our selection of establishments in the mountains – L’Express

Rarely have the French had such a need to take a winter break. Despite the rise in the price of living (taxes, energy) and the anxiety-provoking international context (Syria, war in Ukraine), they are looking to escape. In the sun, but especially this year by favoring the mountains as the occupancy rates of the resorts during the Christmas holidays have just shown: the ski business is flourishing thanks to an increase in the range of resorts which focus on well-being and luxury. L’Express has selected the most cocooning and heavenly destinations.

Coming from the French tradition of hydrotherapy, fitness in the broad sense is essential for a stay in the resort. If most of the specialized and medical establishments in the foothills but also in the mid-mountains have diversified with occasional treatments open to all, new structures have been built entirely designed to add pleasure and relaxation to the benefits of water. Thermoludism was born, free from all constraints. Swimming pool, hot bath, caldarium, hammam, sauna, endless body treatments… In the same trend, more and more hotels are equipping themselves with spas with cutting-edge services, rigorous protocols and sophisticated cosmetics, mechanically contributing to their move upmarket. So many infallible tools for attracting new customers and, above all, retaining them.

In Courchevel, a very exclusive choice

In the heart of the 3 Valleys, the largest ski area in the world, a resort is doubling its energy to offer the best of wellness.

Among the exclusive addresses of this resort with 21 5-star hotels (including four in palaces), the Barrière Les Neiges does not deviate from luxury, elegance and authenticity pushed to their paroxysm, qualities which the Diane spa is endowed with Barrier with its 20-meter swimming pool and its numerous facilities. Including six well-being sanctuary cabins, where treatments are tailor-made, sensory experiences delivered by professional hands, Biologique Recherche cosmetics resulting from great expertise. For example, the Second Skin treatment: an ideal alternative to injections, it consists of applying a so-called electro-woven mask 40 times more concentrated in hyaluronic acid than syringe protocols (1 hour, €390). hotelsbarriere.com

In Val d’Isère, a timeless retreat

Perched at an altitude of 2,551 meters, the Refuge de Solaise stands out as the highest chic hotel and spa in the French Alps.

It all starts with the swimming pool: 25 meters long, an exception! Then two outdoor jacuzzis to blend into the landscape and two hammams to wrap yourself in steam. On the treatment side, four spaces have been set up, supplemented by a beauty salon. Let yourself be seduced by the Reconnection ritual in five steps, Resource, Recover, Regenerate, Reactive and Reconnect (2h10, €245). The spa also offers technological expertise such as light therapy and compression boots, or group classes on well-being. Then, head to the hotel lobby, the bar or the terrace to contemplate the sunset, before tasting the flavors of the restaurant and spending a divine night in your room or apartment (from 35 to 380 square meters). Prices on lerefuge-valdisere.com

In Megève, well-being remains the benchmark

In this mid-altitude resort with wonderful chalets and international fame, around fifteen addresses could satisfy the desire for relaxation and care for the body and mind. The Sibuet family has contributed significantly to this for seven decades, of course with Les Fermes de Marie, 5*, then with Le Mont-Blanc, 4*. And today with the Lodge Park that she has just taken over. This already renowned hotel gains a 5th star following a renovation of which the Sibuets have the secret. The attention to detail, the play on materials putting wood in the spotlight, the mixes of fabrics, from fur to leather, the combinations of colors… No lack of taste in the rooms, which a fireplace warms up even more. The attachment to the authenticity of the mountain village version is preserved.

Sophistication in care

The Lodge Park also owes its ultra-chic character to its spa, no less than 800 square meters of happiness with Pure Altitude, a line of treatments created by Jocelyne Sibuet. Sanctuary wellness with the air of a refuge and noble materials, equipped with a swimming pool in its wooden setting, a sauna, a hammam and a jacuzzi, this spa offers complete programs over several days, such as the Slim & Detox (3h20, €625) or Zen Altitude (2h30, €455). Athletes will try the Skier’s Secret, with stretching and pressure points (50 minutes, €170). The curious will try sound therapy combining manual techniques and tuning fork vibrations (80 minutes, €205). There follows a long list of the great fundamentals, massages, facial treatments or anti-aging techniques of scientific sophistication.

lodgepark.com

And also in Megève…

• With its 900 square meters (m2), the spa at the 5* Four Seasons Megève Collection is the largest in the region. With a specialty: cellular regeneration.

• You can also relax at a lower price at the Palais Megève balneotherapy center, with its indoor/outdoor pool of 675 square meters, water between 32° and 34°, a counter-current river, massage beds, saunas and hammams… Adult €32, child 5-14 years €15.50. Happy hour every day from 6 p.m.: adults €25.60 and children €9.30. Reduced rate during family times from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. lepalaismegeve.com

• The Terrésens chain is setting up near the resort (Praz-sur-Arly): the hotel-residence-chalets L’Eclat des Vériaz adopts the hamlet spirit and opens a spa with indoor/outdoor swimming pool, sauna, hammam and even a salt cave. terressens-hr.com

In Vaujany, a stay with a capital V

In this peaceful Isère village resort, a first 4* hotel has emerged to also make people love the night.

Connected to the Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine slopes thanks to its cable car, Vaujany has experienced significant development over the last two decades: large sports center, quality residences, various facilities… and finally a charming 4*. The V de Vaujany, completely renovated between 2015 and 2020 by its owner Bruno Avêque, offers a luxurious and wooded authenticity in its 25 rooms with balconies overlooking the mountain, as in its restaurant called IDA, staged by a duo trained very well. school. The V has also been enriched with a spa decorated with wood and mosaics. We then immerse ourselves in the swimming pool before enjoying the warmth of the hammam or sauna, three places that can be privatized from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. On the treatment side, they are signed Pure Altitude, with a range of products derived from plants and minerals which are available in various massages, sports recovery in particular, some accessible to children. Ultimate pleasure: on a terrace on the top floor facing the peaks of Oisans, hotel guests can privatize an outdoor Nordic bath.

Single night from €230/2 people. hotel-vdevaujany.fr And vaujany.fr

In Loudenvielle, the chic of real relaxation

Napoleon III and Eugénie were not mistaken: fans of cures in the Pyrenees, they were at the origin of the Thermal Routes (current RD 918 and 618) connecting the sources then exploited. Today, around fifteen hot water wellness centers combine hydrotherapy and relaxation and democratize getting back into shape.

Thermal world tour

Balnéa is the most spacious of them, almost one hectare between Loudenvielle and its lake. The establishment owes its originality to its sulfurous water pools. The Amerindian baths (due to the decoration), fun and energetic in water at 33°C, adjoin the Inca baths where you swim against the current. Under a glass dome, the Roman baths aim for soothing music and invite you to alternate between caldarium-frigidarium-tepidarium. In the Japanese baths, three outdoor pools at 33°C, 34°C and 36°C are complemented by an ice cabin at… 8°C. Finally, the Maya, popular with families, accepts babies from 9 months.

As for the treatments, they are offered within the Tibetan area and are available in 30 ways and from twenty to one hundred and twenty minutes. Thus, the Maori ritual with scrub with lava powder and lemon followed by a wrap with lava syrup and peppermint, then a massage with coconut-clementine gel, would almost make you salivate (1 hour, €77).

A hotel to measure

Such a concentration of benefits deserved suitable accommodation… 150 meters away by a footbridge, the hotel Mercure Peyragudes Loudenvielle recently renovated perfectly fulfills its role as a 4* refuge. Its 65 wood-clad rooms and suites, almost all with balconies, each accommodate up to five people. Then we meet at the bar and while the chocolate factory prepares snacks to enjoy around the fireplace, the Copains restaurant refines its local flavors. Finally, the hotel has its heated swimming pool, a relaxation area and above all a Nuxe spa with a wide range of treatments and relaxation, including a Honey Dream Body (1h30, €145) or a Plantar Relaxation massage (45 minutes, 70 €).

Practical

• 100 meters from the hotel, the Skyvall leads to the Peyragudes ski area in ten minutes.

• 3-day/3-night half-board stay at Mercure, 2-day ski pass and Balnéa entry (2 hours), from €735/person. With train + bus option, from €865; or plane + bus, from €945. Stay 7 nights from €1,437, €1,567 and €1,647.

• Reservation : snow.hautes-pyrenees.fr and 05 62 56 70 00 (very efficient Boutique des Pyrénées).

In Les Orres, disconnection in the heart of nature

The Alpin d’Hôme is a very special hotel in the middle of the larch trees, halfway between the high-Alpine resorts of Orres 1 650 and 1 800.

Five minutes with snowshoes on your feet are enough to reach the Alpin d’Hôme from the road and its 11 domes, large white and transparent bubbles of 40 square meters (m2) with a terrace, spaced from each other to ensure your privacy. A few Finnish kotas – a sort of miniature chalet of 20 m2 – complete the accommodation, Far North style.

Last winter, the hotel expanded with a new 8 meter high bubble which houses a 200 m2 spa. There is a sauna, a hammam, a Nordic bath, a herbal tea room, then two treatment and massage rooms, including for couples or parent/child. Finally, an 80 m2 solarium opens onto the landscape and the silence of the forest, for total disconnection. alpin-dhome.fr And alpinspa.fr

Practical

• Low-carbon stay with Paris-Embrun return night train, then white shuttle (13 kilometers), 7 nights in kota, Afghan march and snowshoe outings, etc. From €1,727/2 people. Reservation at 04 92 44 19 17.

• From April 5 to 7, 2025 in Les Orres: Pure Flow Festival for well-being and sport, with around thirty yoga, sophrology workshops, etc. lesorres.com