15 Chic Courchevel Hotels for the Ultimate French Ski Escape
Often alluded to as the “Saint Tropez of the slopes,” and home to some of the best ski hotels in Europe, Courchevel’s groomed pistes call to the old money European folk who set alarms for fresh powder and trudge home through deep snow—skis over shoulders—for fireside backgammon. A few of these folks endure, devouring all 600 km of Trois Valées slopes, but a new, Fendi-clad tribe have also moved in, and—amid the slope-side Louis Vuitton cafés and plateau de fruits de mer—are firmly holding court. Of Courchevel’s four varied-altitude villages, it’s the highest, Courchevel 1850, they’re here for, with more luxury boutiques than boulangeries, Gucci gondolas whizzing skiers up-mountain, and an “altiport,” poised for private jet arrivals. (Slide down-mountain to Courchevel Moriond (1650), and the rates will follow suit.)
At Courchevel 1850’s heart lies La Croisette (the main lifts), around which merry-go-rounds, hot chocolate stands, and horse-drawn carriages coalesce. But it’s the curious abundance of Michelin-starred restaurants that sets this resort apart from its alpine contemporaries. And amid their waiting lists and the Dom Perignon dramatics, it’s easy to forget the main event: Courchevel’s skiing is the gold standard, with a vast squiggle of cannon-lined, mainly north-facing runs (receiving a hefty annual investment) for all levels to whoosh down, and thrilling off-piste for the advanced lot to explore.
The former are typically conquered between breaks on sun-drenched terraces, followed by lobster-raclette-tartiflette lunches, with gentle runs carrying squiffy skiers home to afternoon teas and spa treatments. Courchevel first-timers snaking up the mountain in Bentleys will notice the heated driveways and coded boot-room doors of the snow-laden chalets. Interspersed among these dacha-style lairs are the Alps’ swankiest hotels, ranging from contemporary Bond villain-esque marvels to dialed-up Habsburg-era hunting lodges, all riffing on the Savoie style. Ready to book a stay to see the sights for yourself? This is our edit of the best hotels in Courchevel, France.
How we choose the best hotels in Courchevel
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
hotelL'Apogée Courchevel
$$$This 55-room Oetker Hotel atop the former Olympic ski jump was collaboratively designed by India Madhavi and Joseph Durand, a charming fairytale cottage of cozy corners and homey touches. Stay in north-facing rooms for mountain views so sublime that it’s a dishonor to close the curtains, or see the slopes from some south-facing rooms—you’ll also be looking down on the foot traffic of Jardin Alpin. The suites are the ski resort’s most spacious accommodations, akin to private chalets and ideal for hosting and unwinding—not just sleeping.
Food and beverage is taken seriously here, as it should be after days of breaking a sweat on the slopes. The 2025-26 season welcomes Kelly Wearstler's first-ever European design project—Riccardo Giraudi's acclaimed Beefbar. Elsewhere, Le Comptoir de L’Apogée’s menu focuses on French specialities and gourmet delicacies: mounds of butter-rich mashed potatoes beside flaky turbot fillets and a steak tartare theatrically crafted next to the table. Breakfast here is a spectacular sight, with gargantuan pastries and other treats lining the central dining counter, dividing the two restaurant spaces. Get kitted out for a day on the slopes in the in-house ski room before returning to the indoor pool and soothing hands of therapists at Spa L'Apogée by La Prairie. —Connor Sturges
Courtesy Cheval Blanc CourchevelhotelCheval Blanc Courchevel
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Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2021, 2022Cheval Blanc Courchevel’s mustard exterior suggests a traditional, Savoyard scene of reindeer rugs and carved bannisters. Instead, alpine coziness is cleverly expressed through sleek, contemporary shapes and a minimalist spin on a multitude of materials and textures. Xavier Veilhan’s abstract bear installation animates the enormous pool, Bruno Peinado’s mirrored horse greets the Bentley SUVs at the entrance, and an Andreas Gursky aerial print of ant-like skiers backs the reception desk. Positioned over slopes and snowy chalet roofs, rooms seize on lavish minimalism, with gentle Alps-inspired flourishes. Large bathrooms serve as mini-spas, some with private hammams—all with bathtubs festooned with Guerlain goodies and built-in television screens.
The main event, though, is the ski room—where ski butlers furnish guests with state-of-the-art skis before sliding them onto the slicked Jardin Alpin piste, with or without an instructor. The hotel is in position for beginners to snow plough their way down Courchevel’s green runs—but it’s equally a privileged perch for intermediates or advanced skiers to bomb down to La Croisette for the resort’s reds and blacks.
Aman ResortshotelAman Le Mélézin
Readers' Choice Awards 2022There's something captivating about Aman Le Mélézin's fortress-like heft of a building. Perhaps its flawless symmetry, its razor-sharp design, or how it surges from its majestic mountain backdrop amid snow-laden pines. Set along Bellecôte mountain, this is a snowy, high-altitude number. Inside, blonde woods, mirrors, and cream and gray fabrics blend rustic mountain vibes with luxe, contemporary touches.
Opt for the Chambre Ski Piste rooms for a private hot tub to stew in post-ski, though Aman Le Mélézin's superlative two-floor spa can see to any ski aches, with its sauna, hammam, column-framed pool, and fitness studio for pre-game stretching or après cooldowns. If you’re not easily lured off the piste, an Aman-grade Thai massage may help. The less virtuous can slink off to the Mélézin Bar for a sake cocktail, with cinematic views over the slopes and gingerbread-house-style rooftops, or soak in the rays on the deck—where cigar smoke coils into the pure, mountain air. Lunches and dinners are a paean to Japanese cuisine. Expect delectable morsels of sushi and sashimi in Nama’s rich-hued dining room nodding to the warm, Savoyard spirit.
BENOIT LINEROLes 3 Vallées
A welcome anomaly to Courchevel’s spicy room rates, Les 3 Vallées is a midcentury alternative to 1850’s Louis Vuitton and Hermès stretches. Red retro chairs and double-pronged Scandinavian reading lights inject otherwise traditional chalet-style wood-paneled rooms with a shot of cool—all have balconies overlooking the slopes or the valley. Having been brought into the Beaumier fold (which includes Les Roches Rouges), the hotel's food is as deliciously laid-back and plugged in as its design.
A hip crowd leans into locavore sharing plates of smoked trout, stew, and Croque Monsieur with grison beef in the rustic-meets-retro L’Epicerie. Dark, gnarled woods set a cozy note, contrasting the white ski-lift fanfare outside. While there’s a small spa, pool, ski shop, and boot room (with direct access to the slopes), there’s no gym. But who needs one with the thigh-busting runs a few cable cars away? Those not skiing are a short, picturesque walk away from the La Croissette’s bling boutiques, patisserie, and sleigh rides.
Jacob ElwoodUltima Courchevel 1850
For a lavish blend of private chalet and serviced elite ski hotel (even by 1850 standards) with all the swishy trimmings, Ultima Courchevel 1850 is a collection of 13 four- and five-bed residences perched along the Belvédère slope—one of the most convenient hubs in town. This is peak ski-in, ski-out form—an easy glide down to La Croisette, which shoots skiers up into Courchevel’s snowy playground of Michelin-starred lunches and runs snaking through pine forests caught in dazzling sunlight.
Resembling traditional alpine chalets on steroids, with hefty timber and wood-carved balconies, the residences’ exteriors belie the sleek, yacht-worthy design inside, where cozily-lit, wood-encased rooms are decked in leather upholstery, Baccarat chandeliers, and modern art. Everything twists towards the snow globe views, including two glossy pools and a knockout spa, where Augustinus Bader is lathered over tired chops by nimble, highly-trained hands. Slope-centered plans with holistic, expert-led wellness programs pair as seamlessly as the wines with caviar-doused Japanese plates and rich truffle pastas in Ultima’s fine dining restaurant.
Courtesy Airelles Courchevel, Les AirelleshotelAirelles Courchevel, Les Airelles
Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023A quick jaunt up the Alpin Jardin slope from Cheval Blanc Courchevel, a palace bearing the architectural oomph and wildlife murals of a Habsburg hunting lodge lords over its snowy kingdom. Les Airelles Courchevel’s Hans Anderson details were crafted in the 1990s, avoiding the cold corridors and austere, dusty libraries of centuries-old country houses. Palatial splendor merges with chalet coziness, particularly in the raclette- and charcuterie-heavy Le Coin Savoyard restaurant (one of three in the hotel and four off-site) and in the salons, where sofas and traditional rugs are illuminated by chandeliers and dim sconces.
Rooms lean further into the winter fairytale, where thick old-fashioned curtains drape over alpine views, doors spill onto intricately carved balconies laden in snow, and whirly murals above the beds tow the regal line. The hammam showers are a welcome touch after a day on the slopes, though guests can head downstairs to the La Mer Spa for more targeted pampering in one of the treatment rooms. Finely tuned service has earned this hotel its “palace” status—with a spruce team dressed in traditional Savoyard uniforms one step ahead of guests, deboning fish with flair, slinging 7 p.m. cocktails, and easing guests into their ski boots and onto the pistes, delirious from the hotel’s hearty breakfast buffet. For ultimate privacy with all the Les Airelles trimmings, the hotel has also brought three impossibly luxe chalets into the fold, each swallowing up to 15 guests for weeks of high-altitude hedonism.
Maya Hotel Courchevel 1850Maya Hotel Courchevel 1850
Falling somewhere between luxurious and restrained on the design front, the Maya Hotel Courchevel 1850 sensibly plays to its crowd. Its promise of elegance is all subdued cream shades, Maison Lalique crystal, and cosmopolitan textiles dressing its 14 rooms and suites. Here, you’ll find a more urban proposition—where thick, grainy curtains edge back to reveal dramatic, snow-capped peaks.
Up the mountain, the hotel’s third restaurant, Maya Altitude, bags the best views at nearly 8,000 feet in nearby Meribel—easily skied to from the hotel’s ski lounge via the extensive Trois Vallées lift system. And having cruised through snow-dusted forests and wide, well-groomed slopes, guests can either sink into the aprés-ski scene or slide home for the Maya Well Spa’s bespoke massages—their ski legs lathered in Japanese beauty brand Forlle’d.
raevaHotel le Chabichou
This legendary hotel stands out not only for its two Michelin-starred restaurants (beloved by those who know the resort well, but also for its character. The family-run property is complete with personal touches and traditional intent, from its interiors to the service, forgoing the cavalier use of leathers, creams, and crystals endemic among Courchevel’s smartest hotels. Gently lit communal spaces are dressed in comfy, contemporary furniture, such as retro shearling chairs and low-slung sofas, and warmed by the occasional reindeer rug and large fireplaces.
The restaurant, Le Chabichou, knows its roots and has elevated its sleek design and gourmet food around them. So much so that afternoon tea waffles are now transcendental (well worth slinking down the mountain for), and Chef Stéphane Buron’s food wizardry conjures acts such as scallops with corn flower-like ice cream polenta and Arctic char adorned with fine quinelles, snails, and capucine flower sauce. A revamped spa, twinkling with mountain light, envelops weary skiers and guests in need of a steam, a facial, and restorative views of the peaks. And while there’s a playroom for smalls and a concierge team with the best contacts in town, it’s really all about the madly delicious, comfortingly theatrical food here, which would be lost on less epicurean-minded individuals.
Six Senses ResidencesSix Senses Residences
This is something new for Courchevel and for Six Senses—a brand more synonymous with winter sun and holistic wellness. And yet here we are, not in a hotel and not in the Indian Ocean, but on the snowy approach to one of the more chi-chi resorts in the Alps. And the point of difference in the offering is thrilling. There are apartments, two-, three-, and four-bed crash pads providing all the room you need for a gathering of friends or family, decorated in charcoal-hued clean lines, with a full-throttle kitchen set up for exhausted evenings, and a to-your-door delivered breakfast.
And then the things that make a mother’s heart soar with happiness: children’s Netflix on the TV, a washing machine for soggy ski socks, and a sensational Scott Dunn-run kids club that offers top-level care with slope-side outings, waffles, and hot chocolate pitstops, as well as drop-offs and pick-ups from the ESF ski school. The spa is as good as you would hope, with therapists borrowed from Six Senses Douro Valley, a proper pool for après laps, brilliant targeted muscle-warming treatments, and homemade salts and oils to take up to your bath afterwards. The whole package is brilliantly distilled; everything you need, nothing you don’t, plus the privacy of your own space without the bigger commitment of a chalet.
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MARCBERENGUER.COMHotel Barrière des Neiges
This opulent hotel from the Barrière Hotel group (other hotels are in Cannes and Paris) has a prime spot on the Bellecôte piste in Courchevel 1850. As well as huge chalet-style rooms with furry alpine throws and enormous marble bathrooms with mountain views, what you’re paying for at Barrière Les Neiges is the service. The ski room is super-sized with staff who leap up to put your boots on for you before you’ve even managed to get your socks on. Skis are ready and waiting, with poles primed on either side, at the edge of the run every morning—whether you decide to ski or not. A corner of the room is also stacked with bottled water, hot chocolate, bowls of marshmallows, and homemade cakes or tarts for guests to stop by during any afternoon sugar lows. There’s a similar spread at breakfast: rainbow mounds of fresh fruit, endless types of bread, muffins, pastries, waffles, and pancakes made to order.
In the evening, there’s no need to go anywhere. BFire, an Argentinian restaurant by Mauro Colagreco of two-Michelin-starred Mirazur in Menton, dishes up brilliant steak, slow-cooked lamb, and perfect churros with chocolate, caramel, and crème anglaise for dipping. Meanwhile, Fouquet’s is a mountain-top version of the Parisian brasserie that serves hearty Savoyard dishes. This super swish hotel comes with a price tag, but offers its money’s worth.
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Hotel Le K2 AltitudeHotel Le K2 Altitude
Its design and menus may claim to draw on Tibet for inspiration, but Hotel Le K2 Altitude’s interiors are the very embodiment of the Courchevel 1850 aesthetic. Inside is a no-expenses-spared scene of new-wealth notions (cream carpets, sky-high oat-hued curtains, and deep red flourishes amid a subdued, textured canvas). Views of the peaks and the valley are as stirring as the dizzying level of tech in the rooms, and the hotel unusually claims its own chair lift—whisking guests up into the Trois Vallées playground. Emulating a mountain hamlet formation, there's a main building and adjoining chalets.
This is where the big guns come with their family, to hobnob with other steel titans or oligarchs over whisky and cigars in Le Winston Klub (a subdued chalet spin on the London Gent’s club), or to spend quality time with their brood when they’re not carving up the piste with a private ski instructor or docked into the futuristic kids club. After long soaks in the tub, they all convene for Sébastien Vauxion’s sweet and savory wizardry at Le Sarkara in the main hotel, or over creative Peruvian plates at L’Altiplano. Any aches are well-seen by top-of-their-game therapists in the Goji Spa, followed by a wallow in one of the chalet’s private pools.
paul brechuHotel Annapurna
While at the more affordable end of the pricey five-star Courchevel 1850 scale, Annapurna bags the highest perch of all its swanky contemporaries—close to the altiport, with a sun-trap terrace and access straight onto the Pralong piste. Skiers can whoosh home after mountain lunches, smug in the knowledge that they’ll be twisting into their hotel ski lounge well before others cruising down the slopes. And after Savoie-style afternoon tea, guests can sink into the heated outdoor pool for the Trois Vallées views, or simply sit supine by the spa’s healing Salt Wall.
Timber rooms with exposed beams and subdued gray and white fabrics form uncluttered, piste-side cocoons with subtle accents. It’s the south-facing balconies and sunny terrace, teaming with fondues and croziflettes, that the loyalists return year after year for, along with a superb kids club, Little VIPs. Expect spacious rooms filled with crisp, mountain light, and kids clambering into igloos and ballpits (when they’re not at ski school or larking about on Annapurna’s Kids’ Icefield).
Écrin Blanc Resort CourchevelÉcrin Blanc Resort Courchevel
Whopping 127-key Écrin Blanc Resort opened in 2020, just below 1650, with a stellar kids club for 4-10s, and an army of nannies and babysitters for the smalls. The Grandes Combes chairlift sits impatiently below, ready to whizz families or off-duty parents up into the Trois Vallées phenomenal maze of runs and off-piste zones (Courchevel’s groomed pistes and gourmet fanfare, without the 1850 price tag).
Goûter de l’Écrin is a resounding hit with families here: From the 4 p.m. homemade waffles, madeleines, and fantastical cakes sessions to the dog sledging and snowmobile rides. Spaces offer a fresh, unfussy spin on the timber-clad mountain chalet aesthetic, featuring clean, contemporary lines and retro touches (think: cubic cowhide footstools and tongue-in-cheek framed prints). The restaurant also has Nordic influences, with simple, honey-wood canvas warmed by white sheepskin rugs. Rooms range from two-person “cocoons” to spacious eight-person apartment-style suites. Access to Courchevel’s Aquamotion Park (wellness center and water park) is included in all room rates.
Amy MurrellPortetta
Glide down to less flashy Courchevel 1650, where traditional restaurants such as La Table de Marie and Le Petit Savoyard sit closer to the region’s history and rustic soul than 1850’s louche lobster and caviar scene. Unbuttoned terraces such as Bel Air’s are easygoing sun traps to hang skis up come 2 p.m., while a string of hotels still offers ski-in, ski-out ease. One of them is Portetta, from the team behind The Pigs scattered across the UK. The hotel's position at the end of the Belvédère piste makes for easy morning cruises to the lifts. Merlot-hued rugs, alpine gingham banquets, country sofas, and a conversation-starting array of taxidermy fill the wooden-beamed and parquet-floored communal spaces—where backgammon and early evening gin and tonics are typically at play.
In the rooms, rich fabric headboards are flanked by dark timber, and the dimmed lighting sets a moody tone. The Piste View rooms serve up burning sunrises for the keen skiers, while families or groups can book into one of the separate lodges or nab one of the open-plan lofts with their crackling fires. Those with children are guaranteed mornings wiggling through the Trois Vallées with Portetta’s outdoorsy Scott Dunn Kids’ Club, and a ski school for those four-and-up sits, conveniently, just opposite the hotel. Chef Angela Harnett blends Italian cuisine with local Savoyard classics at Cucina Angelina, where pasta is made in-house from scratch every morning and tiramisu is worth hanging around for. Outside, the Fire and Ice Bar terrace hosts a lively (but civilized) après-ski crowd where wood-fired pizzas are washed down with Génépi shots and Pistes Rouges (otherwise known as vodka and strawberry).
Grandes AlpesGrandes Alpes
An 1850 stalwart, Grandes Alpes Courchevel was ahead of its time with its hotel-turned-private chalet format. Positioned along the hyper-affluent Belvédère piste, the nine-apartment hotel is the stellar work of Jean-Marc Mouchet—a sumptuous interpretation of Savoyard, mountain chalet style, with tech-y touches that the well-heeled are accustomed to. In fact, all the usual moneyed accoutrements are there: the private wine cellars for each three- or four-bedroom apartment, the butlers, and the pocket-sized spas, some with hammams and hot tubs.
When private chefs aren’t whipping up any delicacy in the world, guests can tuck under white tablecloths at Restaurant Sylvestre, for Chef Sylvestre Wahid’s radically seasonal, wildly imaginative menus—referencing both childhood memories and the flavors of the Silk Road. Transfers here are typically via an alpine plane and limousine or helicopter, and ski butlers ensure soft-as-cloud boots and Swiss Zaï skis for sunny mornings on the slopes. 111SKIN-powered therapies await wind-chapped skin and creaky ski legs, though the latter is usually solved with a leisurely swim in the Riva-themed heated indoor pool.
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
