We don’t want to jinx it but, it seems, ski season is in full swing. Now that pandemic-induced pandemonium is in the past, it’s time to check in to one of the many luxury ski hotels in the Alps and get your annual fix of fresh mountain air, off-piste trails and breathtaking alpine views. 

While your skiing skills may be a little rusty, you can trust the time you spend out of your salopettes will be nothing short of exceptional with a stay at these luxurious boltholes. We’ve handpicked the best ski hotels in Alps, nestled in the European peaks of Austria, France and Switzerland. 

Severin’s The Alpine Retreat, Lech, Austria

Just on the outskirts of the picture-perfect Austrian town of Lech, you’ll find Severin’s The Alpine Retreat: a luxury boutique hotel at the centre of three skiing villages – Zürs, St Christoph and St Anton. Boasting a warm vibe inside but cool exteriors, the hotel is made from ancient Tyrolean wood, stone and copper, naturally complementing the alpine playground it watches over. 

The hotel’s nine elegant suites all come with log fireplaces, balconies overlooking the snow-capped mountains of Lech am Arlberg, and high-tech furnishings, including iPad lighting controls, hidden sound systems and Amazon Prime and Maxdome movies for cosy nights in. You’ll also find that all-important coffee machine to fuel a day on the slopes and a well-stocked mini-bar for a post-après tipple. 

For picture-perfect privacy, book the separate four-bed Residence which extends over two floors. The spacious living room, featuring Italian Minotti furniture and a grand piano, leads to an intimate terrace and bubbling whirlpool — the perfect way to relax and soak those aching muscles. The Residence also has a ski room of its own, with heated lockers to dry out your mountain attire so you can slip into toasty salopettes before hopping on the ski-lift to the world-class pistes of Lech and St Anton. 

After you’ve blown away the cobwebs on the slopes, return to Severin’s Wellness Spa, featuring a 12.5-metre indoor pool with counter-current, waterfall and several whirlpool settings to ensure muscles receive active relaxation. Then, warm your cockles in the two saunas, steam bath or infrared cabin — the best way to end a day of mountain exploring.

From £1,273 per night, visit slh.com

Gstaad Palace, Gstaad, Switzerland

Nestled in the rolling snowy hills of the Bernese Oberland, Gstaad Palace is the perfect destination for a fairytale winter break. Its 90 luxurious rooms and suites are housed in the hotel’s castle towers to provide spectacular panoramic views over the snow-clad peaks and combine elegant contemporary design with alpine cosiness, featuring lavish fur throws and oak furnishings. 

During the winter, Gstaad is transformed into a snow sports wonderland offering over 220 kilometres of white pistes, sled and toboggan runs, and panoramic winter hiking trails. For the accomplished skier, there’s the fabled black ‘Tiger Run’ piste on the Wasserngrat which is accessible by chairlift, or alternatively an endless choice of blue runs which trace the soft inclines of the Eggli. A network of cross-country skiing routes from Sparenmoos to Zweisimmen, through to the beautiful Turbach valley invites visitors to immerse themselves in a wintry landscape. 

As well as access to the slopes, the hotel team can direct guests to a myriad of alternative and ski-free adventures, including sledding, tobogganing and horse-drawn sleigh and carriage rides which takes guests on romantic jaunts through the Lauenen Valley.

After an exhilarating day, the Palace spa offers a world of respite with its nine treatment rooms including a new restorative spa garden, indoor swimming pool and outdoor jacuzzi with incredible alpine views. Those seeking a livelier après ski spot can visit the hotel’s iconic nightclub, GreenGo, where they can dance the night away. 

From £1,208 per night, visit palace.ch

Le Coucou, Meribel, France

Situated in an enviable piste-side location, Le Coucou Hotel is a luxurious alpine hideaway offering a ski-in ski-out experience and is open from 14 December 2023. Guests are surrounded by magnificent views at every turn and this five-star hotel blends seamlessly into its environment at the heart of the Three Valleys. Its selection of suites feature Scandi-inspired decor with red-toned walls and cosy terraces, where guests can admire the incredible mountain scenery. 

After a day on the slopes, skiers can unwind in the spa and wellness area which features pools, a fitness centre and a sauna. This year, there’s a whole new host of spa experiences on offer, including mother-daughter and father-son treatments from the organic brand Minois. The hotel’s indoor and outdoor pool, six massage treatment rooms with specialist treatments from Tata Harper and sauna area offer guests a deeply relaxing experience after a long day. Make sure you also visit the indoor pool, which is divided by a bay window to create a stunning, trompe-l’oeil effect with views of the striking vista outdoors.

Head down to the hotel’s new alpine restaurant, Le Fumoir, which offers classic European cuisine with seasonal produce. It will be opening on 9 December and is located in the cosy eaves of the hotel, serving a delicious selection of mountain favourites from raclette and fondues, to tartiflette and smoked meat dishes. 

From £635 per night, visit lecoucoumeribel.com

Tschuggen Grand Hotel, Arosa, Switzerland

Boasting a spectacular alpine location on the edge of the Arosa forest, the Tschuggen Grand Hotel is a luxury haven where nature meets modernity. The 128 rooms and suites of the five-star establishment offer a cosy residential experience with unrivalled views over the Arosa mountains, as well as contemporary interiors by renowned designer Carlo Rampazzi. If you’re feeling peckish, dine in one of the hotel’s four restaurants which serve market-fresh dishes and haute cuisine as well as fine fast food. 

Tschuggen is also the only hotel in Switzerland with its own state-of-the art private mountain railway, the Tschuggen Express, that takes guests directly from the hotel to the Arosa Lenzerheide ski and hiking area. While skiers can hit the slopes, the area also hosts a wide range of other sporting activities, including mountain biking, hiking, tennis, golf and skiing. 

One of the highlights of this hotel is its spectacular 54,000 sq ft spa. Carved into the mountainside, this four-level oasis of wellness contains a vast water area filled with indoor-outdoor pools of varying temperatures, massage jets, saunas and 12 treatment suites. In addition, the spa also boasts a fitness centre with Kinesis Training Systems and Technogym machines, a yoga studio, an I-Bed solarium and medical wellness section with a doctor and aesthetician on site.

From £399 per night, visit lhw.com

Hotel Das Central, Sölden, Austria

Follow in the footsteps of 007 and book your next ski holiday at Hotel Das Central in the Austrian resort of Sölden. The eagle-eyed will spot the hotel’s iconic ICE Q restaurant in 2015 Bond film, Spectre. Here, you can order your martinis shaken, not stirred, and an array of seasonal dishes while enjoying panoramic views of the Ötztal mountains. Keen Bond fans should check out the hotel’s museum wholly dedicated to the best spy in the world, or even go one step further and book the hotel’s 007 Experience. 

Das Central also benefits from being just 500 metres from the slopes and offers guests a private shuttle service to the lift all day, every day. After a day of exhilaration, rest your head in one of the Luxury Suites, where you can cosy up by an open fireplace in the living room, or step into the bubbles of a jacuzzi on the terrace. 

Finally, treat yourself to a sensory journey at the oriental spa set across three floors. Take a dip in the Venetian Water World before warming up in one of the spa’s ten steam baths and saunas. Take your pick from a Swiss pine sauna with panoramic views of the mountain to a natural ice grotto. 

From £321 per night, visit central-soelden.com

Aman Le Mélézin, Courchevel, France

An alpine icon since 1992, Aman Le Mélézin has offered France’s finest all-round ski experience from its spectacular setting in Courchevel 1850 for exactly three decades. Reopening for the ski season in early December, this hotel — as much a culinary and wellness destination as a renowned ski retreat — will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, marking the occasion in true style.

Situated directly on Bellecôte Piste with awe-inspiring mountain and forest vistas, Aman Le Mélézin claims one of the most desirable locales in Courchevel 1850 in the heart of the Three Valleys. Guests staying in the hotel’s 31 suites — most with balconies or extensive terraces, several with outdoor cedar hot tubs and all with breathtaking views — are offered ski-in/ski-out services, as well as a comprehensive wellness sanctuary and a selection of fine dining restaurants and convivial après ski areas. The latter include Nama, Aman’s signature Japanese restaurant, and an expansive sun terrace and bar just a glide away from all the village has to offer.

Sit back and relax as the team at Aman Le Mélézin plan your winter holiday from scratch, catering to your needs. You can incorporate two new health and fitness packages into a five-day stay: Wellness in the Snow and Extreme Snow Sports & Recovery. The Wellness in the Snow package includes a daily 60-minute private functional fitness or yoga lesson, one snow-forest bathing and snowshoe hike with a mountain guide, a healthy picnic on the slopes, a snowmobiling cruise through the forest and one heli-ski tour or paragliding experience.

The latter takes alpine fitness to the next level. This includes a daily 30-minute private manual stretching session, one full-day freestyle snowboarding or cross-country Nordic skiing with pro, and two heli-ski or -snowboarding sessions finishing off with a snowmobiling cruise through the forest.

From £2,095 per night, visit aman.com

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