A cozy-chic French winter palace
Airelles Courchevel, Les Airelles may be the best-kept
secret in Courchevel 1850, the most unashamedly swanky resort of the four main
villages that make up Courchevel in the French Alps.
With a magical Austro-Hungarian exterior evoking an Old-World
winter palace, the ski-in/ski-out Les Airelles manages to be impressive and
inviting in equal measure. As Courchevel’s first hotel to gain palace status,
the prestigious distinction awarded only to France’s most exceptional
properties, Les Airelles lacks next to nothing in terms of amenities, service, and style.
All 32 bedrooms and 15 suites enchant with plush garnet
carpets, gingerbread-hued wood accents, and hand-painted frescoes that bring to
mind quaint Bavarian towns. Common areas, which include three onsite
restaurants; a lounge filled with enormous sofas and wood-fed fires; a handy
ski room; a chic boutique; and a cocooning La Mer spa, are all equally
bewitching with a magical sort of storybook Tyrolean allure.
You’ve probably never heard of this hotel, but it’s easily
the most over-the-top and indulgent hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and it ranks in
my top five favorite hotel stays ever.
There’s so much that makes this hotel special, from the
fleet of Rolls Royce Cullinans that drive you around town, to the most generous
half board I’ve ever seen (sure, I’ll have lobster and black truffle, and how
about one of those tableside tiramisus too?), to the maître chasseurs (“master
hunters”) who tend to your every need, while wearing the most distinctive hotel
uniforms I’ve ever seen, to the most imaginative cocktails I’ve ever drank.
While Courchevel is quite the scene, this hotel has substance as well and
delivers on service.
Les Airelles Courchevel
No comments:
Post a Comment