AC Baqueira Ski Resort, Autograph Collection

Class: First

Style: Modern design

Rooms: 102

It may come as some surprise that there’s skiing at all in Spain, a country that’s far better known for sunshine and balmy climes. Check it on a map if you like, but we assure you, the Val d’Aran, in the Catalonian Pyrenées, is a bona fide Spanish ski resort — and the AC Baqueira is a rarity for the Spanish AC group, a bona fide ski hotel.

Despite the pitched roofs and the generally alpine backdrop, this is very obviously not the Alps; and despite the timbered ceilings, these rooms look far more Spanish than Swiss. Colors are extremely muted, with white sheets against black leather headboards and plenty of natural wood and stone. The restaurant is a fairly traditional, elegant affair, the better perhaps to showcase the famously innovative modern-Spanish cuisine.

Of course the ski season is quite a bit shorter here than in more northern climes, and the Baqueira has to function equally well during the warmer seasons. In the spa the weather doesn’t matter, and the Turkish bath and Scottish shower work well at any temperature. Spa treatments are state-of-the-art, as is the fitness center — this place, like any decent mountain resort, is geared toward the active guest.