I’m skiing over, what the sign reveals, is a golf course in summer – almost floating past snow- capped mountains which stretch out like a crumpled white bedspread. The piste is perfectly manicured and leads down to the chocolate box town below. The sun is almost blinding, the air as crisp as a ginger snap and Gucci-branded gondola lifts trundle past. Not so trundling are the alpinists who ski past with vigour, clad in Moncler, Loro Piana and Chanel Coco Neige.

This is Courchevel 1850, 1,850 metres above sea level in the peaks of Les Trois Vallées and the highest of Courchevel’s five villages. Elevated in altitude and stature, Courchevel 1850 is a favourite with celebrities and royals – including the Dubai Royal family, who frequent the resort – and welcomes guests into a charming gingerbread-house world with rustic-chic chalets, fondue restaurants and Gucci, Moncler, Saint Laurent and Dior stores – selling their chicest winter wares, of course.

Every year from December through April, the rugged peaks and charming towns of the three valleys come alive with skiers, winter sports enthusiasts and luxury holidaymakers. The chichiest of them all is Courchevel, just a two- hour drive from Geneva and an easy pilgrimage from my UAE home. At the highest point in the resort, Courchevel 1850 is the supermodel of French winter destinations, perfectly preened and oozing with glamour thanks to its wealthy patronage. Amongst the mix of grand Savoyard- themed chalets and global hotel brands, one hotel feels more familiar to a sun-worshipper like me. A far cry from the tropical retreats the brand is known for, Aman Le Mélézin seems more like a grand French fortress than a ski hotel.

It cuts an imposing shape on the edge of the Bellecôte piste, looking over the town and effortlessly combining the brand’s signature Asian aesthetic with the locale. Staff, including genial general manager Alexandra, have worked here for decades: the hotel itself opened in 1992 and is still the only Aman property in France.

There’s a familiar comfort in its effortless mix between Oriental and Savoyard. Inside, solid oak panelling and parquet flooring are brightened by fawn carpets, orchids, and bonsai trees, which sit by roaring fireplaces. The lobby centres around a gnarled 100-year-old tree, and a Japanese-style fitness studio displays a projection of the gleaming white slopes. Naturally, it’s ski-in, ski-out, the preserve of only the very best. Le Mélézin’s warm, inviting ski room is where I find myself each morning – after yoga sessions and a hearty breakfast overlooking the Vanoise peaks. It spills right onto the groomed Bellecôte, manned by a small army of tall, smiling gentlemen issuing words of encouragement.

The team laughs and smiles as they measure for ski boots and skis, all available at the chalet, joined by the day’s usual dose of ski instructors who wait patiently for their monied clients. For lessons in Courchevel, look nowhere else but ESF Courchevel 1850 (half-day from €326) – the iconic ski school born in 1937 with a 500-strong army of instructors teaching children, teens, adults, and both group and private lessons. Said charming teachers are seen all across the town and slopes, in their signature red suits, awaiting their clients in the ski rooms of luxury hotels and whizzing down the slopes each morning, saying hi to seemingly everyone.

Thanks to the typically French approach to learning – fast, brave and no nonsense – in just a few hours, you can go from never having skied before to confidently snow ploughing, stopping, turning, and using the gondola and button lifts. Tjis means you can enjoy the green slopes by yourself for the rest of your trip, even after one lesson. Many families book a tutor for the duration of their stay, not only enjoying the holiday of a lifetime but turning them into accomplished skiers – a priceless skill for life.

But you don’t have to ski, or even attempt to ski, to experience the magic of the Alps, and moon biking and snowshoeing are all other popular pursuits, the latter includes zooming around a track on the edge of a dusty fir forest – watching the blue sky turn from red to purple and finally to star-speckled night.

For a Gulf resident, spending so much time outdoors in the fresh alpine air is indescribably wonderful. And each day, after hours in the snow, I find myself dashing, rosy-cheeked, to my room to cosy up by the fireplace or soak in the marble tub after such pursuits. Rooms at Aman Le Mélézin are nothing short of sumptuous, a boutique 31 with beamed ceilings, sink-your-toes-in carpets, fireplaces and gleaming marble bathrooms. Baths and powerful rainfall showers are stocked with Aman Spa products and it’s impossible not drift into a slumber as the black-out blinds cover the floodlit piste.

Soothing the aches from snowy pursuits is Aman’s two-story spa built below the piste, where a vaulted chamber houses an aquamarine pool flanked by Jacuzzis and white loungers. There’s something magical in this ritual, entering, still thawing from the freezing alpine air, to find steam rising from the limpid waters. That, and aprés-ski: the most convivial alpine tradition.

In Courchevel 1850, the place to be seen in between slope sessions is Le Chalet de Pierres, its front terrace cluttered with skis and its wooden floor dusted with half-melting snow. Pink-faced skiers zip off their jackets and pile in for oysters, French onion soup, steak tartare, crispy French fries and tartiflette – a bubbling pot of reblochon cheese, potato and meat.

Nearby is party favourite Bagatelle, which feels like a summer in the South of France on the slopes. Aman Le Mélézin’s half-board package allows for dining in six restaurants across the town, including the chalet-chic Les Airelles hotel with its Savoyard restaurant and elegant Italian, Palladio. The antithesis to the Japandi minimalism of Le Mélézin, Les Airelles is a sensory overload of pure maximalist Savoyard glamour – especially during the festive season.

From the outside, Les Airelles Courchevel looks like something from a storybook: the gingerbread castle exterior, with whimsical turrets, dusted in icing sugar snow, twinkling lights and curved balconies. Not to mention the army of beaming staff buzzing around in their signature white baker boy-style uniforms. What makes this hotel so special is its dining programme, with four restaurants trotting traditional Savoyard to refined Italian and the iconic La Table des Airelles grand buffet – last season even saw a zeitgeist collaboration with social media sensation and pastry chef Cédric Grolet.

Keen skiers can catch a gondola lift to nearby Meribel for open-air La Folie Douce – the most famous party in the Alps. Le Mélézin itself is home to Nama, the brand’s signature understated Japanese restaurant, and a cosy bar serving French all-day fare. I dabble in them all, the balance adding sublime variety to dining not expected of alpine holidays.

There’s something about gazing onto brilliant snow- capped peaks and breathing in its fresh pine-scented air that is undeniably restorative. And when all this can be done in the splendour of an Aman hotel and riding Gucci- emblazoned gondolas – why would a luxury-loving traveller look anywhere else.

Courchevel address book

Where to stay

Aman Le Mélézin, Aman’s Japandi fortress on the slopes of the Bellecôte Piste. Les Airelles, on the bustling Rue du Jardin Alpins run and as quintessentially chalet chic as it gets. Other big brands like Cheval Blanc, Oetker Collection, Groupe Barrière and Six Senses also have outposts. 200 metres down the slope in 1650, Ultima Collection has a private chalet.

Where to play

Bagatelle brings South of France vibes to the peaks with its signature Mediterranean cuisine, free-flowing rosé and bottle service and good times.

La Folie Douce in Méribel is a short ski away, the iconic slope haunt famed across Europe for its mega parties and après ski energy. The slopes are also lined with pit stops selling crepes euro beers, with throwback tunes, a more casual, laidback, yet party vibe, like Grrizzly&Co.

Where to eat

Aman Le Mélézin’s Japanese restaurant Nama is the perfect antidote to days on of fondue, bread and raclette, offering sushi, seafood and more. The Bar is, the perfect place to enjoy a glass of champagne by the fireplace overlooking the piste.

Le Chalet de Pierres is the chicest spot for piste-side lunches in Courchevel 1850. Come in your ski gear for classic French fare with mountain views from its typically French alpine restaurant. The outdoor terrace is more of a party vibe with the feeling of a lux festive market.

Restaurant Le Genépi, a storybook hideaway serving traditional fondue with green walnut salad and tots of génépi (herbal liqueur).

Italian Palladio with oak panelling, roaring fireplaces, fresh pasta and ginormous portions. La Table des Airelles is the most lavish buffet in town: a feast of lobster, cheeses, oysters, meats and more.

This article originally featured in NEAR+FAR Volume II

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