Fire Burn, Caldea Bubble

Saturday, August 31, 2019
Andorra la Vella, Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Aside from skiing and shopping, Andorra is also famous for one other thing: Its naturally occurring thermal waters. And Andorra has built an entire destination around these waters- the Caldea Thermolodique Spa is a ginormous, towering complex in the center of town. At eighteen storeys high, it's Andorra's tallest building, and encompasses indoor and outdoor pools, spas, jacuzzis, saunas, Icelandic cold baths, a kids' spa complex, a couples-only spa complex, and a Far East-themed spa. All of this is enclosed under a huge greenhouse-like glass building, surrounded by the Pyrenees Mountains.
And one other thing about the Caldea Spa: Like everything else in Andorra, they Groupon! So with our free pass in hand, we set out to spend the day marinating in the thermal baths.
I was pretty impressed when we entered the complex. I'm not much of a spa person, but when we visited Iceland's Blue Lagoon back in 2010, the outdoor, blue-and-white saturated setting was simply amazing. We managed to blow an entire afternoon in their moonscape-like pools. The Caldea was just as stunning- though instead of an outdoor, rugged Nordic feel, the Caldea was an airy, space-age-themed expanse of blue water, surrounded by mountains. I love water. I love swimming. This was catnip to me.
Our Groupon entitled us to three hours of wet, mineral-y fun, and we sucked every bit of enjoyment from that spa as possible. Outdoor river current pool? Yes!  Indoor jacuzzis? Indeed! Soaking in pools while staring at the Pyrenees? Hells yes. Saunas? Check. Water massages? Double check.  Icelandic ice baths? Ummm...I guess I'll do them whether I want to or not (spoiler alert: I do not want to engage in ice baths, that shit is messed up).
After several hours of swimming, soaking, and sunning, we headed out to eat lunch and de-prune ourselves. We found an outdoor cafe with a menu del dia serving botifarra (Catalunyan sausage) and gazpacho. Much like yesterday, the chilly morning was followed by a suddenly hell-hot afternoon, then transformed into a brutal summer rainstorm. So while we enjoyed our botifarra, it was also a damp lunch.
We spent the remainder of our day relaxing over wine and admiring the mountain views. Truly, I am surprised how much I liked Andorra; I was expecting just a silly birthday getaway to chalk up another country on my list. Instead, I've been fascinated by how very different Andorra looks and feels from Barcelona, just three hours (but a world) away. If I liked snow, which I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT, I would return in the winter. But given that I avoid winter in all its permutations (I MOVED TO THE MEDITERRANEAN FOR A REASON, PEOPLE), this is probably our one and only Andorra jaunt.
But still! Andorran mischief managed.













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2025-02-13

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