Hotel Garona

Located alongside a main road, El Niu occupies a stone house with an interior featuring traditional mountain decor, including an open fire, skis, snowshoes etc, plus a notable profusion of wood. The à la carte, traditional in composition but with added French touches, is enhanced by interesting daily specials that the female owner “sings” to every guest (traditional country pâté, leek pudding with a cep mushroom and black truffle sauce, pig trotter stew with snails etc).

Over time, this unpretentious restaurant, which takes its name from an iron pan that is typical of this valley, has developed into a culinary reference in the area. Its contemporary cuisine skilfully blends in harmoniously with more traditional dishes such as snails “a la llauna” and the hearty Aranese “olla” soup. Choose between the à la carte and two set menus: one attractively priced lunchtime option and a second more elaborate version called Garona.

This intimate and unusual restaurant, home to a whole host of mountain-inspired designer details including stags’ heads made from different materials adorning the walls, has a strong focus on modern cuisine. It features a good à la carte choice (in particular, delicious rice recipes and dishes perfect for sharing) as well as several tasting menus: Bistronómico (short and long options), Swiss Cheese Fondue (for two people), and the ever-successful Palamós Prawn Tasting menu, for which the restaurant has been awarded a certificate of guarantee. It also hosts interesting menus during the course o