior one in Canillo, where he faced an unwelcome protest outside his hotel.
Security involves Sánchez's Spanish National Police detail, bolstered by Andorran officers trained in VIP protection. Andorran forces were notified only to coordinate protocols for a visiting head of state. The family arrived by road, with plans to depart similarly, though itineraries remain subject to change.
The visit occurs despite Sánchez's packed agenda of complex domestic and international challenges, including turbulence in his coalition government. It parallels other high-profile trips disrupted by politics, such as French President Emmanuel Macron's postponed official visit on 16-17 October as Andorra's co-prince. That trip would have featured Macron's strong support for Andorra's EU Association Agreement, though he later called it a mixed, irreversible deal, prompting criticism from Andorran officials over its long-term impact on EU ties.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: