Courchevel 1850

For lunch, there’s a choice of wickedly over-priced but excellent gourmet mountain restaurants or soulless, pricey self-services. Le Cap Horn and Chalet de Pierres head the list of costly institutions. Much the best value is Bel-Air at the top of the Courchevel 1650 gondola. Michelin-starred Le Bateau Ivre and Hotel Le Chabichou are tempting dining venues, but my favourite is the less fêted La Saulire (known as Jacques’ Bar).

Party at Prends Ta Luge et Tire-toi where you can also surf the net or buy a snowboard. Le Pyggys Pub is fun if someone else is picking up the tab. The Purple is new and Les Caves is an eye-wateringly expensive late-night venue. For more laid-back relaxation, Pamper Off Piste will come to your accommodation with a range of massage and beauty treatments. Shop at Retail in Glitzy 1850, with everything from designer clothing shops to perfumeries and sports shops like Jean Blanc Sports and the anglophile Freeride.

There are many deluxe hotels. Le Mélézin is the Alpine headquarters of stylish Amanresorts, Hotel Byblos Courchevel attracts celebrities who also stay in its sister hotel in St Tropez. Smallest and my favourite is the retro-styled, 11-bedroomed Hotel Le Saint-Joseph. Less pricey are Courchevel Olympic and Les Chalets du Forum.

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Tignes

Tignes majors on ski convenience, reliable snowcover and demanding quality. You can ski here for 10 months of the year. However, it wins no prizes for architectural beauty.

The focal point of the skiing is the Grande Motte, reached from Val Claret by funicular through the rock. From the top of the train, a cable-car takes you up to the top of the glacier, gateway to some spectacular off-piste terrain as well as some of the longest pistes in Europe.

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Tignes

L’Arbina in Tignes-le-Lac, is a lovely light and airy restaurant with gastronomic food at reasonable prices. Pignatta at Val Claret is good for pizzas. Find fine dining at Le Lac at Le Brasero, Le Grenier, and the small and intimate le Clin d’Oeil. In Val Claret, try Myako for sushi. I also recommend Le Ski d’Or, Le Caveau, Grattalu, and the Petit Savoyard.
Le Lac at Café de La Poste and the Red Lion are good party venues. In Val Claret, head for Grizzly’s Bar and The Fish Tank. Crowded House is just that. In Le Lavachet, Harri’s Bar and TC’s are usually buzzing. Sub Zero and Blue Girl are the discos. But shop somewhere else unless you are looking for ski gear.
Le Lac at Les Suites de Montana offers lavishly decorated apartments with an outdoor heated pool. Hotel Alpaka Lodge and Les Campanules are cheaper alternatives. In Val Claret, Hotel Le Ski d’Or and L’Ecrin des Neiges both have spas.

Village Montana Apartments
L’Ecrin des Neiges

La Plagne

Take lunch on the mountain at L’Auberge de Montagne chez Pat du Sauget, just above the Vanoise Express cable-car station. Au Vieux Bon Temps below Aime-La-Plagne is cosy and wooden with a roaring log fire. Some of the best dining is at Le Matafan in Belle Plagne. La Ferme at Bellecôte is so tiny you have to share tables, and Le Loup Blanc in Plagne 1800 has good local food at reasonable prices.

You don’t come to La Plagne for the nightlife, but notable exceptions are Le Bleu Night disco in Aime-La-Plagne, which is packed during high season, and Oxygène in Montchavin. Plagne Centre is the commercial centre, but all the villages have a supermarket and at least a ski shop. Ski Set is the recommended rental outlet.

Les Montagnettes apartments and Résidence Aspen in Plagne-Village provide good accommodation as well as MGM’s Les Hauts Bois apartments in Aime-La-Plagne.

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Val d'Isere

Lunch on the mountain at L’Edelweiss, Le Signal, Le Trifollet or Les Tufs. My personal favourite is La Fruitière – the name means ‘dairy’ and it is suitably decorated, complete with milk churns. There is good dining at La Grande Ourse, Le 1789, and La Taverne d’Alsace. Up-Side-Down is a smart new three-restaurant complex opening this season in Hotel L’Aigle Blanc (formerly Hotel Latitudes) in the heart of the old village.
Le Graal is a new nightclub this season. Teens gather downstairs at Bananas while Dick’s Tea Bar is still the most celebrated disco in the Alps.
Poivre Blanc is great for buying children’s gear; the Killy Shop has stylish ski clothing. Seccotine and Pointe Isabelle are two original home decorating/gift shops in the old part of town. Precision Ski is my recommended ski shop with all-new rental gear, expert boot fitting, and everyone is English or speaks it.
Val is primarily a chalet resort but has a few decent hotels. The top three are Le Blizzard, Hotel Christiania and stylish but pricey Hotel Les Balmes de L’Ours.

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Meribel

Lunch at Les Castors, Les Rhododendrons, Le Rond Point and Bibi Phoque. Chalet de Tougniat, at the top of the Combes chair out of Mottaret, is off the beaten track. At night, most visitors eat in their chalets – which explains the dearth of decent restaurants. Chez Kiki grills meat on its open fire, Le Refuge has a good atmosphere, while Le Croix Jean-Claude and Pizzeria du Mottaret are value-for-money.

Jack’s Bar is popular for après-ski, Le Loft has live music, and Dick’s Tea-Bar in Méribel 1450 is sister venue to the famous Val d’Isère disco. Shopping is extremely limited; Freeride is the recommended ski shop.

Hotel Le Grand Coeur was one of Méribel’s original hotels and remains its finest four-star. Chalet-Hotel Marie Blanche is traditional Savoyard with lots of wood-panelling. Chalet-Hotel Parc Alpin has undergone a complete makeover. It now has just 12 comfortable rooms and a new pool and sauna.

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Les Arcs

Take lunch at Bélliou La Fumée is a 500-year-old hunting lodge in Pré-St-Esprit below Arc 2000. Chalet du L’Arc above Arc 2000 serves Savoyard specialities. Fine evening food is served at 2000 at El Latino Loco and in 1950 at Chalet de Luigi, which features unusual ham-based cuisine and has a sister restaurant in Cortina d’Ampezzo. In 1800, try Casa Mia, La Marmite or L’Equipe. L’Arc a Os is tucked away in the village of Courbaton below Arc 1600.

Après-ski and nightlife is very quiet, much the liveliest spots being Luigi’s in 1950 and Apokalypse and L’Igloo at 1800.

Most accommodation is in apartments. Pick of the best at 2000 is Les Chalets des Neiges. At 1950 I recommend the new Radisson SAS building – but all apartments here are excellent. In 1800, Les Alpages du Chantel apartments have an indoor swimming-pool. Hotel La Cachette in 1600 is one of the best hotels in the Alps for families with small children.
Les Alpages du Chantel