Le Coucou is the stylishly cosy Méribel hotel to visit this ski season
THE WEEKEND: After a hard day speeding down the slopes, nothing rewards like a lie down in a sauna, a lengthy soak in a hot tub and, most importantly, a hearty feed. Stylishly cosy Méribel hotel Le Coucou delivers like nothing else in the French Alps. Not only does our four-bedroom ‘chalet’ boast a private hamman and pool, Le Coucou is home to the first Beefbar to reach a ski resort. (More on that later.) Le Coucou’s sunny terrace overlooks the piste and chair lifts as well as down through the entire valley. A DJ provides an après-ski playlist. We haven’t donned our skis yet and already our bodies are grateful for the restorative vibes.
THE FOOD: As you may already be aware, Beefbar is one of the world’s hottest culinary destinations for carnivores. Founded in Monaco, its signature steak sauce, succulent chateaubriand, fondant potatoes to die for, and fluffy, meaty bao buns have raised the mouth-watering and cholesterol levels of the world’s jet-set since 2005. Now with branches in London, Paris, Saint Tropez, Mykonos, Dubai and a host of other ritzy locales, Méribel is its only location in the mountains.
The sunshine is best on the Courchevel side in the morning and Méribel in the afternoon, and there’s a network of diverse and exhilarating blue and red runs between them.
THE STAY: In addition to the 55 rooms (39 of which are suites), Le Coucou boasts two integrated chalets. Ours – Chalet Eleonore – is 590 square metres and spread over four lift-accessible floors. There’s a spacious living room which, like the four en-suite bedrooms, has a large balcony staring straight down the piste. This is properly ski-in ski-out. There’s also a kitchen, dining room, TV room and playroom. In addition to the private sauna, steam room and pool, there’s a massage room and Tata Harper therapists on call. Alternatively, one can use the main hotel spa with its many treatment rooms, indoor pool, jacuzzi and stylish outdoor hot tub.
THE SKIING: The Trois Vallées is unbeatable, and the snow and sunshine were perfect during our three day stay. Méribel is right at the heart of this spectacular ski area, and the main town is a five-minute drive down the winding hill from Le Coucou. It’s more relaxed and less flashy than Courchevel, with families and younger crowds coming predominantly from the UK and France. Courchevel’s blingier clientele is confirmed by its Gucciplastered cable cars and the 250 Euro caviar pizza at Le Tremplin. By all means give it a try. You can get there and back to Méribel within half an hour on skis.
The sunshine is best on the Courchevel side in the morning and Méribel in the afternoon, and there’s a network of diverse and exhilarating blue and red runs between them. We hired a wonderful instructor called Arno from l’ESF ski school, and he took us around not only the best pistes but also the finest food and drink stops on the mountain. A special shout out to Le Clos Bernard, surrounded by forest and offering a particularly indulgent tartiflette, and La Folie Douce – an apres ski mainstay with booming music, hype man, electric guitar soloist, flowing drinks and ski boot danceoffs every afternoon until 16:30, when we clocked several revellers exit via helicopter back to Courchevel, predictably.
Visit Le Coucou Méribel yourself
Nightly rates at Hotel Le Coucou start from 450 Euros for a Deluxe Room. Hotel Le Coucou’s Chalet Eglantine and Chalet Eleonore start from 8,500 Euros on a B&B basis. For more information, visit lecoucoumeribel.com
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