Aman Le Mélézin

A 31-room, Asian-style hideaway on the Bellecôte piste, Le Mélézin is sleek, discreet and very comfortable.

• The contemporary, minimalist aesthetic, a rarity in an otherwise glitzy ski village
• Location on Bellecôte piste leading straight to the gondola and a short walk from town
• Signature Aman service

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.

Couples or families seeking a more discreet, peaceful retreat amidst the sometimes-chaotic bustle of Courchevel. Le Mélézin is for those seeking total privacy and pampering and may be less suited to rowdy families or to those seeking a rustic, old-world and old-wood atmosphere.