From TRAVEL: EUROPE & WORLDWIDE
The Jewel of the Three Valleys
Where do you take a skier who wants unlimited piste, stunning mountain scenery, a luxury chalet with oodles of creature comforts & sumptuous food? St Martin de Belleville suggests Fraser Hopewell.
I've carved up the mountains from Meribel, clocked up the kilometres from Courchevel and hit the peaks from Val Thorens but when it comes to the Three Valleys, I lost my heart in St Martin de Belleville.
Nestled in the French Alps and a couple of lifts from its more famous neighbours, the chocolate box resort of St Martin de Belleville offers skiers and boarders easy access to the 600km of piste of the Three Valleys network without the crowds that cluster around Meribel, Val Thorens and Courchevel.
It is the best kept secret of the Three Valleys, and, as the home of one of the best and most passionate chalet company's in The Alps, The Alpine Club, it will spoil you for the other big name resorts forever.
I'd heard a whisper about this little-known French resort, and when I finally arrived, it was love at first ski. The runs around St Martin are some of the best in the network both for quality of the runs (including juicy slivers of off-piste) and the stunning mountain and village scenery. Indeed, the red run Jerusalem which takes you whooping and swooping back into the village is a firm favourite of many ski journalists, including The Daily Mail Ski and Snowboard editor Henry Druce. Plus, there?s room to breathe as the pistes and lifts are blissfully crowd free. But it's not just on the slopes that St Martin shines.
The pretty little resort retains its mountain village authenticity as there is still a large enough local population committed to preserving the architecture and ambiance to stop it feeling like Chiswick on snow which some of the more famous Three Valleys resorts often do. This enthusiasm for preserving the feel of St Martin to safeguard their future translates into plenty of original wood & stone barns nestling against the mountainside & a village where farmhouse cheese is still made. Plus, there's an unusually good range and quality of restaurants with Michelin listed and one Michelin two star restaurant within minutes of St Martin.
But when you're staying at one of The Alpine Clubs luxury boutique chalets you won't have the chance to think about Michelin star restaurants as you'll be too busy savouring sumptuous five-course dinners, beautifully presented by your very own personal chef.
Combining luxury and comfort, with exemplary service & gourmet food, The Alpine Club has found the perfect niche in the 3 Valleys most authentic & beautiful village. Specialising exclusively in St Martin de Belleville (after all why go anywhere else when you have found perfection), The Alpine Club is personally managed by the Company Owners Helen & Chris Raemers. It is their powerful combination of professionalism, attention to detail, expert local knowledge & sheer passion for the area that ensures from your booking to your arrival & throughout your stay, everything happens so smoothly & effortlessly that every care is removed.
Wandering through the timeless hamlet of Villarabout, a stones throw from St Martin de Belleville, yet it feels like you are in another century, you stumble across Chalet Abode. From the outside of this 100-year-old farmers house you get just a hint that all is not what it seems. Sensitively converted in 2009, Abode is the epitome of a Savoyard farmer's house; whilst the renovation has retained the spirit & feel, contemporary interiors, designer furniture, and oodles of creature comforts bring style & sophistication. The stunning open-plan living room is a feast of original beams, stonewalls and wall-to-wall windows with spectacular panoramic mountain views. The perfect sanctuary for winding down and relaxing after a day on the slopes. The chalet sleeps 8 to 10 guests in 3 beautifully appointed rooms & 1 family suite with a separate bunk bedroom, all with designer en-suite bathrooms with luxurious deep baths.
Continuing the theme of authentic Savoyard homes, The Alpine Club's La Ferme de Belleville is a converted 16th century farmhouse squirreled away in the historical part of St Martin, in a wonderfully peaceful location. The pièce de résistance is the open-plan living/dining area, which spreads out beneath the vaulted stone ceiling. As Sean Newsom of the Sunday Times put it "anyone raised on the utilitarian standards of most Alpine accommodation - will be struck dumb".
The chalet sleeps 12 in 6 cosy en-suite bedrooms; original timber beams and rustic stone walls combine with warm colours, Savoyard touches and traditional furniture. you will feel so comfortable & relaxed it will be a wrench to leave at the end of your stay.
I've been back to St Martin many times since it first stole my heart on that first run. But flying down Jerusalem as the sunset tinges the mountain tops pink at the end of another fantastic day, my heart still swells with the excitement of first love when I see St Martin de Belleville nestled on the valley floor below me and I know I'm going home to canapés and a gourmet dinner in front of a roaring Alpine Club fire.
For Further Details Contact The Alpine Club
T - +33 ((0)6 30 22 62 15
W - www.thealpineclub.co.uk
I've carved up the mountains from Meribel, clocked up the kilometres from Courchevel and hit the peaks from Val Thorens but when it comes to the Three Valleys, I lost my heart in St Martin de Belleville.
Nestled in the French Alps and a couple of lifts from its more famous neighbours, the chocolate box resort of St Martin de Belleville offers skiers and boarders easy access to the 600km of piste of the Three Valleys network without the crowds that cluster around Meribel, Val Thorens and Courchevel.
It is the best kept secret of the Three Valleys, and, as the home of one of the best and most passionate chalet company's in The Alps, The Alpine Club, it will spoil you for the other big name resorts forever.
I'd heard a whisper about this little-known French resort, and when I finally arrived, it was love at first ski. The runs around St Martin are some of the best in the network both for quality of the runs (including juicy slivers of off-piste) and the stunning mountain and village scenery. Indeed, the red run Jerusalem which takes you whooping and swooping back into the village is a firm favourite of many ski journalists, including The Daily Mail Ski and Snowboard editor Henry Druce. Plus, there?s room to breathe as the pistes and lifts are blissfully crowd free. But it's not just on the slopes that St Martin shines.
The pretty little resort retains its mountain village authenticity as there is still a large enough local population committed to preserving the architecture and ambiance to stop it feeling like Chiswick on snow which some of the more famous Three Valleys resorts often do. This enthusiasm for preserving the feel of St Martin to safeguard their future translates into plenty of original wood & stone barns nestling against the mountainside & a village where farmhouse cheese is still made. Plus, there's an unusually good range and quality of restaurants with Michelin listed and one Michelin two star restaurant within minutes of St Martin.
But when you're staying at one of The Alpine Clubs luxury boutique chalets you won't have the chance to think about Michelin star restaurants as you'll be too busy savouring sumptuous five-course dinners, beautifully presented by your very own personal chef.
Combining luxury and comfort, with exemplary service & gourmet food, The Alpine Club has found the perfect niche in the 3 Valleys most authentic & beautiful village. Specialising exclusively in St Martin de Belleville (after all why go anywhere else when you have found perfection), The Alpine Club is personally managed by the Company Owners Helen & Chris Raemers. It is their powerful combination of professionalism, attention to detail, expert local knowledge & sheer passion for the area that ensures from your booking to your arrival & throughout your stay, everything happens so smoothly & effortlessly that every care is removed.
Wandering through the timeless hamlet of Villarabout, a stones throw from St Martin de Belleville, yet it feels like you are in another century, you stumble across Chalet Abode. From the outside of this 100-year-old farmers house you get just a hint that all is not what it seems. Sensitively converted in 2009, Abode is the epitome of a Savoyard farmer's house; whilst the renovation has retained the spirit & feel, contemporary interiors, designer furniture, and oodles of creature comforts bring style & sophistication. The stunning open-plan living room is a feast of original beams, stonewalls and wall-to-wall windows with spectacular panoramic mountain views. The perfect sanctuary for winding down and relaxing after a day on the slopes. The chalet sleeps 8 to 10 guests in 3 beautifully appointed rooms & 1 family suite with a separate bunk bedroom, all with designer en-suite bathrooms with luxurious deep baths.
Continuing the theme of authentic Savoyard homes, The Alpine Club's La Ferme de Belleville is a converted 16th century farmhouse squirreled away in the historical part of St Martin, in a wonderfully peaceful location. The pièce de résistance is the open-plan living/dining area, which spreads out beneath the vaulted stone ceiling. As Sean Newsom of the Sunday Times put it "anyone raised on the utilitarian standards of most Alpine accommodation - will be struck dumb".
The chalet sleeps 12 in 6 cosy en-suite bedrooms; original timber beams and rustic stone walls combine with warm colours, Savoyard touches and traditional furniture. you will feel so comfortable & relaxed it will be a wrench to leave at the end of your stay.
I've been back to St Martin many times since it first stole my heart on that first run. But flying down Jerusalem as the sunset tinges the mountain tops pink at the end of another fantastic day, my heart still swells with the excitement of first love when I see St Martin de Belleville nestled on the valley floor below me and I know I'm going home to canapés and a gourmet dinner in front of a roaring Alpine Club fire.
For Further Details Contact The Alpine Club
T - +33 ((0)6 30 22 62 15
W - www.thealpineclub.co.uk
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