Europeans and Europe visitors are spoilt for ski terrain. With hundreds of beautiful slopes spread across nearly 4,000 resorts, the options can be as dizzying as the peaks. But if you want something special, there are destination hotels in every major ski country on the Continent – be they home to a standout restaurant, eye-popping design, incredibly cosy interiors or a spectacular natural setting. Here are the ones to put on your skiing bucket list.
The Portetta Hotel in Courchevel, France
(Portetta)
This 38-room hotel, directly beside the piste in Courchevel 1650, runs a slick operation. Skiers who have visited its sister hotel Lime Wood in the New Forest, or any hotels in The Pig group, will recognise instantly the laidback but oh-so-helpful vibe among staff – not to mention the soft, plush bedding, cosy sofas, roaring fires and top-notch cuisine from a kitchen headed by Angela Hartnett. Portetta’s huge outdoor terrace and Fire & Ice bar is a destination in itself, serving up everything from coffees to long, sun-soaked lunches and wood-fired pizza with shots at aprés time. Six loft apartments and a small ski shop directly within the hotel completes Portetta’s fine offering.
The Twist Lounge at Valsana
(Valsana Hotel)
The meandering, forest-lined train ride to Arosa feels like a holiday in itself before you even reach the quaint resort, which shares a ski area with neighbouring Lenzerheide. Rebuilt and relaunched in 2018, the Valsana Hotel really has sustainability at its core, powered by a massive ice battery that draws waste heat from the hotel and converts it back into reusable energy. The 40 rooms and nine family apartments are eclectically decorated with an ode to nature and Valsana’s proximity to the forest. The property is also paperless, uses eco cleaning products, serves local produce and even refuses to offer a shuttle service, asking guests to use the resort transport.
A Mountain Villa room at Niehku
( Lars Thulin)
Niehku means “dream” in the northern Sami language – extremely apt for this dreamy 14-room lodge-hotel, built on the site of an historic trainline Riksgränsen. It’s in the most northern of Sweden’s ski areas in Lapland, on the border with Norway. This once-in-a-lifetime property incorporates historic sections of an old railway workshop where trains came to rest after a long…
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