We recently spent five nights at the 48-room Les Airelles Courchevel. You’ve probably never heard of this hotel, but it’s easily the most over-the-top and indulgent hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and it ranks in my top five favorite hotel stays ever.
Continue reading: Review: Les Airelles Hotel Courchevel, France (WOW!)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Dope. I know it doesn’t really follow the “point” but I love reviews like this
Great review. Lucky have you been to the Aviary in Chicago? The cocktails at this resort look right out of that mold
Wow, as someonse who goes skiing annually at Les Trois Vallées, I've never known these kind of hotels existed. Truly amazing and indeed the half-board and all the amenities and service kind of compensate for the price. I would much rather pay this price than 2000 USD for a suite in Hawaii with terrible service.
@ Nick -- Hah, that's a fun topic! Let me put some thought into it, and I'll try to make a post about that in the near future.
@ Cb -- Happy you enjoyed it, thanks for the kind feedback! I'm doing what I can to mix points hotel reviews (like the hotels in Venice) with some of these, since I find these kinds of properties to be so interesting.
The lesson here is enjoy your breakfast and lunch half board. Pizza and cocktail for 35 euros for dinner works for me 🙂
@ Ian -- Can't say I have, I'll have to pay it a visit the next time I'm in Chicago.
I’m not familiar with half board - did your rate include half board for two individuals? If so, it is worth at least a couple hundred euro a night. €1,200 a night almost seems like a bargain here.
@ Anthony -- Yep, half board was included for two people, so that is quite a bit of value.
Sheesh, when I compare this place to my recent FS Napa stay where rooms were $1800/night, this is a yoooge steal. Interested in knowing your other Top 5 stays! Maybe reading this blog is dangerous to my credit card.
Why a standard Volkswagen Van would be better for driving in the snow than a 4x4 Rolls Royce Cullinan?
And why a VW van and not a Mercedes one? If they can spend 400k€ on the most expensive SUV why are they economizing on the vans? Strange choices. Maybe a fleet of Audi or Mercedes SUVs would have been better if they are too scared to damage their RRs in the snow
This is amazing!
I skied for the first time in Europe this year (Zermatt points stay SLH and Cortina points stay at Cristallo) and I realized North American ski resorts are seriously disappointing, overrated, and expensive compared to Europe. Europe resorts are less crowded, the on mountain food is GOOD (like there's only so much chili and hot dogs I can do), the businesses on and off mountain are independently owned from the operating "resort", amazing scenery, just so much more sophisticated and special. Plus, not too difficult to get to with the excellent transportation system.
Let's be honest, Vail/ Ikon pass resorts buying out everything takes away from the charm. We live in Miami too and would gladly fly an extra "few" hours to do nice ski trip in Europe instead. It sounds like the value you got is unbeatable. For sure adding Courcheval to the list. Thank you so much for this review. Just confirmed how much I love international skiing.
So, your stay included half board that offered breakfast and lunch or dinner for two. I am curious. Since, it only offered lunch or dinner, if you and Ford had lunch, then did you two skip dinner or paid for it or just was so full from lunch, there was never any need to have dinner?
"In this case this was somewhere Ford really wanted to go, and he fully paid for it — I just tagged along." Great review, Ben, and it looks like a fantastic place. It's great you and Ford both enjoy travel and can enjoy traveling to each other's favorite places. Serious question - aren't you and Ford married? If so, I'm pretty sure you paid for it too 🙂 (if you don't think you did, just try getting divorced and playing the "this money is mine, that money is yours" game 🙂 ).
@ Stanley C -- The half board was more than enough food for us, especially if you have a drink, given all the snacks that comes with. That being said, some days we did have three meals, mainly for the ambiance. We just didn't eat all that much with those meals, because we way over indulged.
The service and location look incredible. It's a shame the decor looks so chintzy. There's a lot of patterns and it's kind of ugly. I'm sure it's all impeccable French antiques though. Just not my style. Cheval Blanc and the other properties look much more chic.
@ KR -- Hah, we are indeed married, and that's a totally fair point. In order to ensure marital bliss I encourage Ford to keep some of the money he makes in a separate bank account so that I don't even have to see what kind of shopping he does. 😉 And in this case the hotel stay came out of that fund, which is why I viewed it as him paying, rather than me.
Looks phenomenal. This review was a joy to read. I can’t wait to hear, perhaps from Ford, about the quality of the skiing. Is it comparable to the Rockies?
@ Francisco C -- Thanks! 🙂 Ford says Courchevel has the best skiing conditions he has experienced anywhere, much better than the Rockies.
@ SamB -- I hear you, and for what it's worth, that's generally not my preferred style either. I usually prefer more modern properties. I will say that I think pictures don't quite do justice to the place, and it's less chintzy looking in person.
@ Jason -- Aspen is as good as it gets in the US in terms of charm, restaurants, etc. However, in my opinion the overall experience still pales in comparison to what you find in a place like Courchevel.
Book in advance. Aviary is great, but it books up way out. I thought the same thing when I saw those drinks - very Aviary.
I've skied in Europe, and find it a little terrifying - it's all above the tree line so unless it's a blue blue sky day it gets hard to see. That said, I'd be interested in checking this out.
Try Telluride. I like it more than Aspen, and find the atmosphere better. It's more of a Nantucket vibe, though in the middle of the mountains and with snow.
I don't tend to like the skiing in Europe as much. It's above the tree line in most cases, and when you're skiing there is a difference, in my opinion. Courchevel and some other European resorts have the "old world" ambience that nothing in the US could ever hope to recreate, of course, but I still find Telluride to be the best followed by Aspen. Depends on what one is looking for, I will admit. I always meet Europeans on the slopes in the various Western resorts here who tell me they refuse to ski in Europe/ that it pales in comparison to what they find in the U.S. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Good to know, thanks Ben. I imagine too, in the setting, there might be a fairytale-esque quality to it that would work.
A few things.
1) @Lucky: did you look at Hotel Le Strato in 1850? It's SLH and redeemable with Hyatt points. We stayed there just before the world shut down, and it was likewise over the top (no Rolls transfers, sadly).
2) Skiing in Courchevel...kind of sucks. Many of the resorts in the Alps have gotten less and less snow over the years. Though it is fun to ski right past the airfield from Goldeneye.
3) There's a restaurant on the Courchevel mountain, La Soucoupe, that made us forget alllllll about the terrible skiing.
4) The party at La Folie Douce makes Cloud Nine in Aspen look like child's play.
Sounds wonderful... and while expensive, not so much once half-board factored in, plus the upgrade, resort credit etc.
For cocktails, you should try barmini in DC. Fantastic experience. Basically a flight of 6-8 cocktails (with options for snacks) as if it was a 6-8 course dinner.
Ford is mistaken. Snow in the Rockies is MUCH better than the Alps. Now, Vail Resorts buying up all the good skiing is another issue entirely.
What are rates like in high season? Also are they only open during ski season or are they open in summer as well?
To be honest, given the prices you see even at relatively basic hotels here (I looked at going to the Kimpton in Grand Cayman in late April and the prices were almost identical to what you paid here, without half board, for a KIMPTON), this seems like a pretty good deal. I took a peek at the menus you linked to, knowing it would be expensive, but could see how I could easily rack up $100-200 pp (lunch/dinner prices seem to be the same) just on food alone, and not just by getting the most expensive things on the menu. For 2 people that gets the prices down to relatively reasonable price for a hotel of that caliber, regardless of Courcheval or post-pandemic prices.
Because then you can advertise your fleet of Rolls Royces without actually having to depreciate them constantly and put them at risk. And then when it comes to vans, you're probably with a large group and then who cares if it's a Mercedes or VW.
Even though expensive, I totally see that it represents good value, if you are able to pay prices like these. I'd love to stay here.
Agree Dan. I stay away from Vail Resorts properties. It seems like they got very lucky with the snow they had, but many friends of mine have reported going to these places in Europe and not getting much snow at all. Recommend Telluride/ Aspen (as mentioned below) to get away from the general Vail Resorts hubbub.
Depends on the type of skier you are. If you love groomed trails and sticking to them than Europe is your place. If you want to ride in trees and off piste, North American ski resorts are the best in the world. Just talk to serious skiers in Europe and and they will even admit it, when they want to actually ski in wide open terrain and open bowls they come to the U.S or Canada. Nothing beats it. But, yes, no doubt, Europe is better for food and presentation at the resorts.
If you really want to see the difference spend some time at Whistler. It's the most vast and amazing open space for skiing that you can ever imagine. Sure, not going to get this kind of hotel, but there is a Four Seasons and it's perfectly nice in exchange for an incredible open span of acres you will able to explore.
@ chasgoose -- The hotel is only open in winter, from December through early April. I actually can't say with certainty what high season rates are like, because the hotel isn't yet accepting reservations for next season (which seems to be the case at all luxury hotels in Courchevel).
I wouldn't be surprised if peak season rates are maybe 30% more, give or take. The major catch is that we booked a (tiny) classic room, and the next biggest room is well over 50% more expensive. Because we came late in the season we got an upgrade through Virtuoso, while I'd expect upgrades are much harder to come by in peak season. Getting that upgrade definitely added a lot of value for our stay.
I agree, Ford is judging this on a lucky week. And I'm assuming he is a groomed trail kind of guy which Europe is famous for. It's why most serious European skiers always wonder why we would ever come to Europe to ski. Nothing beats the huge open spaces of the mountains in North America and the off piste options with the best powder anywhere. Anyone who actually skis knows this. But, no doubt, I would love to see this hotel in Whistler!
To clarify, and sorry if I missed it in the review, but do you need to elect either lunch or dinner for the duration of your stay for your half board? Or can you pick something different every day?
You now often get much better snow at Easter than Christmas and get much better deals too.
One reason Courchevel was quiet may due to the fact it’s usually the reset of choice for the Russian elite.
@ Clem -- Sorry for not clarifying. You can choose something different each day. You can do lunch one day, dinner the next, etc.
"Even if you’re not a skier or would never stay at this property, think of it as hotel porn, because this plane really is on a different level."
Wait, this hotel flies? Sign me up!
Expensive as heck but I can see your point about comparing this to a hotel in Hawaii going for almost double. Some of this stuff would be a little uncomfortable though (like taking off my skis and putting slippers on my feet for me), lol.
Also very similar to canon in Seattle! Give them a shot next time you are around, incredible cocktails, presentation, and space too.
Controversial Opinion: The idea of a ski valet is ridiculous. When I worked as a ski instructor, I always stressed with my younger kids how important it was to be self sufficient. Getting boots on and off by yourself, carrying your own skis, zipping up your own coat, etc... So for a fully functional adult to have someone do this for them, it just seems kind of sad (No offense to Ben and Ford if you used this service).
Other than that, it really seems like the food is what puts this place over the top. After airfare and lodging, the constant dining out is often the most expensive part of the trip, especially in places like Courchevel, though I'm still not sure it's worth 1200 Euro a night. When I'm on a ski trip I basically don't plan on being at the hotel at all during the day, and when I get back in the evening, I'm tired and I got to bed early so it doesn't really leave much time to enjoy the property. For mixed skiing and non skiing families/couples though I guess it's a different equation.
It really depends on how the snow is that year. When the snow is good in Europe, the lift-accessed off-piste terrain is unrivaled. Most places in the Alps get very little off-piste traffic so you can easily ski powder days if not weeks after a storm. The same can't be said for really anywhere in North America.
Counterpoint: a lot of adults are tired and just want to relax and have someone do that for them, lol
I think the slippers are the same which Lufthansa serves in First Class. IMHO also the most comfortable ones on this planet.
Thought something similar but I'd go for breakfast and dinner and gorge on the cake selection in the ski room in between 🙂
The truffle fondue looked amazing!
I stayed at their property in Gordes last fall and was very impressed as well.
No sightings of the ghost of Robin Leach?? 😉
Not my cuppa tea but a whole 'nuther level from all your other hotel stays on this trip!
Amazing review, Ben - looks fantastic. I was there a month ago and stayed at the Mercure Courchevel two doors up. Not exactly the same standard, although the whole holiday cost less than one night at your hotel I guess
Surely those are not canned peaches and pears that I see on the breakfast buffet? Canned? No, can't be.
Yeah, some of the cocktail presentations are near-identical to the Aviary (easy to Google pictures of them if you haven't been) - makes me wonder who developed those presentations first and if there's any relationship between the two!
So jealous! It looks like an amazing place, glad Ford & you had the best time.
PS: please refrain from using "a sense of place" at the beginning of each and every hotel review TYIA.
@KBF…. I would agree with you in terms of Apres ski, Europe is the place to be. Although if you’re talking about skiing; the terrain, snow conditions, quality of mountains, and infrastructure North America is on a different level vs Europe. IMO Japan, is #2 (after NA) in terms of ski destinations, if you haven’t been I’d highly recommend, no surprise the luxury hotel market is flooding Nesko…
Ian - I was thinking the exact same thing looking at the cocktail photos. They do some amazing things at the Aviary!
I'm Australian and in general prefer Europe to the US (which I love too). I would much rather ski the US than Les 3 Vallées. Love Telluride!
Incredible. Quite entertaining. While I like to believe that I am financially well off, this is way out of reach. But still fun to look at the pictures, kind of like window shopping in the Bahnhofstrasse or Burlington Arcades.
Right - no one is reading travel blogs for a review of the Holiday Inn Berlin, much like no one is reading for a review of DCA-BGR on AA economy.
The point is wild, aspirational trips.
Skiing in Courchevel sucks? That’s interesting, considering it’s one of the best places in Europe…
I guess you’ve been pretty unlucky when you were there. Of course during the season there are better and worse days, and each season is different, but on average it’s a very safe place to go
Great review.
I agree with the other comments that the either the interior of the place looks very daggy or that the camera you have used (iPhone?) didn’t do it justice. Probably a bit of both.
".because this plane really is on a different level..."
Possibly this sentence in paragraph 3 was intended to read "place".
Either way, the establishment sounds wonderful.
Sure makes me reconsider what we accept as luxury at most properties.
Skiing in the Alps sucks. The snow is hit-or-miss (for the reasons I mentioned), and when it does snow it's not generally the light fluffy powder one finds in, say, Park City or Steamboat or Vail. I said nothing about safety.
@BDT, you must be skiing the wrong places in Europe if you think NA resorts have better infrastructure. They take their uphill capacity seriously and the quality of the lifts at most places is beyond just about anywhere in NA, and they charge half as much for a lift ticket. Plus, trains and busses will get you just about anywhere you want to ski in Europe, while at most NA resorts a car rental is mandatory.
Thanks for this nice review. Like others, I'm not in the position to pay 1200 EUR per night on a regular basis. But this hotel really provides a lot of excellent service for that price. The dinner option of the half board easily has a value of EUR 150-200 per person (without drinks), plus the EUR 100 virtuoso credit, plus the transfers, brings it down to a more reasonable level.
But @Ben, I have a totally different question: Courchevel has an amazing airport (CVF). I know, it's not served by scheduled service, but only by taxi flights. The 18% gradient of the runway always fascinated me. Did you see the airport (apparently, it is next to the slopes)? Was there any air traffic?
If you like those cocktails, you should visit The Aviary in Chicago. I recognize a couple of those serving pieces from visits there years ago.
Love the food spread and high level of service. Another place with that high level of service is Kwitonda Singita. After each gorilla trek, staff takes off your very muddy shoes in shoe room and bring them back to you spotless hours later. I mean your tennis shoes look like it is brand new! Never seen anything like it at any hotel/ resort. Food is also quite good too. They grow a lot of their veggies in their garden. View looking out to misty Volcano national park from individual villa is sublime as well.
Thanks for the response and that makes sense. The spouse and I share all accounts but each have an individual credit card so we don't see exactly where every dollar and cent goes for each of us. To each their own - again, it's wonderful that you share hobbies like travel and can support each other in those hobbies you don't share (skiing).
you had me until "skiing in Courchevel sucks" LOL
It is considered one of the best, most consistent, and longest season ski resorts in the world. maybe you went in early December and stayed at the base of Courchevel where there's less snow than 1850.
Absolutely loved this review Ben. Love Courchevel, just scared if I stayed here they'd have to helicopter me out of there from all the food id eat !!
Ford isnt mistaken, he just has a different experience than you. To him, Courchevel has the best skiing in the world. Obviously you think differently. Every season is different, every week is different, every resort is different. Stop trying to aggressively dismiss someone else's experience and opinion just because it differs from yours.
This must be the most amazing place I have ever seen. Something I will never personally experience, but it was sure fun to gape at all the pictures!
Okay Lucky, now all the readers urge you to publish your Top 10 hotel/resort list!
The same way with your First/Business/lounge list, please.
There's a point where the 'calorie' budget intersects with the dollar budget and that factors into the value offered!
Hi Lucky! My daughter and I were so impressed by your review of Les Airelles that a stay there is now definitely on our bucket lists. We do have a question. We are not skiers, but it does seem advisable to at least try when consuming as many calories as we would likely consume in a 5 day stay Your ski instructor seemed so kind and patient. Can you tell us how you found him? Are instructors available through the hotel who are used to coaching beginners? Thanks for the review- it was wonderful!
Hey Lucky, great review and this place does seem over the top great. Wondered if ski rentals and lift tickets were included? I assume so, but that is also a large expense to take into account that you would normally have to pay (assuming you don't have a pass).
@ hotintx -- Thanks! Nope, the ski rentals and lift tickets are extra, as I think is the case in most places? However, Ford mentioned that the pricing for the tickets and rentals was lower than in the US.
@ Laura Burke -- I'm sure the hotel can also arrange a guide, but we found him separately. Happy to pass on his contact information. When you're ready to plan, just drop me a note.
Great review as ever, Ben, and I can see how this would be a wonderful place to stay, but this is just obscene. There are so many things that made my jaw drop, but...€20 for a bowl of French fries surely tells you all you need to know? Oh, and the SUVs at a ski hotel that they don't use in the snow!
If you ever wanted a visual representation of what happens when the Russians sweep in and take over a town, this is it. A wonderful ski resort that has been destroyed by gaudy bling...
Would the Fogo Island hotel make the list? Maybe you could have 'urban hotels' and 'resort hotels' ?
I'd counter that Courchevel has ALWAYS been about the bling. There's nothing here that's off-brand for the resort over the entirety of its history, which well predates the establishment of the Russian oligarchy (1946).
One of the coolest things about Les Trois Vallées...that it's a collection of interconnected ski areas that caters to a variety of income and spending levels, with Courchevel at the pinnacle, Meribel (1939) in the middle, and Val Thorens (1972) with more budget offerings (and the other, mostly newer, villages in between).
The North American ski region most similar to Courchevel is, I think, Aspen. Prices for top tier properties in Aspen though are as high or higher. The Little Nell, for instance, has base rooms for $1900+/night the last scheduled week of the 2022-23 ski season and that rate only includes breakfast and in-town transfers. A simple burger and fries in the bar there is $40 with tax and tip. Plus the various ski areas (Ajax, Buttermillk, Snowmass) aren't interconnected, most of the lodging isn't ski-in/ski-out, and lift tickets are $204 (versus €66 at Les 3 Vallees).
The truth is, this is a luxury ski experience and priced accordingly, but I'd say that based on Ben's experience, it's a much, much better value than the most comparable luxury ski experience in the USA.
This is correct. The most expensive walk-up lift ticket at Les 3 Vallees is €66 (and there are multi-day and multi-person options that are cheaper). The cheapest walk-up lift ticket at Aspen is $204 and at Vail it's $239 (although you can save a bit with multi-day advance purchase tickets and quite a lot with season pass products purchased the preceding year).
Lessons are much more difficult to compare because in France, multiple schools offer lessons whereas in the US, the resort operator has a monopoly on lessons, with a much simpler menu of offerings.
wonder if you compared the Airelles to Aman Le Melezin, which would you choose/
"Skiing in Courchevel...kind of sucks."
Ha, what utter drivel! Its one of the best resorts on the continent and easily matches US resorts for the many reasons mentioned in this review. Less snow...what like the ton of snow Ben got here in April. Get a grip.
Few remarks and questions:
- 3 vallées is most certainly not the biggest ski area in the world. Dolomiti superski has 1200 km's of slopes. But you're not a skier, right 😉
- in 2 weeks there will be the first post covid Live Courchevel, so I will meet you there?