Ski Holidays - Our Top Resorts
Chalets in Chamonix. Hotels in Chamonix. Ski holidays in Chamonix. The Chamonix Valley cuts deeply through Europe's highest mountains and glaciers and has long been a place of pilgrimage for those wanting steep tough terrain coupled with stunning scenery. The town itself is steeped in mountain traditions, and is home to Mont Blanc and the magnificent Aiguille du Midi. At 3,840m Chamonix has the highest ski lift in the world which accesses the famous Vallee Blanche, a 22 kms off-piste high mountain run to the base of the valley. The slopes are spread across distinct areas; Brevent, La Flegere, Les Grands Montets, Les Houches and Le Tour requiring a bus ride, or the use of a car in order to fully explore the area.
The town itself is bustling with scores of hotels and restaurants, visitors all year round and a lively Saturday market. The car-free centre of the town is full of atmosphere, with cobbled streets and squares, beautiful old buildings and a fast running river. During the day, the town squares and pavement cafes are bustling with shoppers and tourists, sipping drinks and absorbing the breathtaking scenery, at night the apres ski venues come alive. Chamonix has changed dramatically over the years from being considered a hard-core skiers resort where prices were reasonable to a much more upmarket town with more 5 star accommodation, smart shops and fantastic restaurants, this however does mean a marked increase in costs.
Chalets Courchevel 1650, hotels Courchevel 1650, ski holidays Courchevel 1650. Courchevel 1650 is a friendly village ski resort with excellent and convenient access to some of the best skiing in the world. Many would argue that this is le vrai Courchevel, with its year round population and atmosphere of the farming community it once was. The skiing is an intermediate paradise although in order to explore the rest of the Three Vallees, a bit more effort is required to get over the valley into Courchevel 1850's area before heading onto Meribel. Staying in Courchevel 1650 offers better value for money than its higher neighbour, and amenities are good.
Chalets Courchevel 1850, hotels Courchevel 1850, ski holidays Courchevel 1850. Courchevel 1850 is quite deservedly a world-class resort and has slopes to suit all standard of skier accessed by a very impressive lift system. This is the most extensive and varied of the whole Trois Vallees resorts with everything from long gentle greens to steep couloirs. There are some great restaurants, shopping and very good apres ski by French standards but the village itself is not particularly pretty. Snow reliability is superb all season as most of the valley faces North and the ski schools, of which there are several, are very good as is the popular Village des Enfants situated in the centre of the resort. The number of chalet beds is very limited compared to demand and there are only a few affordable hotels here so booking early is highly recommended.
Chalets Les Arcs, hotels Les Arcs, ski holidays Les Arcs. Les Arcs is a classic purpose built French resort located high above the Eurostar terminus and French town of Bourg St Maurice, giving splendid views of the Mont Blanc Massif. The resort is made up of four different areas, linked by road, with mainly apartment style accommodation. The four ' villages' offer doorstep access to the snow with little or no traffic hazards, and have quite different atmospheres. Arc 1600 is set in the trees and has a friendly village atmosphere. This area is good for families but don't stay here if you are looking to party! Arc 1800 is the liveliest and the place to be for apres ski. This is where the majority of the accommodation options are to be found. Arc 2000 is great as a ski in/out location but it is just made up of a few hotels & apartment blocks with not a great choice of restaurants or shops. The 'new' American style village of Arc 1950 is probably the most attractive of the villages but building work is still being completed.
The vast ski area combines a great snow record with a fantastic selection of North facing slopes. The long runs, some of the longest descents in the Alps, provide excellent skiing for all levels. The slopes are very well laid out with some low-level woodland runs ideal for bad weather days. There is plenty of steep stuff for the expert and unending red cruising runs for the intermediate. In Arc 1800 there is a good area for complete novices. The impressive Vanoise Express cable car link with La Plagne has turned these resorts into one of the world's largest ski areas.
Chalets Les Gets, hotels Les Gets, ski holidays Les Gets. This is a traditional resort with real Alpine charm that is only a short drive from Geneva airport yet links into the biggest inter linked ski area of Europe - The Portes du Soleil. The immediate ski area that links with Morzine is largely suited to beginners and intermediates and provides miles and miles of flattering cruisey runs with some goodish off-piste for the more adventurous. Les Gets is divided into two main skiing areas; the Chavannes Bowl, which has blues, reds and blacks aplenty and which also allows access to the rest of the Portes de Soleil area. The second main area is the Mont-Cheri, which will give access to some southern wide blue and red pistes and also a snowpark with jumps, rails and platforms. For time off the mountain there is an outdoor ice rink, plenty of shops, a museum and there is a free road shuttle train running through the village. The nightlife for a small, pretty resort can at times be livelier than one would imagine with a good selection of bars in the centre of the resort. Being close to Geneva, this resort makes an ideal choice for weekend skiing.
Chalets Meribel, hotels Meribel, ski holidays Meribel. Meribel is situated in the centre of the biggest linked piste network in the world, ideal for intermediates who love covering the miles. The village is purpose built but with a pleasing chalet-style architecture. There are great ski schools, lots of apres ski options and further activities to do off the slopes. It is very difficult to beat as resorts go with around 200 lifts which are generally queue free and over 600kms of piste.
An Englishman, Peter Lindsay, came across Meribel in 1938 and returned in 1946 with architect Christian Durupt. Strict guidelines were set for Meribel to retain all it's Savoyarde style and all the buildings even today are still built with the traditional local stone, slate and wood (none of the concrete blocks you get in some purpose built resorts). This makes Meribel the prettiest of the 3 valley resorts with the tree-lined runs and the afternoon sun on the Burgin side of the valley you can't beat it. The links over to both the Courchevel and Val Thorens valleys are very good and makes skiing anywhere in the 3 valleys, particularly for higher skiing at the end of the season, very accessible.
Chalets St Anton, hotels St Anton, ski holidays St Anton. This is one of the best high alpine resorts in the world. The ski area is vast and covers St Anton's mountains as well as the neighbouring villages of St Christoph, Lech and Zurs. For competent skiers and boarders with enormous stamina who are in search for non-stop action then look no further! St Anton has some of the most consistently challenging and extensive slopes in the Alps and the apres ski to match. The off-piste terrain in the bowls beneath the Valluga are a haven for powder monkeys. However, although the beginners slopes are satisfactory there are very few confidence boosting blues & reds for the less adventurous intermediates and beginners to progress to. The easier skiing can be found on Rendl and at Lech and Zurs. St Anton's bars rock from mid afternoon until the early hours. Apres-ski commences in the Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh on the slopes above St Anton. By 4pm tables become dancing platforms for high-spirited ski boot clad people celebrating a good day on the slopes with a beer and music blaring out! There are many great bars and clubs in town too with several staying open until well into the early hours. The Arlberg-well.com centre offers swimming, skating, fitness and pampering facilities.
Chalets Tignes, hotels Tignes, ski holidays Tignes. Tignes offers a huge area with great terrain for intermediates and experts including plenty of lift served off piste runs, with good snow guaranteed for a very long season. Linked to Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy, its ski area has few rivals for the attention of experts thanks to almost limitless off piste terrain and is also home to the Grand Motte glacier offering year round skiing. The ski area although extensive is a bleak treeless setting, which has many slopes liable to closure after a heavy snowfall. Tignes has done much over the last few years to improve the way it looks and really is vastly improved from the cheap purpose built resort that it started out as. The main road in Tignes Le Lac is now underground giving the resort a much more pedestrian feel, the hotels have been built in the chalet style and many of the older buildings have had the "alpine" face lift treatment. All three of the resorts (Val Claret, Le Lac and Lavachet) are fairly quiet at night although there are a couple of popular bars. Plenty of very good ski schools with excellent instruction, and good facilities for kids.
Chalets Val d'Isere, hotels Val d'Isere, ski holidays Val d'Isere. This resort is widely acclaimed to be one of the top resorts in the world, with one of the best snow records in Europe. Linked with neighbouring Tignes, there are over 300 kms of pistes, vast areas of off piste and skiing as high as 3,000m. Don't be misled into thinking Val d'Isere is just for experts. There are an enormous number of wide, gentle pistes and for novices the nursery slopes in the centre of town are free. Skiing begins in November and ends in May. The ski area boasts one of the most efficient lift systems in Europe and even at the busiest times of the year, queuing is hardly ever a cause for concern. Apres ski ranges from a quiet drink in the Hotel Blizzard to a 4am finish at Dicks, with everything in between!
Chalets Verbier, hotels Verbier, ski holidays Verbier. This is an attractive, modern resort built in traditional chalet style. This resort is without doubt one of Europe's top ski resorts and is very popular with the British. It is home to some of the most challenging skiing in the Alps. The 400kms of skiing is spread over an area collectively known as the Four Valleys and offers something for every level of skier. It is also one of Europe's best resorts for off piste. The apres ski and nightlife are as legendary as the skiing, so you can ski hard and party even harder during your stay.
Chalets Zermatt, hotels Zermatt, ski holidays Zermatt. This resort needs little introduction for most skiers. Dominated by the magnificent Matterhorn, it combines great skiing with an attractive, lively village and stunning scenery. Free of cars, the resort has an excellent reputation for apres ski with a variety of charming bars, restaurants and night spots. Skiers return year after year to enjoy the wonderful scenery and excellent skiing which covers three major ski areas including the spectacular run down to Cervinia over the Italian border.
Zermatt was first made popular by the British mountaineering fraternity of the late Eighteenth Century and like Chamonix, another popular destination of the era, the architecture of the resort owes much to that age. Many of the best and largest hotels were first built well over a hundred years ago so there is an overwhelming feeling of heritage and history attached to Zermatt. However, although car free it is not a quiet rustic village such as Wengen or Saas Fee (in the neighbouring valley). Zermatt is big business and the class, glamour and smell of money hits you as soon as you step off the train (the resort can only be accessed by train from Tasch). However, those on a budget need not necessarily be put off - of the 100+ hotels there are of course some that offer cheap accommodation and there are many bars and restaurants that are not going to break the bank either. Zermatt though is a resort that is best appreciated when done in style. Try not to worry about the credit card bill - just soak up the atmosphere, jump in to the stylish lifestyle and enjoy.
La Rosiere is built at an altitude of 1850m on the road which rises up from Bourg-St-Maurice towards the Col du Petit St-Bernard pass, ensuring a good snow record despite South facing slopes. The areas link with its Italian neighbour La Thuile opens up a large number of pistes suiting beginners and intermediates with no seriously challenging terrain. The resort has been built in traditional chalet style, with attractive buildings many of, which are dotted discreetly in the woods. There isn't much to the resort except accommodation and a few shops, so the atmosphere is peaceful and friendly. After dark the apres ski scene is limited to a couple of bars, although there are a reasonable choice of restaurants to sample. La Rosiere is a very good choice of resort for both beginners, intermediates and families.
Chalets La Plagne, hotels La Plagne, ski holidays La Plagne. La Plagne is made up of a variety of villages spread across a vast playground. High, and snow sure, with extensive slopes for all standards of skiers. These high resorts are all purpose built and not desperately attractive; although the villages get prettier the lower you go. The terrain and lift network rank along with the best resorts in Europe. It is an excellent choice for families, with great facilities for kids and a very good ski school.
The various satellite villages are all quite different. The lower villages of Les Coches and Montchavin are a lot more picturesque amongst the trees, but are really quite small with just a couple of bars and shops. La Plagne 1800 is where the majority of chalets are and again in the trees it is fairly pretty but a bit limiting on the shop and bar front. Plagne Centre really is a bit of an eyesore but nightlife here is quite lively and access to skiing is extremely convenient especially to access the other areas of La Plagne. Belle Plagne (above Plagne Bellecote) is also extremely convenient for skiing being mainly ski in / ski out and has been built with more of the Alpine style in mind. The majority of the accommodation in Belle Plagne is apartments with some apartment style catered chalets and a few hotels. Belle Plagne also has a few more bars and shops to offer.
La Plagne offers some great off-piste and now with the link to Les Arcs has one of the most extensive ski areas in the Alps. It is particularly a great resort for families with the excellent learning terrain, and first class ski schools.
Chalets La Tania, hotels La Tania, Ski holidays La Tania. La Tania is a good value, small, traffic free, family-friendly resort with easy access to the Three Valleys. Just 2 lifts are needed to get to either the slopes of Meribel or Courchevel. The resort is attractive with traditional alpine style chalets set among the trees, most with good views. There are a few shops but not a great choice of restaurants or bars. Not a great resort for the expert skier, however it is quick to access the rest of the Three Valleys. There are two lovely intermediate runs back into the village and a good beginner area and lift in the village. Later in the season the run back down to the village can be a bit sketchy and you may have to take the gondola down.
La Tania was built for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics and all the buildings have built in a traditional alpine style. Most of the accommodation is chalets but there are a few apartments and a couple of hotels. The chalets, being fairly modern are mainly of a pretty good standard and are nice and spacious.
