Top 8 Courchevel hotels: the best ski vacation bases with stunning views, Michelin restaurants and world-class spas

Courchevel, arguably France's most chic ski resort, welcomes its guests with impeccably groomed pistes, fantastic slopes, a grand array of Michelin-starred restaurants, and superb hotels. All of its locations and the public who visit them share one thing in common: luxury. There are more designer boutiques than bakeries and €40 million a year is invested in infrastructure so that Courchevel can continue to outperform its competitors.

The magnificent ski resort is made up of 4 villages at different altitudes. The skiing here is first-class, with a wide range of varied pistes and off-piste areas. Scattered among them are several luxury ski hotels that help Courchevel attract a chic crowd from all over Europe and beyond.

1. L'Apogee Courchevel

L'Apogee Courchevel welcomed its first guests in 2013, and that day was the birth date of one of Courchevel's most stunning hotels. It has only strengthened its status over time, receiving the French Palace Award in 2019. Situated on Courchevel's highest peak, 1850, the hotel provides guests with the best skiing and the most flamboyant alpine scenery. The hotel has a collection of spacious rooms and suites with superb views, soft beds, and cozy plaids, while penthouses and chalets, complete with private spa or hot tubs, offer a new level of luxury. L'Apogee Courchevel's restaurants represent the culmination of the resort's culinary scene. Gennaro's welcomes authentic seasonal Italian dishes, Le Comptoir L'Apogée offers gourmet delicacies and French cuisine, and Le Bar de L'Apogée transforms from casual dining into a cocktail scene with DJs and live music by night. Luxury cigar lovers can also move to the opulent Cigar Lounge space. After a busy day on the slopes, take time to relax in the indoor pool or enjoy a spa treatment.

2. Les 3 Vallées

Part of Courchevel 1850's finest hotels, Les 3 Vallées is a stylish four-star boutique with direct access to the slopes. It sits on a gentle slope directly above the Croisette, the ski school's meeting point, and the main elevator stations. It is a good choice for travelers who plan to combine skiing with sightseeing on the Croisette, which can be reached in 10 minutes on foot or 3 minutes by the hotel's free shuttle bus. It is the oldest hotel in the resort and was built in the early 1950s. Despite its status as a "hotel de luxe" and the surrounding high style, it's incredibly cozy: the lobby is greeted by a blazing fireplace and the jeans-clad staff complements the unpretentious atmosphere. Les 3 Vallées offers 31 rooms, each spacious, bright, and decorated in an unassuming 50s style. Michelin-starred Anthony Tempesta oversees the kitchen at this Courchevel hideaway, as at the other chic hotels in the Hôtels d'en Haut group to which it belongs, and the menu offers refined interpretations of traditional Savoyard dishes.

3. Cheval Blanc Courchevel

Just two hours from Geneva, at the top of Courchevel 1850 is one of the resort's most refined hotels, offering breathtaking views of Bellecôte and Jardin-Alpin. Its mustard exterior evokes a typical Savoyard atmosphere, while its minimalist approach to the selection of materials, textures, and modern forms express Alpine coziness. Everything in this hotel is clothed in art. Guests are greeted at the entrance by Bruno Peinado's mirrored horse, at the reception desk they can see a photograph by Andreas Gursky, and the huge swimming pool is enlivened by an abstract installation by Xavier Veylan. Rooms are luxuriously minimalist, and the large bathrooms are reminiscent of mini spas: baths are complemented by Guerlain products, and built-in TV screens, and some have separate hammams. The hotel is great for beginners as well as intermediate and advanced skiers. But in addition to skiing, guests can go sledding, take guided walks in the woods, or spend time at the spa by the pool. The Cheval Blanc is also one of the best hotels in Courchevel for serious foodies thanks to its excellent restaurants, including the legendary 1947 with three Michelin stars.

4. Portetta

Located on the Moriond slope of Courchevel 1650, the Hotel Chalet Portetta offers understated luxury, outstanding cuisine, and direct access to the ski slopes of the largest ski area in Trois Vallées. As it is located at the end of the Belvedere Piste, guests will have easy access to the elevators in the mornings. It is the most relaxed and family-friendly of the four villages in the resort, but Courchevel 1650, with its designer boutiques and fancy hotels, can be reached in just 10 minutes. Portetta brings a country house aesthetic to this area of the Alps with ox leather banquettes, plush plaid or cozy sheepskin rugs, and walnut wood in the common areas, accentuating the chic and casual luxury of an Alpine lodge. It's a fairly small family hotel, but its extra amenities add weight to it. There's a ski store in the basement and a nice little spa with a hammam, sauna, three treatment rooms, and a cozy relaxation area. The 38 rooms are wood-paneled and have comfortable bathrooms with organic Bamford products. Some are complemented by terraces, while lofts have balconies and outdoor seating.

5. Les Airelles

A little up the slope from Cheval Blanc on the Alpin Jardin is an architecturally rich palace with frescoes depicting a Habsburg hunting lodge. One of Courchevel's finest hotels, Les Airelles amid pine forests and snow-capped peaks is decorated in delightful 19th-century Austro-Hungarian splendor with caramel-colored wood, wood-burning fireplaces, luxurious textiles, and stained glass windows. It is in the heart of the ski resort's most spectacular area and is suitably located for both experienced skiers about to conquer Le Trois-Vallées and fans of glamorous nightlife and fashionable shopping. After a day on the slopes, you can use the in-room Hammam shower, but for more focused relaxation, head down to the La Mer Spa for a pampering and rejuvenating treatment or a swim in the huge pool. The hotel has 48 quirky and cozy rooms, but for more privacy, it also provides three luxury chalets for up to 15 guests.

6. Aman le Melezin

Although it doesn't look like the traditional ski hotels of Courchevel 1850, something is appealing and exciting about this fortress-like building. Perhaps it's the impeccable symmetry or the way the hotel stands proudly above a backdrop of mountains and snow-covered pines. It is located along the Belcote piste and guests have excellent access to the main elevator station, which connects the resort, the Three Valleys area, and the ski slopes. Brand-name boutiques and expensive nightlife are nearby. The hotel has reopened after an ambitious project to create two underground levels, but the design of the common areas retains the same cozy tranquil atmosphere. On the lower levels, lounges are furnished with armchairs beside large fireplaces, and the hotel's panoramic windows flow seamlessly into stone terraces with fire pit areas. Aman le Melezin has 31 rooms ranging from compact bedrooms to huge suites, and most have views of the Bellecôte circuit. Some are complemented by Jacuzzis on private terraces. A spa with sauna, pool, and hammam, a bar with sake-based cocktails with cinematic views of the slopes and fine Japanese cuisine – Aman le Melezin perfectly organizes guests' leisure time after a tiring day on the slopes.

7. Six Senses Residences

This amazing hotel represents something unusual and out of the ordinary both for Courchevel with its stunning hotels and chalets and for the Six Senses brand, which predominantly specializes in wellness and winter sun. The Spa Residence offers guests a choice of 53 suites and penthouses with sophisticated décor. Travelers who stay here to get away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world can appreciate all the benefits of the privacy of a private home, while complemented by an impressive range of unique services. The renowned restaurant provides a full continental breakfast and innovative Japanese cuisine in the evenings. The concierge is available around the clock to assist with your stay, and the spa with pool and glitzy treatments is as good as you could hope for. For residents with children, there are some nice perks: kids' Netflix and an excellent kids' club with slope-side activities. Added to all this is the hotel's excellent location, which puts the best pistes and village within easy reach.

8. Hotel Barriere des Neiges

A luxury hotel in Courchevel from the Barrière Hotel group, which also owns some top hotels in Paris and Cannes, took the top spot on the Bellecôte Piste in December 2016. It is close to the ski slopes and the main elevator station serving the resort and the Three Valleys area. Major brand stores, restaurants, and expensive nightclubs are also nearby. The hotel and its rooms are inspired by the cozy chalet-style interiors and movie theme. The walls are decorated with black-and-white pictures of movie stars, and the reception and public areas are decorated with film reels and vintage cameras. Nearly half of the 42 rooms are suites, where most amenities can be controlled by guests using iPads, from lighting to ordering services. The hotel has a spa with 7 treatment rooms, a hammam and a 20-meter-long pool, a cinema room, and a children's playroom. As one of the best hotels in Courchevel for fans of haute cuisine, Barrière Hotel offers Argentine cuisine from two Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco, and an Alpine version of Paris' iconic beer restaurant Fouquet's with classic French cuisine and Savoyard dishes.