Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Cheval Blanc Courchevel: Art‑Led Chalet Living, Peak‑Level Skiing and Cocooning Calm
High above Courchevel 1850, Cheval Blanc Courchevel has carved out its own niche: a high‑altitude retreat instantly recognisable by its mustard‑hued façade against the snow. Open only for a few winter months, this is far more than a hotel – it feels like an annual rendezvous where contemporary art lines hushed corridors and the vast Trois Vallées unfurl at your skis. Conceived as a collector’s chalet, its intimate world and meticulous details are designed to make each stay feel transformative, and leaving, just a little bittersweet.
A five‑star chalet hotel high above Courchevel 1850
At the top of Courchevel 1850, Cheval Blanc Courchevel stands out as an ultra‑exclusive mountain hotel, officially rated 5 stars and distinguished both by a 4.8/5 guest score and by its Three MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Travel Guide Five‑Star accolades. Set in Le Jardin Alpin, Rue du Jardin Alpin, one of the resort’s most coveted enclaves, the property opens directly onto the slopes with true ski‑in, ski‑out access straight into Les Trois Vallées, regarded as the largest interconnected ski area in the world. Capacity is deliberately limited, with just a few dozen rooms and suites – 34 or 36, depending on the guide – to preserve a discreet atmosphere and highly personalised service.
Outside, a mustard‑toned façade cuts a distinctive figure against Courchevel 1850’s snow‑white landscape, signalling a place that plays its own visual game, somewhere between Alpine chalet and contemporary home. Inside, as already mentioned, the mood is described as “Contemporary Classic & Quiet”, with a whimsical Alpine theme of cuckoo clocks, hides and strings of lights, framed by wide picture windows that turn the snow into a living canvas. This feel of an impeccably run family house, which you also find elsewhere in Le Jardin Alpin at L’Apogée Courchevel, here caters to a blend of committed skiers, demanding families and design‑minded travellers looking for a bespoke chalet‑style hotel that opens only in winter, from December to April.
This intentionally short season heightens the sense of rarity: the hotel becomes a winter appointment, at once a base camp for serious skiing and a warm retreat focused on service, wellbeing and high gastronomy.
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
An interior world by Sybille de Margerie, brought to life by contemporary art
Inside, Cheval Blanc Courchevel owes much to interior designer Sybille de Margerie, who imagined a setting that blends Alpine materials with contemporary touches. Corridors and lounges play on warm woods, fur, bold colours and carefully considered lighting. The atmosphere stays deliberately hushed and calm, but sidesteps austerity thanks to a playful decorative language: reworked clocks and cuckoos, fairy lights, and quirky objects that nod to the mountains without lapsing into pastiche.
This backdrop forms a showcase for a contemporary art collection that gives the house a strong identity. Works by Paola Pivi, Walter Niedermayr and Xavier Veilhan punctuate the spaces, turning walkways into an art trail. In the lobby, Xavier Veilhan’s bear installation, a mirrored horse by Bruno Peinado and an aerial print by Andreas Gursky create a scenography that continually converses with the views outside. Generous floor‑to‑ceiling windows pull in the light and multiply the reflections between snow, artworks and glass surfaces.
This artistic stance sets Cheval Blanc Courchevel apart within the resort and, more broadly, among French mountain hotels. Where some properties take their cue from historical or palace‑style references, as at Airelles Courchevel, this Jardin Alpin address embraces a resolutely contemporary line, closer to a gallery you can live in. It will appeal to travellers attuned to design, who prefer the mountains to be evoked with humour and modernity rather than through a simple accumulation of rustic codes.
Suites, private chalet and rooms conceived as high‑altitude retreats
The hotel’s measured scale carries through to its 34 to 36 rooms and suites, each individually designed with a bold colour palette. The décor extends the contemporary Alpine spirit through noble materials: wood, marble, cashmere and substantial textiles. From the moment you step in, signature‑scent candles – blending orange, cardamom, amber and patchouli – wrap guests in a discreet fragrance trail that runs throughout the property.
Rooms feature marble bathrooms with generous amenities, personalised candles and bathtubs in some cases fitted with integrated television screens. Certain categories add a private hammam, creating a true recovery zone after skiing. Others offer terraces or balconies, in‑room saunas or flotation baths designed to ease muscle tension. Cashmere throws, minibars stocked with Dom Pérignon and carefully considered comfort details underline the hotel’s firmly high‑end positioning.
For families or groups of friends seeking greater privacy, the hotel offers duplex suites and a stand‑alone three‑bedroom chalet spread over four floors with its own lift. The chalet includes hammam‑showers, a screening room and a private spa with sauna and outdoor Nordic bath. It extends the house’s DNA: enjoying the mountains with the intimacy of a private chalet, but with five‑star hotel services and direct access to the Trois Vallées slopes.
Photo: © Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Three‑starred haute cuisine and reimagined Alpine dining
Gastronomy is central to the Cheval Blanc Courchevel experience. Le 1947, led by chef Yannick Alléno, is the resort’s only restaurant to hold three MICHELIN stars, placing the hotel firmly among the very select group of high‑altitude fine‑dining destinations. Named after a landmark vintage, the restaurant follows the house’s lead with a creative interpretation of French gastronomy, marked by meticulous attention to detail, service ritual and pairings.
Alongside this exceptional address, Le Triptyque takes on the feel of a modern brasserie, serving indulgent breakfasts, as well as more relaxed lunches and dinners. The menu flexes to skiers’ appetites, from deeply comforting dishes after a long day on the slopes to lighter plates for sunny lunchtime breaks. Le Bar rounds out the line‑up with several roles: morning coffee spot, address for light bites in the afternoon, then an après‑ski scene with live music once the lifts close.
The hotel also curates culinary experiences tailored to the mountains: aperitifs in an igloo, cognac tastings in a Mongolian yurt, and shared moments that refresh the usual après‑ski script. Out on the terrace, a “Cigar Yurt” invites guests to extend the evening over cocktails, cigars and games in a setting that is both playful and cocooning. This inventive approach to food and drink, designed for the Alpine context, echoes other properties where dining shapes the stay, such as the Sofitel Golfe d’Ajaccio, but here the focus is firmly on three‑star haute cuisine at altitude.
Guerlain wellbeing, a high‑altitude spa and the science of recovery after skiing
To counterbalance intense days on the slopes, Cheval Blanc Courchevel dedicates an entire universe to wellbeing with the Cheval Blanc Spa by Guerlain. This partnership has produced a treatment menu tailored to the mountains, including a signature “Extreme Altitude Treatment” specifically devised for skiers. The aim: to support muscle recovery, ease tension from exertion at altitude and prepare the body for another full day on the snow.
Facilities reinforce this role as a sanctuary for wellbeing. The spa houses an indoor infinity‑edge pool, its warm water reflected in a vast mirrored ceiling that magnifies the sense of space. A hammam with chromotherapy, indoor jacuzzi, outdoor Russian banya and hot tub under the winter sky form a complete circuit to enjoy alone or as a family. A fitness centre open 24/7 allows guests to keep up their training, with the option of personal coaching sessions on request.
As mentioned earlier, the rooms themselves continue this private‑spa feel, with individual hammams, saunas and flotation baths in certain categories. This continuity between room, Guerlain spa and aquatic facilities reinforces the property’s identity: a ski hotel designed as much for exertion as for recovery. Families value the ease of moving from slope to pool in minutes, while design‑conscious travellers will find the same level of detail in treatment rituals as in the choices of interiors and contemporary art.
Tailor‑made skiing, Alpine activities and a warm welcome for families and pets
Cheval Blanc Courchevel makes full use of its location at the top of Courchevel 1850, directly facing the slopes, with a dedicated ski set‑up. Ski‑in, ski‑out access means you can step straight out of the hotel and into Les Trois Vallées. Ski butlers and professional‑grade equipment services support every outing; ski boots can be pre‑warmed, while staff prepare the gear so that the transition from room to runs is as seamless as possible.
Beyond skiing, the hotel arranges a wide array of winter activities: dog‑sledding excursions, guided forest walks, night‑time e‑bike outings, hot‑air balloon flights and even private plane tours to see the mountains from another angle. This emphasis on bespoke experiences echoes the spirit of other properties in the resort, here directed towards a clientele of aesthetically minded skiers, as attuned to performance on the slopes as to comfort and lifestyle back at the hotel.
Families benefit from dedicated clubs for children and teenagers, and younger guests are welcomed from infancy, with baby cots, extra beds or camp beds available on simple request. Pets are also accepted on request, with possible additional fees, allowing guests to travel with the entire family. Check‑in from 5 pm and check‑out until 10 am frame a winter stay in which the rhythm shifts between slopes and spa, in a setting designed to remain practical even for the most demanding clans.
Explore the surroundings
Booking Cheval Blanc Courchevel: an ultra‑exclusive winter escape
Cheval Blanc Courchevel is designed for those who see the mountains as a complete way of life: direct skiing into Les Trois Vallées, three‑star haute cuisine, a Guerlain spa and a world of contemporary art all come together to shape a tightly focused winter stay, concentrated between December and April. The hotel’s limited capacity, bespoke ski services, stand‑alone chalet with private spa, and thoughtful hosting of both families and couples seeking discretion create a clear sense of exclusivity, without unnecessary display.
When planning a stay, it is worth noting the location at the top of Courchevel 1850 in Le Jardin Alpin, where the hotel enjoys a privileged residential environment directly facing the slopes. Booking ahead of the season is particularly advisable given the property’s winter‑only opening and the limited number of rooms and suites.
Cheval Blanc Courchevel
Le Jardin Alpin, Rue du Jardin Alpin
73120 Courchevel (Courchevel 1850) – France
Book at www.chevalblanc.com/en/maison/courchevel/ or contact the hotel on +33 4 79 00 50 50 to plan a bespoke stay combining intensive skiing, haute cuisine and Guerlain wellbeing.
