Les 3 Vallées is the world’s biggest ski area with 600km of runs plus oodles of off piste areas. With over 4.5m visitors per year, amongst them a huge number of Brits, this trip was about staying away from the crowds both on and off the slopes. British skiers will likely be familiar with Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Courchevel and Méribel – all great places – but how would the less well-known villages of Orelle, Brides-les-Bains and St. Martin de Belleville compare?
Summing up the differences between each of the seven villages that provide direct access to Les 3 Vallées is a bit like summing up the range of places to stay in London. There is something for everyone, and every budget. Well not quite every budget, given that this is skiing, but there are certainly options that are more affordable than you’d think.
Could we spend a week in this most popular of tourist areas but avoid crowded runs and even discover remote off piste areas? I was excited to find out.
Brides-les-Bains
My first stop was Brides-les-Bains. This spa town, where hotels have sprung up since the 1840s, is by far the lowest of the seven villages at just 580m above sea level. It is small and quiet, but crucially has far less expensive accommodation than any of the other villages. I stayed in B&B Home, a large, comfortable spa hotel where a room costs €115 per night. That price was for one person with a bed and breakfast. Being so low means a 25 minute gondola ride to Méribel Village, where the skiable terrain starts. The trade-off is that returning to the hotel each afternoon requires catching the last lift down at 5pm, meaning aprés-ski in Méribel is off the agenda, unless you want to pay for a costly private cab.
It may not have the party atmosphere of higher villages, but there are plenty of charming local restaurants. Le Fabrik serves good, straightforward mountain food and carafes of local red wine. It is easy, relaxed and refreshingly unpretentious. The village also has the advantage of being just 15 minutes by taxi from the main line train station in Moûtier, meaning quick and inexpensive (approximately €25) transfers are possible. For a lower cost quiet weekend in the mountains, Brides-les-Bains is a perfect spot.
St Martin de Belleville
Like Brides-les-Bains, my next stop has buckets of ski history. The St. Martin de Belleville church dates from 1650 and whilst the luxury chalets and hotels that surround the church have everything demanding modern skiing clientele desire. The town does well to retain an alpine look and feel. This is a ‘proper’ chocolate-box village that has grown to take advantage of its location. On the other end of the spectrum is Val Thorens, a resort built from scratch in the 1970s to service the ski industry.
At 1450m it is still relatively low, but has some wonderful runs that drop you just a few minutes walk from your accommodation. I stayed in the five-star M Lodge & Spa, which costs €590 per night for two people’s bed and breakfast. The hotel restaurant must be vying for a Michelin star, if the head chef, Giuseppe Ruggiero, explaining the use of a saline solution to exothermically cook the pigeon, is anything to go by. This food is dramatic and delicious. The party scene in St. Martin de Belleville is not on the scale of venues in Val Thorens or Meribel, but the Pourquoi Pas Bar and L’Art B had live bands entertaining a small but enthusiastic crowd. If quiet indulgence with great access to the slopes is your requirement, St. Martin de Belleville is a great choice.
Orelle
This ‘4th valley’ in Les 3 Vallées is another less well known option. It is a small area with just a few bars and restaurants, good value accommodation, and is accessible via Lyon airport in two hours, or Turin, a one-and-a-half hour drive. The Hob in Orelle is a new establishment that has both traditional hotel rooms as well as lower cost dormitories. It is also just 50m from the pistes. The skiing in Orelle itself, whilst limited, is a wonderful mix of blacks, reds and blues, but above all has a sense of tranquility and remoteness. And of course provides great access to the full extent of the Les 3 Vallées. An ideal spot for a drink at the end of a long ski day is Les 4 Vallée Pub and sums up Orelle – “unfussy and good value”.
The skiing
Once accommodation is sorted there is of course the skiing. Some resorts position themselves for experts or for families: given the vastness of Les 3 Vallées there really is plenty to choose for any level of skier or any grouping.
The Grand Couloir, high above Courchevel, is arguably the most challenging ungroomed run in the area. It’s a must for decent skiers. My favourite was a backcountry descent called Les Yvoses from Pointe de la Masse at 2804m.
After a 10 minute hike it delivers a 1000m descent to the Bettex lift in Les Menuires. From there, we didn’t see a soul. The best is that the run is perfectly possible for solid intermediate skiers with a guide and the necessary avalanche equipment. Another favourite was an empty, rolling blue down to St. Martin de Belleville called Jerusalem, so-called as a reminder that the locals hid jews from the Nazis in shepherd huts during the Second World War.
Lunch off piste
Equally, there are plenty of ‘off piste’ restaurants. In a resort of this size there are dozens of catering options from wine tasting at Caron 3200m (nearest village either Les Menuires or Val Thorens) where a bottle of Petrus Pomerol 2003 will cost you €16,500, to indoor and outdoor picnic areas dotted throughout the entire resort where you can bring your own food.
As for my favourite restaurants in the region, Le Blanchot (between Meribel and Courchevel) is hidden away in the trees near the Meribel altiport and serves excellent trout. Chez Pépé Nicolas (close to Les Menuires) is another gem with a terrace looking out over the Belleville valley. My advice? Book a late lunch before skiing off your indulgence along various scenic blue runs back to the comfort of the M Lodge & Spa in St. Martin de Belleville.
Why you should go
Les 3 Vallées is rightly regularly ranked as one of the best resorts in the world. But why follow the crowds? Skiing and staying off piste in St. Martin de Belleville or Brides-les-Bains helps you squeeze more enjoyment out of this outstanding alpine playground.
Everywhere mentioned above, and a myriad more, is all accessible on one ski pass and whilst €409 is not cheap for a six day pass the sheer scale and choice keeps people coming back year after year.
Book this
Hotels: For B&B HOME Brides-les-Bains go to the website here; For M Lodge visit the website here; for Hob Orelle go to the website here
Lunch Spots: For Chez Pepe Nicolas go to the website here; For Le Blanchot go to the website here
Tourist Office: For more information on Les 3 Vallées go to the touruist office website here.
