Winter & Ski Home Mountain Luxury Ski & Spa in the French Alps

Long before premium ski accommodation providers began adding spas, swimming pools and beauty treatments to their on-site services, the French Alps were renowned for the beneficial mineral qualities of their naturally-occuring thermal waters. We profile three resorts which offer a combination of an established stylish spa environment with premium skiing nearby.

Brides-les-Bains

Fresh snow (and freshly-arrived skiers) in the heart of Brides-les-Bains.

An historic spa town with high-speed gondola access direct to Méribel, in the heart of the massive Trois-Vallées ski area. If you’re not a skiing fan that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a very special mountain experience in Brides-les-Bains. For the same price as a day’s ski pass you can also go to the spa and enjoy a moment of pampered relaxation while admiring dramatic mountain views.
The village is noted for its good value ski and spa breaks, with accommodation deals and prices in the town being much lower than you'd expect from such a quality Alpine resort.

• Access to high-altitude skiing in the world-renowned Trois-Vallées.
• Thermal spa centre Le Grand Spa des Alpes
• Budget pricing for premium skiing.
• Easy access - no mountain roads for drivers.
• Colourful Belle-Epoque architecture.
• Snow permitting, you can ski down to join the gondola in Les Allues.

Le Grand Spa des Alpes

The thermal spa treatments at Brides-les-Bains are known for their anti-cellulite and circulation-boosting properties (so if you want to lose weight then Le Grand Spa des Alpes might be able to help). However, they have many more options to tempt anyone simply looking for a luxurious, pampering experience. Choose from a large selection of hydrotherapy and beauty treatments or a long menu of massages and wraps - even one flavoured with chocolate.
After a hard day's skiing in the Three Valleys you can soothe your muscles with a "Light Legs" package (price €97). For a similar price you can devise your own programme from a list of over 40 different treatments. Finally, for a totally-indulgent break, the 2 day "Winter Discovery" package (prices from €150 per person) will leave you feeling totally relaxed.
Image: Espace repos jacuzzi - Grand Spa des Alpes® © Stéphane Kempinaire

Le Grand Spa des Alpes
Rue des Thermes, BP 14
Brides-les-Bains
Tel: +33 (0)4 79 55 23 44
Visit website

Brides-les-Bains accommodation and packages:
Peak Retreats
0844 576 0170 (UK)
or +44 23 9283 9310
reservations@peakretreats.co.uk

Saint Gervais-Les-Bains

St Gervais presents the quintessential image of an upmarket winter sports town.

The busy Alpine town of St Gervais is a renowned for its hot springs and spa treatments. Part of the Evasion Mont Blanc ski area, which offers 500kms of slopes, St Gervais also enjoys access to Les Houches in the Chamonix valley, via the Mont Blanc Tramway. The resort is also great for non-skiers, who can use either the tramway or a cable-car to access miles of exceptional snow-shoe walks, not to mention enjoying relaxed lunches in a mountain restaurant.
A further attraction is that Chamonix’s fabulous shops and entertainment are just 20 minutes away by car, or a short train journey from Saint Gervais Le Fayet.

• Character, upmarket spa town.
• Extensive, linked-domain skiing with a dramatic backdrop of Mont-Blanc.
• Dependable snow record.
• Flattering terrain, particularly for relaxed intermediate skiers.
• Free parking beside the Bettex gondola lift (open in summer).
• Resort Ambassadors greet visitors on the mountain.
• Easy transfers from Geneva flights, or direct TGV high-speed rail services into
  Saint-Gervais Le Fayet.

Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains

People have been enjoying the spa waters from Mont Blanc for over 200 years. The water's medical benefits are widely recognised and are particularly known for dermatology, but Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is also a major player in the treatment of respiratory diseases and rheumatism. The thermal water heals, soothes, comforts and beautifies sensitive, irritated or intolerant skin due to its high concentration of minerals and trace elements. To make the most of the thermal waters, the spa has created treatment formulas for one or more days to suit your budget.

Alternatively, you can enjoy the thermal waters by following a recommended route through the baths and water treatments in three stages. The "Preparation" stage leads you through various various multi-sensory effects (music, perfume, subliminal images ...) in the naturally hot spa water or a steam bath. "Regeneration" is stage two, where the warm waters stimulate your skin in the circular open air pool with massage jets and bubbles aimed at various parts of your body. After that, you advance to stage three and the "Recuperation" and hydration. Relax on the loungers, sip a herbal tea and feel the benefits of the thermal waters on your body. Here, you can take a sauna or a 2-3 min hydrating cream facial. Prices for a two and a half hour session are €29 before 11am or after 7pm, and €35 during the day. Formulas for a massage or hydrotherapy treatment which include access to the three stage thermal spa experience described above start at around €80 for half a day.

For details of all the formulas and tariffs visit the website where you can reserve online.

Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains
355 Allée du Docteur Lépinay
74190 Le Fayet
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 47 54 57
Visit website

Saint-Gervais accommodation and packages:
Peak Retreats
0844 576 0170 (UK)
or +44 23 9283 9310
reservations@peakretreats.co.uk

Serre Chevalier

Overview of Monetier-les-Bains, home to the Les Grands Bains thermal spa

The Serre-Chevalier ski domaine provides 250km of groomed terrain for all levels of skier, at the gateway to the Southern Alps. The extent of the terrain on offer is hard to grasp; a string of mountains ensures entertainment for all levels, including demanding off-piste skiers. Along the way are some great Blue cruises, including wide return runs through the tree-line, although the great sunshine record means that you won’t often feel the need to stick to sheltered slopes. Besides, aim high and you'll get to enjoy sensational top-of-the-world views across the snowy peaks of the vast Parc National des Ecrins.
The area comprises not one but four main centres: Briançon, Chantemerle, Villeneuve and the spa-town of Le Monêtier-les-Bains, all set beside the route from Grenoble to nearby Briançon via the legendary Col du Lauteret. Principal attractions are the traditional village ambiance of what remain authentic valley farming communities. However, in recent years the levels of comfort and services on offer in newer premium accommodation have transformed the image of Serre Chevalier, which now ranks high among France’s major-leagure ski areas.

• Big-mountain skiing for all levels.
• Capable lift system.
• Authentic mountain village feel.
• Plenty of ski-school options.
• Sensational views.
• Thermal spa - Les Grands Bains - in Le Monetier-les-Bains
• Friendly atmosphere.

Les Grands Bains, Monêtier-les-Bains

We asked Melanie Crosby, owner of EurekaSKI - a friendly, high-quality service offering excellently-located rental properties in Serre Chevalier, to share her thoughts about Les Grand Bains, to which she and her family are regular visitors:

Picture an elegant glacier, perched high above Le Monêtier les Bains, the most traditional of southern Alpine villages, in Serre Chevalier – an internationally-renowned ski destination yet to be discovered by much of the British market. Descend 3000 metres through larch forest, past rivers and across open fields and the thermal spa ‘Les Grands Bains’ welcomes you.

Its open bowl of thermal spring water with its bright white dome draws me to stop and stare at it each time I pass. The baths were completely rebuilt in 2008, with both exterior (300m2) and interior (300m2) pools, Tepidarium, Caldarium and Frigidarium Roman bath features, waterfalls, bubble-beds, and of course sauna, solarium and steam rooms. It's as much a retreat for those looking for a relaxing afternoon spent with a partner or friends as it is a serious venue for promoting healthy skin and an inner calm.

Treatment rooms circle the heart of the spa and are a serious and professional affair. Every ‘one-off’ beauty treatment imaginable can be booked. Packages from half-day to five half-days too; the latter at 510 € looks a real treat, featuring no less than 12 treatments, plus full access to the thermal pools. The eight-page brochure boasts scrubs, wraps and toning treatments which only the best beauty therapists can perform, plus some surprises (‘his and hers’ shared hydrotherapy bath treatment, anyone?)

I'm an avid fan, and have even taken my four year-old for a different kind of spa experience – he loved the music grotto (underwater music pool) and the ‘steamy water’ and ‘squirty tunnels’ (the river chute) outside. That day, in addition to us Les Grands Bains welcomed a gentle flow of tourists from the north and south, and from nearby Italy – it seems the Romans still return...

Les Grands Bains du Monêtier
Route des Bains
05220 Le Monêtier les Bains
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 40 00 00
Visit website
Entry Grands Bains (2 hours) adult €18, child €8, family €46

Serre Chevalier accommodation and packages:
Peak Retreats
0844 576 0170 (UK)
or +44 23 9283 9310
reservations@peakretreats.co.uk

© Julia Moss