The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
NEW HOTELS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SKI BREAK EVEN BETTER
For full details of entry requirements and in-resort Covid rules for your favourite ski destinations, including the ones below, see telegraph.co.uk/ skirules. Refer to gov.uk /foreign-traveladvice for further travel information.
BEST FOR FAMILY FUN
The RockyPop Flaine Hotel, France
This fun-focused hybrid of a four-star hotel and a hostel sits in the centre of Flaine, in the Grand Massif. Children’s areas offer karaoke, table tennis and arcade games. For grown-ups, there’s a cocktail bar, a food court with a sushi bar and a spa by Nuxe with a pool. Accommodation is flexible, with rooms and apartments for everyone from solo travellers to groups of 10.
From £1,277pp for seven nights’ half board, including flights and transfers with Crystal Ski (020 8610 3123; crystalski.co.uk)
BEST FOR ADULTS ONLY Goldstück, Saalbach-Hinterglemm,
Austria
Saalbach heads up the second-largest ski area in Austria, and this season the adultsonly Goldstück hotel ups the ante on lodgings. Much is made of its librarycum-cinema with a crackling fire, where reading is carefully curated by a local bookstore. There’s a cocktail bar with an in-house mixologist, and a “grab and stay” kitchen serving favourites from dumplings and pasta to curry and ghoulash. Rooms are boldly decorated, with rain showers and record players, some with outdoor bathtubs and private saunas.
From £695pp for three nights’ B&B, including flights and car hire with Momentum Ski (020 7371 9111; momentumski.com)
BEST FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Hotel de LEN, Cortina d’Ampezzo,
Italy
The new de LEN, meaning “of wood” in the local Ladino dialect, is dedicated to environmentally conscious guests. Wood is the mainstay of construction in this 22-room hotel with balconies offering views of the Dolomite ranges of both Sorapiss and Croda da Lago. There is a spa with an infinity pool, and a restaurant that serves dishes drawing upon high-quality local and sustainable produce, plus a café bar and speakeasy. From £274 per night, B&B booked direct (00 39 800 171190; hoteldelen.it) g Tuck in: the RockyPop Flaine caters for all tastes i Wake up to views of the Matterhorn at Grand Hotel Cervino
BEST FOR GRAND-DESIGN VIEWS
Grand Hotel Cervino, Cervinia, Italy This new five-star offering signifies part of an upwards shift for Cervinia. Elevated from the village at the foot of the Gran Becca, the hotel boasts panoramic views from every room – with configurations from simple twins to family suites with interconnecting rooms, topped with deluxe suites featuring saunas and hot tubs. The picture windows in some rooms frame views of the Matterhorn that rival any painting. From £1,389pp for seven nights’ half board, including flights and transfers, with Inghams (01483 944767; inghams.co.uk)
BEST FOR BUDGET
Base Camp Lodge, Les 2 Alpes, France
The second hostel to open in Les 2 Alpes in the past three years, Base Camp Lodge has 30 mountain- and woodlandthemed bedrooms, with configurations from doubles to family suites and dormitories sleeping up to 10. Some 300m (1,000ft) from the lift, it has an openplan ground floor with relaxing space and dining tables for the restaurant that serves local and seasonal produce with some good vegan and vegetarian options. From £472pp for seven nights’ B&B, based on four sharing, including return Eurotunnel crossing, with
Peak Retreats (peakretreats.co.uk;
023 9283 9310)
BEST FOR LIVING THE LUXURY
AMERICAN DREAM
The Residences at Aspen Valley Ranch,
United States
Sitting in 813 acres of pastureland that beg to be explored, these 12 ranch retreats in Colorado offer guests the opportunity to live the Western dream. Framed by dramatic views of Aspen’s four mountains – Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, Aspen and Snowmass – this ranch has some of America’s best skiing on its doorstep. There’s a cross-country ski track within the ranch itself, Relais & Châteaux-trained chefs on hand, wild elk roaming the paddocks and evening s’mores by the firepit for post-ski snacks.
From £37,143 for a two-week self-catered stay at Highlands House for up to eight booked direct (001 970 670 6060; avrresidences.com)
BEST FOR PRIVACY Cesa del Louf, Arabba,
Italy
Basking in splendid isolation on the side of a mountain 100m above Arabba in the Dolomite mountains, this old farm has been cleverly renovated with recycled materials to create a luxurious hideaway. Cesa del Louf has its own private rope tow lift and a home run back to the door – or guests can have a snowcat at their disposal for the five-minute journey. The living space is set over three floors, sleeping 10 in five double bedrooms with facilities including an indoor pool and spa.
From £17,500 per week, self-catered, with Leo Trippi (01285 366030; leotrippi.com)
BEST FOR LUXURY Ultima Courchevel Belvédère,
Courchevel, France
This portfolio of eight separate chalets offers ski-in/ski-out luxury beside the Belvédère piste in Courchevel 1650. A ski butler service is available, the marble bathrooms are stocked with Bulgari toiletries, and the art adorning the walls would befit the galleries of St Tropez. Off-slope leisure time can be spent in the spa, cocktail bar, cinema or games room.
From £29,650 for a week’s stay in the four-bedroom Grand Residence sleeping eight including flights and private chef, with the Oxford Ski Company (01993 899420; oxfordski.com)
BEST FOR APRES-SKI La Vache Andermatt,
Switzerland
The team behind La Vache Verbier – musician James Blunt, motorcycle legend Carl Fogarty, former rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio, hotelier Rob Sawyer and chef Luke Dale Roberts – all bring their offering to this resort. The 28-room La Vache Andermatt opens with an après-ski terrace, late-night lounge/cocktail bar and a global tapas restaurant, Pot Luck Club Andermatt. The decor is simple, rustic and Swiss – think leather sofas, reindeer skins and bright-red Swiss flag motif cushions. Expect live bands and visiting DJs. Doubles from £115 per night, including breakfast booked direct (00 41 782 214156; lavacheandermatt.net)
BEST FOR ALL-INCLUSIVE Club Med Québec Charlevoix,
Canada
All-inclusive pioneer Club Med opened its first property in North America this winter, perched above Qúebec City with unrivalled views of the St Lawrence River. There are three restaurants and two bars, a spa with outdoor hot tubs and ski-to-the-door access. The venture opens up the opportunity to ski on Canada’s lesserknown east coast while combining the cultural appeal of the nearby city. From £2,125pp for seven nights all-inclusive, including flights and transfers, with Club Med (03453 676767; clubmed.co.uk)