Sport Hotel Hermitage & Spa in Soldeu

I would like to share some crucial information about this hotel that I wish had been available prior to my stay.

The hotel forms part of a larger complex together with three other properties: the Sport Hotel Village, the Hermitage itself, and the Sport Hotels Resort and Spa. The Sport Hotel Village and the Hermitage share interconnected buildings, while the Sport Hotels Resort and Spa is located across the street.

The hotel IS NOT ski in/ski out as advertised, since there are no ski lockers inside the hotel, which, for a five-star property, strikes me as inconceivable. Each day guests must walk out of the hotel and down to the gondola base, where a ski rental shop includes a small section designated for hotel guests. There is no sense of exclusivity and no privacy whatsoever. To make matters worse, the shop closes daily at 6 pm. Therefore, if one decides to enjoy an après-ski drink or meal, it is quite possible that one will have to walk all the way back to the hotel carrying skis and boots — at least a five-minute uphill walk.

In this respect the Sport Hotel Village enjoys a clear advantage, as it is conveniently located at gondola level, only a few meters from the lift access.

Upon arriving at the reception area with ski equipment, guests are met with disapproving looks, as ski boots are not permitted inside the hotel (despite the absence of a ski room). One is therefore required to remove ski boots in the middle of the reception area, which I found rather inelegant.

Another important point is that all facilities are shared across the entire complex. Concierge services, wellness services, spa facilities, and swimming pools are all accessible to guests of the other hotels within the complex. The only difference is that they pay a small additional fee for the spa. Because the spa is shared, it felt noticeably crowded and far from private — more reminiscent of a busy club pool than a five-star wellness retreat.

The views from the Hermitage and from the Sport Hotel Village are essentially identical, and I also heard from other guests that the difference in room size was not particularly noticeable.

Securing a table at one of their restaurants proved to be quite a challenge, despite the abundance of empty tables. I found it somewhat surprising that they were unable to accommodate a reservation for just two guests staying at the flagship hotel of the complex. In many hotels, a few tables are typically held for in-house guests requesting last-minute reservations.

Prior to arrival I had exchanged at least three emails with reception specifically requesting twin beds. Only upon arrival was I informed that the beds were not separable; rather, the linens were simply arranged individually on two mattresses placed on a single, non-separable bed base.

Furthermore, the service from the maîtres de salon in the Glass Bar felt arrogant, cold, and distinctly unfriendly — both from the lady in the evening service and from the gentleman during the day.

Another inconvenience is that heating controls are not individualized. When I asked how to activate the heated towel racks in the bathroom, I was simply told that it was not possible. One wonders why they are installed at all.

The physical structure of the hotel is undeniably beautiful, and the food — despite rather low ratings on google maps and all the difficulty in securing reservations — was consistently exquisite across the venues where we managed to dine.

Service, however, with a few rare exceptions at reception, was inconsistent, lacking in courtesy, disorganized, and far from refined. At one point in the Glass Bar we could not help but laugh when a waitress practically tossed the plates onto our table. It bore no resemblance whatsoever to the level of service one typically encounters in the Alps. In my view, much of the staff would benefit greatly from additional training.

If you have read this far, the conclusion is probably clear: avoid the Hermitage at all costs, but consider giving the Sport Hotel Village a chance — particularly if the price is right.

Our family has a little tradition- every time when we go to Soldeu to ski, we come to apres ski champaign and late lunch at the Hermitage Hotel. What was our surprise today when at 5 p.m. in an absolutely empty lobby bar, the hostess without any doubts told us that all tables are reserved and the kitchen cannot take our order for 4 people. To be honest, you wouldn't expect to hear such outright lies from a staff of a high level hotel. Cheap and very unprofessional

My experience at Sport Hotel Hermitage & Spa has been extremely disappointing, especially given its five-star status and premium pricing.

From the start, food handling and cultural awareness were unacceptable. I do not eat pork and made this clear every time I ordered. Despite this, pork was served to me repeatedly at every restaurant in the hotel, including breakfast. While a few staff members apologized and corrected the issue quickly, most were dismissive, slow to act, or insisted the dish did not contain pork when it clearly did. This level of carelessness is not acceptable at a luxury hotel. I am aware that the menu clearly specifies that there is pork and food or not and I do know that I can ask for the pork to be removed which I did multiple times.

Basic housekeeping standards were also overlooked. On multiple occasions, housekeeping entered to clean the room and left the tissue box completely empty, a very basic detail that should never be missed in a five-star property.

The most serious issue was the hotel-arranged car service to Barcelona train station. We clearly informed the hotel that we were seven people with eight regular-size suitcases, yet a vehicle arrived that could not accommodate our luggage, causing a 35-minute delay at the start of a nearly 3.5-hour journey and putting us at real risk of missing our first-class train tickets.

To make matters worse, when this was raised with reception, responsibility was immediately deflected. One staff member claimed we never mentioned the luggage, while another admitted that we did inform them and blamed the car company. Instead of focusing on solutions, the team showed a complete lack of urgency despite knowing we had a train to catch. One staff member even commented that our bags were “too large”—they were standard suitcases. At a luxury ski resort, this remark was both inappropriate and astonishing. What exactly is expected—guests arriving backpacking?

For context, I have stayed in Courchevel, Megeve and the Dolomites and understand very well what true luxury service looks like. Unfortunately, this hotel falls far short of that standard.

Considering the price paid, the stress caused, and the potential financial loss, this experience was the opposite of luxury.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this stay fell below even basic expectations. If I could give zero stars, I would.

(UPDATE: car service arrived 1 hour after the agreed time)

have eaten in the restaurant on previous visits to Andorra - always a great experience. this time the experience was so bad that I won't be back. the food was quite plain boring and without good taste.