Méribel: Where to stay, ski and party in France's prettiest Alpine resort

I was fortunate capable to sojourn Méribel doubly past season. Once successful January erstwhile the snowfall was successful its aboriginal play powdery premier and the somesthesia stayed beneath freezing each day.

The 2nd clip successful March erstwhile astir of the colony level snowfall had been washed distant and the pistes were coated successful decaying rotted mush. Hopefully we were conscionable unlucky and this play volition revert to benignant with plentifulness of acold bluebird days and metres of powder.

When the skies bash wide determination is needless to accidental a adjacent inexhaustible proviso of runs and lifts to research from Méribel, which sits astatine the bosom of the world’s largest assistance linked skis area. I person friends who volition lone skis 3 Vallées – twelvemonth aft twelvemonth – due to the fact that of the sheer scope and prime of the skiing connected offer.

The 3 Vallées walk (a chunky €395 per idiosyncratic for six days this season) opens up astir 370 miles of pistes – capable to skis from London to Edinburgh – and 183 lifts. There is besides a Family Flex pass, which averages retired astatine astir €323.90 for each idiosyncratic successful the group, portion skis prosecute starts from astir €100.

Méribel is the oldest of the 7 linked resorts and arguably the champion placed geographically. Its determination successful the cardinal vale means that trips to research the Courcheval villages to the east, and the Val Thorens vessel to the westbound are an casual enactment adjacent for the aboriginal starting skier.

For the precise precocious risers determination is plentifulness successful the Méribel vale itself to support astir casual intermediates blessed with Méribel’s 90 miles of section slopes. Most are blue, with astir 25 per cent red, and nether 10 per cent greenish oregon black.

Méribel, founded successful 1938 by Scottish skier Peter Lindsay whose lad David inactive works arsenic an teacher there, was historically a chalet edifice with lone constricted options for eating out. That is not the lawsuit present with the main portion up Rue des Jeux Olympiques lined with places to spell to suit astir budgets, but the astir constrained, from pizza and fondue joints upwards.

One day we did not fancy skiing we wandered into 1 of Méribel’s 5 prima hotels, the lush Le Kaïla conscionable up the thoroughfare from the main departure constituent for the slopes.

The edifice has Méribel’s lone Michelin starred restaurant, L’Ekrin, but with the “Authentik” tasting paper priced astatine €180 and the “Unik” paper astatine €290, this was not a realistic option. However, you tin inactive bask the afloat 5 prima acquisition astatine the edifice astatine fraction of the terms by uncovering a sofa successful the lounge, wherever java oregon beverage and a mates of cakes comes successful astatine little than €20. And we were successful nary hurry to move.

Other options for a rainy time see The Olympic Centre built for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, which is unfastened regular and has a 25m indoor swimming pool, children’s pool, h2o slide, fittingness centre, climbing wall, spa and indoor ice-rink.

But fto america not dwell connected the negative. No sojourn to Méribel is implicit without visits to its trio of iconic venues. At the extremity of the skiing time the younker of Méribel descend connected Le Rond Point barroom and edifice – universally known arsenic Ronnie. It tin beryllium a beauteous raucous spot, 1 of the fewer successful the French Alps to lucifer the levels of debauchery of the immoderate of the legendary Austrian apres-ski destinations specified arsenic St Anton’s Krazy Kanguruh.

Rather little manic is Jack’s astatine the bottommost of Rue des Jeux Olympiques, a agelong lasting haunt for skiers enjoying that blissful archetypal post-slopes drink. In the evening it serves a decent pizza and determination is often unrecorded music.

Finally it would not beryllium close to sojourn this portion of the Alps without experiencing the madness that is La Folie Douce, adjacent to the mid-station of the Saulire gondola. The main restaurant, La Fruitière – the aged Savoie connection for dairy – is accepted enough, though the concern standard depletion of magnums of champagne and rosé by the beauteous radical springiness a hint astir the people clientele. But it is the frankly eye-popping creation enactment each day connected the catwalks supra the immense prima terrace that marque it a singular experience.

Overall Méribel is simply a apical people edifice that truly knows what it is doing and delivers astatine remarkably precocious levels – connected and disconnected the pistes – conscionable arsenic it has done for astir 90 years. It has beauteous overmuch perfected the look for a amusive wintertime break. Just adhd snow.

Hotel Le Coucou: the epitome of luxury Alpine living. Situated astatine the ft of the Rond-point des pistes, the edifice looks down connected a gorgeous vista of snow-covered peaks. Inside, it’s conscionable arsenic pretty: the rooms harvester Alpine decor with a chic colour strategy and the 3 restaurants cater to seafood and nutrient lovers – arsenic good arsenic fans of the section cuisine. Rooms commencement from £837, lecoucoumeribel.com

Le Kaïla: located successful the centre of the village, this effortlessly elegant edifice combines the accepted woody decor of Alpine chalets with plush upholstery and adjacent plusher bedding. Head on to L’Ekrin to illustration nutrient from the lone Michelin-starred edifice successful the full resort; not an acquisition to beryllium missed. Rooms commencement from £1005, lekaila.com

Chalet Les Loups: conscionable 200m from the Doron bluish piste, this three-floor ski-in/ski-out chalet is arsenic gorgeous connected the extracurricular arsenic it is within. Interiors seamlessly blend trad alpine ambiance with modern design, featuring vintage-style furniture, a resort-worthy sauna and bedrooms with balconies that look retired to the snowfall caps. The complaint includes five-course meals, alcoholic drinks and chauffeur service. There’s adjacent a turn-down pillow scent menu. One week from £15,000, luxurychaletsmeribel.co.uk

La Croix Jean Claude: this historical Alpine lodge successful the precise centre of Méribel colony connection rustic charm successful spades. It’s been present since earlier the spot was a skiing hotspot, and portion its 15 rooms are tiny and a tad basic, they’re a vanishingly uncommon accidental to bask immoderate of the ambiance of the aged Méribel. Plus, its edifice serves up immoderate of the champion Savoyarde nutrient anywhere. Rooms commencement from £106, croixjeanclaude.com

For much options, cheque retired the website SkiYodl for a enactment of apartments crossed the Méribel area.