Courchevel, hotel, Luxury, Savoy, Gym, Salon, 5 star

The Aman resort on the snow, Le Melezin brings the special care to service and detail to this interesting hotel, right on the slopes in the Ski Capital of the World.

Le Mélézin originally opened in 1956 as Le Savoy and was remodelled in the early 1990’s to echo the look and feel of a medieval Savoyade fortress. It opened as an Amanresort shortly afterwards and inside one is still impressed by the two hundred year old oak beams and the classically patterned parquet flooring and wooden panelling in the lobby. The main salon has an huge open fireplace, which is the heart of the warm and welcoming après-ski ambience and there is a separate cocktail bar as well as an intimate fumoir for guests to relax in. Situated right on the Bellecôte ski slope, the resort is just two hundred metres from the village centre and all of its wide-ranging facilities from ski lifts to shops and restaurants.

Le Mélézin’s thirty-one guest rooms and suites are all alid out differently and are finished in red-cedar. The floors are covered in linen carpeting with walls finished either in cedar or a light chenille fabric - the effect is very luxurious.  The twin basin bathrooms are in rose-tinted granite and have particularly deep bathtubs with separate showers. The views of ski slopes and mountains are fantastic and most rooms have balconies from which one can watch the world go by. All of the rooms have a dressing room and are equipped with telephone, CD-player, TV & DVD (the reception has a library for guests’ use), fridge and safe so that nothing is lacking.

In the dining room the chef’s traditional French cuisine has been cleverly adapted to produce a lighter, more contemporary fusion and breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here, amidst old oak beams, engravings and frescoes. Weather permitting, the outdoor terrace serves lunch, refreshments and afternoon tea and is a popular spot to break the day’s activities.

Courchevel has some of the steepest black runs in the world - as well as plenty of slopes for the less adventurous - and the link with Val Thorens guarantees snow at any time of year so that great skiing is as certain as the luxurious comfort that awaits at the end of the day.