Skiing heaven
With a bit of foresight it is perfectly possible to ski and stay in Courchevel without robbing the bank, writes Nan Spowart
Join the jetset in Courchevel, on a budget
It’s a winter playground for the rich but can you holiday in Courchevel 1850 on a budget? The place is stuffed with five star hotels, designer shops like Chanel and Prada and the women wear furs, as do their lapdogs. Prices are as high as the altitude – 30 euros for three hot chocolates is par for the course.
It’s not hard to see the attractions of the resort for those who have money. It’s at the top of one of the Three Valleys in the French Alps, the most extensive ski area in the world, and the slopes are as well- groomed as the expensively dressed skiers.
Having stayed in some of the more lowly resorts in the Three Valleys, we wondered if Courchevel 1850 had anything to offer those who are not quite so flush with cash and the opportunity arose to find out at Ski France’s Hotel Courchevel Olympic.
This is a two star hotel which has recently been refurbished and is aimed at the skier on a budget. It is bed and breakfast only, which means buying lunch and dinner, but the breakfast is substantial and can keep a keen skier fuelled for hours.
We expected a croissant and coffee, and these were available, but the spread also included cereal, fruit, yoghurt, cheeses, breads, salami, ham and a hot offering consisting of sausages, bacon, beans and very good scrambled eggs.
Breakfast is served in the downstairs bar which is open at night and offers a pool table and board games as well as what appear to be the cheapest drinks in town, with wine at three or four euros a glass as opposed to anything between eight and 12 euros elsewhere. A pint is similarly priced and the extremely helpful and friendly staff don’t mind if you bring in your takeaway pizza. There’s a bakery just along the road where an excellent pizza costs around 15 euros, again about the cheapest in the resort.
The spacious rooms are comfortable and most have balconies, with the ones at the front affording lovely views of the surrounding mountains. The rooms at the back just look on to buildings but you’re less likely to hear the revellers on their way home from the nearby nightclub.
The location could hardly be better – cross the road and walk a few yards and you’re straight on to the slopes.
When we arrived it hadn’t snowed for three weeks so we were not expecting great conditions, but the grooming is so good here that the skiing was still fantastic. No off piste, of course, but plenty of excellent runs with snow cover thin only on the pistes connecting the different areas.
It’s easy to ski from Courchevel 1850 right over to the ‘ fourth’ valley beside Val Thorens, where the glacier means guaranteed snow all season. There is only one restaurant in the fourth valley but it has a take away option with paninis for around seven euros. It’s a bit of a sun trap and sitting outside at the wooden tables is a treat on a sunny day, even in January.
There are not so many runs here but the ones that are there are fun, as are those in Val Thorens, where there are plenty of reasonably priced restaurants and cafes.
Les Menuires is another good stop off point for lunch. La Hacienda has spaghetti bolognese for ten euros, pizzas for the same and soup for about six euros. Service is friendly and you can sit inside or outside in the sunshine.
Prices are cheaper too in Mottaret,
The grooming is so good here that the skiing was fantastic
and Café del Motte at the Hotel Mottaret, the Ski France flagship, offers live music on Tuesday and Friday lunchtimes which it is hoped will continue this season. A mouthwatering burger and chips here is only ten euros and drinks are reasonable too.
With a great breakfast and substantial lunch, a huge dinner is not really necessary but it’s still something to look forward to and La Grange near the Hotel Olympic became our local. This was partly because the food is so good and the prices lower than elsewhere, but also because the service is friendly and the atmosphere is buzzing. The best spaghetti bolognese we’ve ever had is 18 euros, the tasty pizzas are around the 20 euro mark, while the to- diefor lasagne is 23 euros. A bottle of the local wine is 26 euros, although the rest are over 30 euros, with some reaching eye- watering sums.
Prices at Alessandro’s for the basic spaghetti and pizza dishes are similar but here they charge for water, claiming they have no tap water. Water is six euros a bottle and no wines are less than 30 euros. It’s a fun place with pictures of movie stars on the walls and hubba bubba pipes at the bar but there is a bit of a hard sell on the drinks, which didn’t go down well with our party of thrawn Scots who were so cheesed off that they refused to drink anything but water. It didn’t make for a fun night so it was back to La Grange the following evening.
It’s also possible to take the bubble lift down to Courchevel 1650 or Le Praz, then catch the free ski bus back later, but we felt saving a few euros wasn’t worth it.
It is worth checking out Aquamotion https:// aquamotioncourchevel. com/ en/ which is a five minute walk from the bottom of the Courchevel 1650 bubble. This isn’t particularly cheap either but it’s a great alternative to skiing if the weather isn’t good. There’s a climbing wall, a variety of pools, including two that lead outside, slides, Jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas.
It is hoped all will be open this season.
So yes, it is possible to holiday in Courchevel 1850 on a budget but the price- challenged skier has to be wary. Wander into the wrong restaurant and you could be forking out ten euros just for a hot chocolate. Apres ski may have to be curtailed slightly unless you drink in the bar of Hotel Olympic – but there are worse places to be.
The Tremplin, opposite the ice rink, is one of the most popular apres ski venues in the area and here the prices are high, as they are at the Folie Deuce where the party starts early in the afternoon. They are both fun places but be prepared to pay.
However, even on a limited budget it’s possible to buy a drink after a fantastic day’s skiing, sit and look out at the snow- covered mountains tinged with pink as the sun sets... and feel very rich indeed
Please check www. gov. uk for the latest travel advice before booking.
A week’s stay at two- star Hotel Courchevel Olympic, in Courchevel 1850, costs from £ 597 total, for two adults and two children ( age 17 and under) sharing a Superior Plus Quadroom, including breakfast, with the Kids Go Free offer.
Return transfers ( Geneva Airport to Hotel Courchevel Olympic), with MV Transport ( Ski France’s private service) cost from £ 512 total for up to four people.