Wind down in style on your luxury ski holiday
Posted on - Thu 9th August 2012
When you book a luxury ski holiday, you want everything to be perfect. Varied skiing with plenty of exciting and challenging runs to explore, good quality ski hotels where you can relax and recharge after all that endeavour and some luxurious après-ski options.
Some of the less sophisticated resorts might have few facilities for skiers to visit when they come down off the slopes, but if you're after something different there are plenty of resorts that can rise to the challenge. Whether you want glamorous bars and nightclubs, world-class restaurants, sports and games for the kids or spas to chill out in, you'll find luxury ski resorts that offer all these and more.
Some of the big French resorts tend to do luxury of all kinds very well. Because most of them are purpose-built, they tend to have plenty of space to develop the kind of world-class facilities that luxury skiers want. Being French, they also tend to know how to do quality food well, with Michelin-starred restaurants aplenty dotted throughout the Alps.
La Plagne is a great example. It's made up of 10 different villages, each with its own character and facilities, including fine dining restaurants, great activities for children such as tubing and bowling, plus options for romantic walks through the forest and husky sleigh rides.
North American resorts also tend to be able to offer the same kind of variety, with every detail taken care of. Aspen in the US and Whistler in Canada are the best known and most glamorous, but most North American resorts can offer plenty in the way of luxury ski facilities. Vail in Colorado and neighbouring Beaver Creek (with which it shares a lift pass) offer pretty much everything you could want between them. Head to Vail for top quality restaurants and bars and to Beaver Creek for excellent facilities for children.
For luxury that's a little more on the old-fashioned side, stay in Europe and head to one of its original Alpine towns. From their ski hotels to their shops, these resorts are the places to be if you want to experience some classic après-ski. In Megeve, France, you'll find outstanding shopping and some of the best restaurants in the Alps.
For quality spas and traditional Alpine villages, head to Meribel and the surrounding area. While Meribel itself is purpose-built for skiing, nearby Brides-Les-Bains is a thermal spa town that can be reached on skis from Meribel. Head there after a day’s skiing and let the natural hot springs soothe away your aches and pains in some of the most beautiful surroundings the Alps has to offer.
Unwinding in luxury on the mountain is certainly possible. From the most opulent ski hotelsto the trendiest watering holes, there's always another side to skiing that's as serious a business as anything else. Make sure you experience everything a resort has to offer by checking out its facilities and off-slope activities before you book your holiday.