Destination Guide

Courchevel

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Courtesy Courchevel Tourism Board, Patrice Mestari

What Courchevel, a town in the Savoie region of the French Alps, lacks in charm and shopping options, it more than makes up for in snow and glitz. As part of the Trois Vallées, it has access to the largest linked ski resort in the world: some 375 miles of groomed slopes and countless off-piste runs. Thanks to the resort’s high altitude, it usually has snow from mid-November through April. With the most over-the-top lodging in the Alps, Courchevel is the perfect place to mix skiing with luxury.

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Aman Le Mélézin

This hotel is as cool as Les Airelles is classic. A 31-room, Asian-style hideaway on the Bellecôte piste, it’s sleek, discreet and very comfortable. Le Mélézin proves that the minimalist Aman aesthetic can work in the mountains as well as in the Asian tropics. Aman founder Adrian Zecha skied here for years before he converted this four-story slope-side hotel into one of his company’s properties with the help of American designer Ed Tuttle.

The bar’s huge windows look out onto the slopes, while an inner courtyard made of tinted clapboard offers guests a peaceful refuge. 200-year-old oak beams, red-cedar wood, slate stones, silk chenille panels, leather and suede upholstery and other gorgeous materials outfit common spaces. Asian touches appear in such details as the cylindrical woven baskets in which room service is delivered, and the antique Chinese chair that adorns a corner of the gym. Spacious bedrooms have large walk-in closets, a major plus for those traveling with bulky skiwear, while some of the bathrooms have window-sided hot tubs that look out onto the mountains. The rooms are decorated in the same aesthetic as the hotel - light woods and a zen ambiance, and the Mélézin and La Vanoise suites have fireplaces. The hotel also boasts a two-floor spa with treatment rooms, a fitness studio and indoor pools.

Interior at Cheval Blanc Courchevel, Courchevel, France

Cheval Blanc Courchevel

The top hotel in Courchevel is the glitzy 34-room Cheval Blanc, owned by French businessman Bernard Arnault. The hotel is a superluxe spot (with prices to match), and judging from the giant mirrored horse outside the lobby, subtlety is not the goal. But the glitz and glamour works effortlessly; rooms and suites are decorated in a mish-mash of sumptuous fabrics (velvet, leather, fur), and all feature floor-to-ceiling windows and either a balcony or terrace. Walls are done up in a similar fashion, with vibrant cuckoo clocks keeping time next to photographs commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld. The top suite, which Arnault uses when in residence, has its own private elevator and four bedrooms, sleeping eight in all. For families that want to feel a bit removed, there is also a three-bedroom chalet directly connected to the hotel.

Luxurious extras include a Guerlain spa (try the avant-ski or après-ski massage, and don’t miss the “emotion shower,” which features light effects and a view of the slopes). There are also two restaurants (one with three Michelin stars), a bar, an in-house ski service for equipment rentals, a fabulous kids club and LVMH-owned shops. And fear not, the pampering continues outside the confines of the hotel; each morning, staffers ready guests’ ski equipment (heated boots and all), and send them armed with gourmet goodies for a day on the slopes.

Hearth at Le Kilimandjaro, Courchevel, France

Le K2 Altitude

Le K2 Altitude is a great on-slope property arranged like a hamlet of Savoyard chalets, but it has a decidedly chic, modern feeling. Instead of traditional glazed yellow wood and dark-red-and-green Alpine fabrics, the owners chose rough-hewn wood and, in the lobby, fabrics bursting with bright colors. Guest rooms are in freestanding chalets and have LCD screen TVs next to enormous windows that look out over the slopes or Mont Bec. The gift shop sells Armani and Authier clothes, the spa is La Prairie and the restaurant manages to be beautiful and hip while still offering good food. Après-skiers can choose between the slope-side chaise longues with lap blankets and similar chaises that surround the indoor pool, off the lobby.


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