Cloudless skies. Blazing sun. Virgin snow. And the scent of truffles.
It’s lunchtime in Méribel, the chic French resort in Les Trois Vallées, and the buzz is electric.
Surrounded by snowy peaks, it’s shades, SPF and Aperol Spritz weather on the terrace of the Beefbar, where well-heeled skiers flock to eat at Méribel’s coolest slopeside restaurant.
The rhythmic beat of house music pulses in the background, smartly dressed parties arrive in twos and threes on skis, and peel off designer layers as the midday heat rises.
Before me, snowy peaks and valleys stretch out in blinding brilliance. Behind me, a dessert trolley beckons, laden with the kind of whimsical confections I’m more used to spotting on a swanky city break than while trussed up in borrowed ski gear listening to a live DJ.
But here’s the thing. I am in a swanky ski resort, staying at a swanky hotel, where tartes fines, truffles and Kobe teppanyaki are all par for the course.
After two previous winter sports holidays, one in a budget chalet, the other at an all-inclusive ClubMed experience, I’m suddenly seeing how the other half lives.
The terrace may be a destination restaurant for skiers far more experienced than I, but luckily prowess on the piste is not an entry requirement. Some diners come by road, following the path up from the pretty village below.
Others, like yours truly, simply saunter from their bedroom through Le Coucou, the hotel I’m calling home for the next few days, and smugly take a seat at Beefbar, one of two in-house restaurants.
I blend into the jet set with chameleon-like stealth, discreetly eyeing the style all around me. Owned by Maisons Pariente, a boutique family-run hotel group, Le Coucou was built in 2019 and is one of four luxury hotels owned by Patrick Pariente – co-founder of the iconic Naf-Naf brand – and his daughters.
An intensive morning’s ski lesson can take its toll on anyone, but most especially on a novice. With about six ski lessons under my belt back in 2019, I’m very much a fledgling (my only other winter sports experience was a snowboarding trip that left me with a wrist fracture and a longstanding fear of falling).
Despite the flow of adrenaline, and a hearty dose of enthusiasm, I’m astonished at how tired I feel after a few hours on skis. Physical exhaustion is matched by mental fatigue as I draw on every ounce of concentration and willpower to stay upright.
“Poles back, Jillian,” Arnaud, my ski instructor, calls from ahead, reminding me, yet again, to drop my shoulders, relax into my stance and follow his line in the snow.
Earlier I lost control and shot across the slopes like a runaway train before I landed, unceremoniously, with a thump. Now I am a little more nervous and even more determined not to wipe out a second time.
Ever since Brigitte Bardot was snapped shimmying down Méribel’s slopes in the 1960s, this postcard-pretty village has been on the radar of the rich and famous. Despite having the look and feel of a long-established Savoyard village, Méribel was purpose-built as a ski resort in the 1930s.
Restrictive planning policies have protected the village’s unique alpine character, ensuring that modern builds follow the same traditional style of local stone, slate and wood chalets.
The Méribel valley is the heart of all the three valleys, its slopes ideal for all levels, from beginners to families and more advanced skiers and snowboarders.
While it still draws high-profile celebrities – the Beckhams, George Clooney and Emma Watson are all fans – it‘s far more low-key than neighbouring Courchevel, but far more stylish than Val Thorens.
Happily, you don’t need to be a card-carrying member of the A-list or ski elite to enjoy a winter holiday here. With tired legs, I gleefully surrender to a horse-drawn sleigh ride, complete with bells that jingle through the snowy forestscape.
Unwind in style after a day on the slopes in the pool at Le Coucou
As we round a bend, the vibe suddenly switches up from Hallmark movie to a Coors Light commercial.
We alight at Le Clos Bernard, a cool restaurant hidden in the woods, where music and chat reverberate around the thick pines, wooden deck chairs are draped with thirsty skiers clutching beers and there’s a line of upright skis ‘parked’ in the snow. It’s like stumbling on an underground party in a log cabin.
I make like a local, and tuck into tartiflette, the hearty Savoyard classic of potatoes, melting Reblochon cheese, bacon lardons, onions and cream. Arnaud, who missed his calling as a tourist board rep, joins us and explains that all isn’t as it seems with this mountain staple.
“We call it traditional, but it was only invented in the 1980s,” he says. “The Reblochon makers were looking for a way to boost cheese sales, so they created this recipe. People think tartiflette is part of the region’s heritage, but it’s actually a pretty modern marketing ploy.”
Modern or not, it’s damn delicious, and the perfect fuel for tramping about on the slopes. Next morning we head to the edge of the village and set off on a snowshoe expedition which turns out to be less Grizzly Adams than I was expecting.
Sleek plastic contraptions strap neatly on to my hiking boots, their serrations gripping the virgin snow. It takes a little practice to navigate fresh drifts, as I sink, knee-deep, leaving monster-sized footprints in my wake.
Far more demure are the lone deer tracks we spot in the forest, suggesting a recent visitor in this tranquil space which was once farmland. As we pad through the trees with satisfying crunches underfoot, we are passed by the occasional cross-country skier – all sleek body suits, slim limbs and lightning quick movement. I watch their uphill endeavours as they lean low and move like skaters, using poles to glide along at speed.
Frankly, it all looks like very hard work and I’m in more of a sybaritic frame of mind, having fully committed to the Méribel jet-set vibes. Afternoon tea back at Le Coucou beckons, with pretty pastries, hot chocolate and fresh crêpes in the bijou bar.
Jillian Bolger sees how the other half lives it up in Meribel
After that, there’s the promise of a dip in the outdoor heated pool after a dreamy deep tissue massage in the Tata Harper spa. There’s something deliciously decadent about bobbing about in a heated outdoor pool surrounded by snow.
Hot and cold, smug and snug, I could stay here all day, but there’s something even more special that I’ve been saving up.
I slip down the corridor to my door, which opens to reveal much more than a room. Behind a standard bedroom door lies Chalet Eleonore, one of two incredible private chalets belonging to Hôtel Le Coucou.
With its traditional chocolate-box exterior, my glamorous digs are spread over four floors, with four large bedrooms, countless entertaining spaces, a huge deck overlooking the piste and the kind of retro alpine decor that feels bold, exciting and super chic.
Afterwards, downstairs, I slip into the chalet’s private swimming pool, followed by a solo session in the sauna and steam room. Chalet Eleonore has its own boot room too and private slope access, which, I suspect, is what visiting celebs prefer.
Me? I’m too fond of the charming staff in the hotel’s main ski room, where they select the perfect boots, skis and poles for our lessons, stash everything away on our return and offer all kinds of advice.
By the end of my stay I’ve had three falls, but I’ve also fallen in love with Méribel and the idea of mastering skiing.
Ludo, in Le Coucou’s ski shop, takes my gear back after my last run, and asks me for my room number so he can return my belongings.
“Oh, I don’t have a room number. I’m in the chateau,” I reply breezily. Chateau. Chalet. Easy to confuse when you’re high on life and superstar notions.
Getting there
Jillian Bolger was a guest of Hôtel Le Coucou in Méribel. Nightly rates at Hôtel Le Coucou’s Chalet Eglantine and Chalet Eleonore start from €8,500 B&B. Nightly rates at Hôtel Le Coucou start from €450 for a Deluxe Room B&B. lecoucouméribel.com
Aer Lingus and Swiss fly from Dublin to Geneva. Méribel is roughly a two-hour drive from Geneva airport.
Ski gear can be hired from Hôtel Le Coucou at daily rates.
L’école du Ski offers private group skiing lessons for up to six people from €430 per day. esf-uk.co.uk
A one-day Méribel Valley ski pass costs €53 and is more suited to beginners; a Three Valleys ski pass costs €63. skipass-Méribel.com/en
