Courchevel Villages & Accommodation
Courchevel ski resort is made up of a series of 5 villages, all interconnected via lifts, slopes & roads. The names of the villages tend to correspond with their elevation in metres and whilst they’ve now been renamed, old habits are hard to break, and most people still refer to them by the elevation name. Further down the road, several villages & towns provide more affordable accommodations but with the disadvantage of no direct ski lift access.
Courchevel accommodation includes lots of chalets, loads of apartments & about 40 hotels that range from exorbitantly priced 5-stars+ down to affordable 2-stars. Much of the lodging is ski-in & some of it is both ski-in & ski-out. Where to stay will depend on your budget, wants & needs. Simply put, the higher in elevation up the mountain you go, the higher the price. The connectivity of the lifts & slopes within the resort means just because one pays less for lodgings, it will not detract from having a stellar Courchevel ski experience.
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Courchevel
Top of the pops is Courchevel 1850 - now simply referred to as Courchevel (or The Courchevel!). This is the hub of the ski area, providing direct ski lift connections to the best bits of the ski terrain plus over to Meribel, and is also the home of the rich & famous – as if that matters! At around 1,850m elevation, Courchevel has an amazing concentration of true 5-star hotels as well as a couple of accommodations that are rated as palaces! Other lodging options include numerous luxurious chalets. Much of the lodging is ski-in ski-out, but it does spread quite a distance up the hill toward the altiport, away from the main village centre.
Courchevel is also the nucleus of other activities including an abundance of upscale shops, fine dining restaurants, and chic bars where the nightlife continues into the wee hours. This village is rather modern with a mix of architectural styles & well-developed facilities. Pricing for lodgings, even at a 2-star establishment, can be exorbitant when compared to the lower villages. Some excellent examples of the best places to stay in Courchevel include: the 5-star Hotel Le Strato or Hotel Annapurna; the oldest & one of the greatest 4-star hotels on the mountain, the perfectly named Hôtel des Trois Vallées; or the amazingly located 3- star Appart' Hôtel Restaurant Le Pilatus.
Moriond
Moriond (1,650m) is perhaps better known by its previous name of Courchevel 1650. Whilst not as centrally located to the ski slopes as 1850, it has reasonable lift access to the beginner slopes up to Signal & beyond. The 1850 village & lifts are only 3.5km away by ski bus. The village is more traditional than 1850, with a wider range of basic services & despite its few convivial bars, is quiet by comparison. Given its elevation & access to the slopes, accommodation can still in the upper price range of the market.
Courchevel Village
Known previously as Courchevel 1,550, Courchevel Village, has a couple of lifts that feed up to 1850. Accommodation is generally inexpensive. Despite the location, from a ski access point of view it can be one of the least convenient locations in which to stay at Courchevel, simply because everything funnels through the busy upper village.
Courchevel La Tania
La Tania (1,400m) is a pedestrianised ski-in ski-out village at a higher elevation than adjacent Le Praz. Whilst traditionally a separate lift company, the La Tania lifts & pistes are an integral part of the 3 Valleys, providing a central point between Meribel & Courchevel. The village has a range of well-priced apartments & chalets in quiet surrounds but is visually dated. The village’s eateries & shops are significantly more affordable than higher up the mountain & the pleasurable convenience of the of the ski-in ski-out design cannot be underestimated.
Courchevel Le Praz
Courchevel Le Praz (1,300m) feels like a traditional French mountain village should. Filled with charming chalets amongst its narrow lanes, it is shaded for long periods during winter but does provide the most ‘authentic’ accommodation experience at Courchevel. Also referred to as Courchevel 1300, Le Praz has modern lift access up to the main Courchevel 1850 village as well as connections to sensational ski terrain on the Col de La Loze. Multiple ski trails converge on the village, several of which (Jockeys, Muyrettes) are superb on a poor visibility snow day. Le Praz’s low altitude (for France) of 1300m can cause snow quality issues on its pistes, but snow-making keeps them up to scratch.
Accommodation Beyond the Ski Lifts & in the Valley
Away from the ski lifts the villages of Saint Bon, Bozel & the larger Brides les Bains provide alternative lodgings. St Bon is at 1100m elevation, only 2 km down the road from the ski lifts at Le Praz & has a ski trail returning to it from Courchevel 1850. In the valley Bozel is a large town with numerous apartments & chalets for rent plus a full range of shops & services. A regular bus shuttle gets to the ski lifts at Le Praz in 15min. Brides les Bains has the widest range of hotels plus a gondola lift link to Meribel & hence Courchevel via the Col de la Loze; making for a versatile, affordable base from which to explore the entire ski region.
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