Where would you suggest a family of six enjoy the holidays with great skiing, food and a genuine European ski experience in Spain at Sierra Nevada or Baqueira-Beret. We would love to stay in a full board pension or small hotel. Any housing suggestions? Everyone is over 18 and intermediate skier. We have one week for the trip December 19-26.
There are basically two top areas for skiing in Spain: the Pyrenees (border Spain and France) and the Sierra Nevada (the southernmost ski area in Europe) near Granada. Baqueira-Beret in the Pyrenees is the most famous, Sierra Nevada is the largest. If you do a search online you can find several spots to consider.
Baqueira has the better terrain, by far! Sierra Nevada is much less extensive (despite the good vertical).
However, the resort of Baqueira itself is not very pretty, and many people choose to stay in a lower village such as Arties, and drive up (there are buses as well). Myself, I have only been once for a day trip from the French side of the Pyrenees, so I don't have more to say about accommodation etc., but there is a good english-language skiing forum called "snowheads" which might be more helpful than this general travel forum!
Also, if you have sightseeing on your agenda, Sierra Nevada's proximity to Granada is very tempting. There is nothing comparable within striking distance from Baqueira.