After Googling images for Andorra and the Pyrenees, I was really looking forward to seeing the breathtaking mountains and crystal clear lakes for myself.

I wasn’t disappointed.

We flew in to Barcelona Airport, although you can also fly into Toulouse Airport - I understand the transfer time works out to be roughly the same from either airport (about three hours), and not an unpleasant three hours either, as the scenery is beautiful, especially once you start to climb the mountain and pass through the myriad of little villages.

Andorra La Vella, the capital of the co-principality of Andorra – nestled between France and Spain – is a busy town, full of great restaurants and fantastic shopping opportunities, although we chose to stay a little further up the mountain in Arinsal at the Hotel Princesa.

This is a four-star hotel, with spectacular views of the Pyrenees (in fact, there’s a natural brook running pretty much through the centre of the hotel, giving one a real feeling of being in the mountains).

I don’t think you could describe Arinsal as a party town, but the restaurants and bars are fabulous and if you really wanted to have a mad night out, then a few miles down the mountain, Andorra La Vella will offer you all the nightlife you could possibly need (and trust me, I need a lot).

Downhill mountain biking is a good way to pass a morning, especially so when the excursion is well organised (and safety conscious) and by the time we were ready to go, I looked like an extra from Star Wars, but, boy, do you need the kit.

It is extremely easy to fall off as a few of my fellow riders demonstrated in hilarious fashion (hilarious for me – not so funny for the holidaymaker with the broken collarbone).

The other good thing about downhill mountain biking is that, duh, it’s downhill, so you don’t need to be particularly fit to enjoy the experience.

The slopes are used as ski slopes in the winter and are graded the same way.

We were taken down a Blue run and while it it was certainly challenging, it never quite peaked at terrifying.

The ski lifts are adapted to carry a mountain bike in the summer and the trip up is an experience in itself – beautiful, tranquil and peaceful, until I reached the top when I couldn’t get the stupid bike off the rail and the whole lift had to be stopped.

While there, I decided to pay a visit to La Caldeo, Europe’s largest health spa, and it is certainly an amazing place, both inside and out.

This uniquely designed spa, covering 6000sq m, features both indoor and outdoor lagoons, saunas, whirlpool baths, a grapefruit pool, an Aztec pool, Indo-Roman baths, steam rooms, cascades, bubble baths and warm marble slates. From afar, it stands out like a huge, mirrored cathedral.

The treatment rooms are both impressive and seemingly endless (I got lost on at least three occasions). The grapefruit exfoliation pool is particularly interesting, although on the day of my visit they had run out of grapefruit so we had to make do with oranges...but what the heck, eh?

The facilities are excellent, with robes and towels on arrival, showers, and fully kitted-out changing rooms to enjoy. The couple in the dressing room next to me were particularly enjoying theirs.

As I was experiencing the after-effects from the night before (I drink, but only for un-medicinal purposes), I decided that the bubblebeds would be the best option for me.

These consist of five waterbeds spaced out in a darkened room with low green lighting, exotic plants and tranquil background music.

I fell asleep immediately and only woke up because one of the other room members began to snore.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I may pop down to Minty Beds on Botley Road to discuss their waterbed range.

Via Feretta was both the most terrifying and the most thrilling experience of my extreme sports life, although admittedly, I haven’t experienced a lot of extreme sports (I did skateboard once).

A Via Ferrata is a circuit ‘built’ on to a rockface which has been equipped with specific elements (cables, steps, stemples, ladders, etc) in order to help the climber in his progression and to maximise security.

A Via Ferrata is a cross between trekking and rock climbing. The routes are accessible to all those who are capable of climbing a ladder and are not frightened of heights. I don’t mind heights but I am terrified of climbing.

The Via Ferratas are usually built in beautiful and spectacular surroundings, but on this particular day, the casual observer might also have had his sense of hearing assaulted (by a screaming blonde!).

Now, I’m not saying that I am Lara Croft or anything, but despite my initial reservations, I completed the course and was amazed and delighted that I had completed something I honestly didn’t think I was emotionally or physically capable of.

My advice to anyone with a climbing phobia is this: DO IT, DO IT, DO IT! You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. However, one word of warning: do not compare a Via Ferrata with an adventure park – ‘exits’ are rare and it’s very difficult to climb back down a Via Ferrata, except by abseiling.

There are 13 Via Feretta courses in Andorra, all at different difficulty ratings and, unlike in other countries, are free.

Hiking isn’t for me. I tried it, and admittedly the hiking stilettos may have been a mistake, while my repeated requests for a mountain pony were ignored. However, If you have a fairly good level of fitness, the views are fabulous. I would suggest an early night before and avoid rum and cokes and cigarettes for at least 48 hours pre-hike (if only I took my own advice).

The best restaurant in Arinsal (in my opinion) was the Hotel Montane, owned by an extremely pleasant woman called Fiona Dean who moved to Arinsal 25 years ago and has never looked back.

The same was true of several other ex-pats I met who all passionately explained why Andorra is the best place in the world to live.

They could be right.

For instance, children growing up here are all taught three languages from the age of six, go skiing for PE, and enjoy the best mountain sports in the summer.

As for the Andorrans (I think that’s what they call themselves), they’re friendly and really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.

Bizarrely though, they can’t understand why people only visit them in the winter.

And, frankly, neither can I.

There is SO MUCH to do here, that no matter how energetic your six-year-old may be, with all this mountain air and all the region’s superb attractions, they’ll be begging to go to bed before 6pm.

In fact, I’ll certainly be booking a holiday there next summer with my kids.