Georges Rouzeau - 2009-01-05

Ask any of the locals and you’ll get the same answer: Les Menuires is a great place to ski and a great place to live. The ski resort brings together the resources of the only ski area of its kind in the world, and a great variety of after-ski activities, from the open-air heated pool to squash to hay steam baths. And then there’s the ultra-practical quarter called La Croisette, with its many ski shops, bars and services (including a post office). Plus a host of restaurants, featuring an extraordinary two-star establishment, René and Maxime Meilleur’s La Bouitte. Finally, the valley beyond has managed to preserve its authentic alpine heritage, as can be seen in the village of St. Martin de Belleville.

 

Let’s begin with the skiable terrain itself. Les Menuires alone offers 160 km of pistes: 7 black, 26 red, 24 blue and 4 green. Along with St. Martin de Belleville and Val Thorens, Les Menuires is part of the Vallée des Belleville: over 300 km of trails. The valley’s east-west exposition makes it possible to slalom all day in the sun. It is also an entryway, via natural passes and ski lifts, to the valleys of  St. Bon Courchevel and Méribel les Allues. Taken together, these three are the Domaine des 3 Vallées, the world’s largest ski area, boasting some 600 km of pistes and 180 lifts.

 

Caution! Anyone keen on covering this Himalayan-scale ski area in a single day would have to 1°) rise at dawn, 2°) do without lunch and 3°) be a top level skier!

Without going to such extremes, Les Menuires features several ranges which give it its inimitable character. The Mont de la Chambre (2850 m) connects with St. Martin de Belleville and the ski areas of Méribel and Val Thorens. From there, the beautiful panoramic view of the Mont-Blanc range, the Vanoise glaciers, and the peaks of the Arve, the Grandes Rousses and Belledonne may all be enjoyed. The Pointe de la Masse, reserved for more seasoned skiers, brings together several off-piste runs, such as the Lac du Lou, the Col de la Fenêtre and the Vallée des Encombres. With direct access from the heart of the resort via gondola, the Roc des Trois Marches (2704 m) has easy slopes leading to St. Martin de Belleville, Les Menuires or Méribel. La Tougnète (2430 m), linked to St. Martin de Belleville by gondola, is the main gate to the Domaine des 3 Vallées; one can also reach Les Menuires from there.

 

Built in the 1960s-70s, the ski area is comprised of 7 areas spread over 2 km between 1780 m and 1950 m. Fortunately, its urban look has been compensated for by more recent complexes (such as Reberty 2000) featuring traditional wood chalets and top-of-the-range residences.

 

This new trend can be seen in the Hôtel Chalet Kaya ****, which opened three years ago. The first introduction of designer architecture in the Vallée des Belleville, the Kaya has large, spacious rooms furnished in natural materials such as wool, linen, wood, glass and slate in grey, beige and red tones. It’s a chalet-hotel with a ‘casual mountain chic’ feel.

Created by David Archinard, who studied under Rostang, the hotel’s le K restaurant has a well-conceived bistro lunch menu featuring such treats as pork terrine with foie gras and pressed herring with warm potatoes. Each evening, the young chef also prepares an ‘ephemeral’ menu for hotel guests on the half-board plan with two starters, two main courses and two desserts - all made from fresh ingredients - with a tip of the hat to local Savoyard cuisine.

 

Other upmarket lodgings are available at the sparkling new Résidence Les Clarines, a complex comprising of six chalets housing 2- to 5-room flats. Fully furnished and decorated with a wood exterior, these apartments located at the foot of the trails come with private ski lockers.

 

Le Kaya and Les Clarines are also remarkable for the quality of their spas and wellness facilities, with two (sizeable) pools, hammams, saunas, and Jacuzzis. Les Clarines have opted for the organic beauty product line from Switzerland called After the rain, ‘a concept based on personalisation’, where essential oils are mixed and applied according to each client’s requirements. Further below in the valley, in the hamlet of St. Marcel, René Meilleur has put together an old-fashioned hay steam bath which is deliciously reminiscent of the fragrances of yore. A place of wood and intimate spaces, the hotel’s ‘house’ spa resembles the enterprising and welcoming family that runs it. The outdoors Jacuzzi looks onto the snowy ranges that surround the valley: a rare and privileged moment....

 

Open since 2005, the sports centre attached to Les Menuires has a pool big enough to really swim in and an ‘aquaclub’ with a sauna and hammam, a spa, two squash courts and a fitness room. The ground level is an immense gymnasium which can be modified on demand and used for basketball, badminton or volleyball. Prices are affordable and guests may sign up by day or by week. The resort also has an agreeable outdoors pool heated at 29°C for a swim under the stars...

 

We inaugurated the new toboggan run at Les Menuires called ‘Roc’n Bob’: 4 km long with an altitude drop of 450 m, accessible via the Roc des 3 Marches gondola. Divided into 4 ‘sections’, the run has some twenty tight bends and promises many thrills.

 

Thanks to the substantial Village des Piou-piou (Chickabiddy Village) set in the bosom of La Croisette, Les Menuires is one of the rare resorts which welcomes young guests from 3 months to 5 years old. Over an area of 2 hectares equipped with different learning centres (including a treadmill, a mini ski tow and gentle inclines of varying difficulty), conditions are perfect for discovering how to ski while having fun.

 

 

BP22

73440 Les Ménuires

Tel.: 04 79 00 73 00

Fax.:  04 79 00 75 06

 

 

Village de Reberty

73440 Les Menuires  

Rooms from € 183 in low season

 

Tel.: 04 50 33 10 96

Set in the Preyerand quarter (1750 m) close by the slopes, guests of this top-level residence stay in 2- to 5- room flats. Their ‘spa and alpine beauty’ centre is truly worth a visit, with its indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzis, saunas, hammams, cardio training room and 100% organic beauty salon.

 

 

At the base of the pistes, The Hôtel Kaya’s Restaurant K boasts a lunch menu featuring fresh, well-prepared bistro fare. Evenings, there is a menu du jour for guests on the half-board plan.

 

Hameau de Saint-Marcel

73440 Saint-Martin-de Belleville

Tel.: 04 79 08 96 77

In a delightful alpine chalet decor, René and Maxime Meilleur - father and son - whip up highly creative cuisine (two stars) as a tribute to the mountain which has always provided their livelihood. Five rooms and suites, an outdoor Jacuzzi, sauna, and hay steam bath.

 

Les Places

73440 St. Martin de Belleville

Tel.: 04 79 01 08 40

During the summer, Éric Suchet lives in an alpine dairy chalet above Les Menuires where he looks after cows and goats as a tenant farmer and makes cheese from their milk. In winter, he oversees the kitchen of the Montagnard, a former stable in St. Martin de Belleville whose specialities include traditional cheese dishes.