COURCHEVEL, France–Is that Italian they’re speaking, or Spanish? What about Russian, German or Japanese? No matter. At Courchevel and Meribel ski areas, high in the snowcapped peaks of the French Alps, you’ll hear them all.
Here in the international playground known as the Trois Vallees, notable as the world’s single largest ski complex, there are as many kinds of vacation chalets as there are languages, architectural styles and prices. Travelers on a budget will have no trouble finding digs at comfortable two-star hotels, breakfast included. But it’s those lush and luxurious four-star lodges that deliver the real thing.
THE BYBLOS DES NEIGES, in Courchevel
It would be difficult to top the service at the Byblos Des Neiges, a four-star alpine chalet near the Jardin Alpin gondola, in Courchevel.
To get here you’ve flown to Geneva, Switzerland, then driven to Albertville and beyond, snaking upward on hairpin curves to Courchevel, which has four different resorts indicated by their height in metres (1300, 1550,1650 and 1850), its hotel tucked in among towering spruce trees.
Family-owned, the 77-room Byblos glows with waxed pine paneling, giant timbers, rough-hewn doors and a tasteful touch of hand-carved gingerbread. Each guest room has a private deck with scenic forest views and a glimpse of nearby ski trails. Pine-paneled rooms have open-beam ceilings, flower-patterned quilts and rustic furniture.
If you’re a skier, the Byblos provides everything, from lift tickets to a ski rental shop and overnight storage on the ground level, next to the slopes. Or you can rent snowshoes for a quiet forest trek. At twilight, most guests head for the apres-ski bar. And most wind up the evening with dinner in one of the hotel’s two gourmet restaurants.
On the lower floor there’s a spa with treatment rooms and a steam and dry sauna, a beauty salon, sports shop, ski rental and a large children’s playroom. Amenities include a mini-bar, direct-dial telephone, high-speed Internet service in the lobby, satellite TV and an electronic safe.
HOTEL ALLODIS, in Meribel
The three-star ALLODIS, on the slopes at Meribel, is a 44-room chalet with an intimate atmosphere and a first-class restaurant. So good, in fact, that ski instructors from neighboring Courchevel ski over with clients for a leisurely lunch and a bottle of wine on the sun deck.
But the proof of success is listed on the Allodis’ roster of clients, most of them return guests that have skied at Meribel as children and now come back with their own families and friends.
The chalet’s guest rooms are simple, with quality beds, several chairs, a built-in desk, reasonable closet space, a television, telephones with dial-up Internet service (but no high-speed connection) and a balcony. The rooms are small, but as one English couple explained: “We don’t need a big room. We’re never there, except to sleep.”
The most inviting feature is the living room, a beautiful well-lit retreat with big sofas and overstuffed chairs in conversation groups, framed paintings and a palatial fireplace. The bar with a row of barstools is at the far end of the room.
There’s a small but beautiful swimming pool and hot tub on the ground level (below the lobby level), with a meeting room and the sport-and-ski rental shop. At the rear, just steps from the snow, are guest ski lockers, with storage for skis and boots.
Be sure to book your room on the “half board” plan, since it includes two meals a day. We chose the breakfast and dinner combination, and ate lunch at one of the many wonderful restaurants on Meribel’s ski slopes.
