Travel Well
Après-ski is no longer about how many mulled wines you can down once the ski lifts close. From a nudist spa to a food safari, this is what après did next...
01 France
What: Winter wellness in Les Trois Vallées
Where: Hotel Le Coucou, Méribel How much: From £394 per night on a half-board basis, open from 14 December; lecoucoumeribel.com
Who: Victoria Rudland, group chief sub editor/ production editor (mat leave)
Le Cou-what?
Le Coucou: as in, the famously onomatopoeic bird. This cosy nest in Méribel is in the heart of the famous Trois Vallées region. Perched between Courchevel and Val Thorens, with ski-in-ski-out access to the extensive network of resorts in the area, you’d be hard-pushed to find a better base for your next ski trip. Aluxury hotel styled as a traditional chalet, it’s stylish. Think: wood-panelled walls, scalloped headboards and jewel-toned velvet sofas. But it’s the tiny touches that give Le Coucou that je ne sais quoi. Sliding your boot-beaten feet into a pair of its sheepskin slippers is the podiatry equivalent of a hug, while the Diptyque miniatures in the bathroom make for a spa experience without leaving your room – although if you do make your way down to the spa, you definitely won’t regret it.
Spa, you say…
Thought that might get your attention. Walking into the Tata Harper spa is a shoulderslackening experience in itself; floor-to-ceiling windows line one wall, flooding the room with Alpine light, while the indoor pool melts seamlessly into the outdoor pool, creating what Le Coucou calls a ‘trompe-l’oeil effect’ or an optical illusion. And I can think of few better ways to recover from a day of throwing yourself down the mountain than by having your muscles and joints pulverised by the jets of the Jacuzzi.
And when my skin’s all wrinkly?
After a spell in your sheepskin slippers, you’ll be off to eat at one of Le Coucou’s three restaurants. For breakfast, Biancaneve serves up an absolute feast (including champagne, bien sûr). Then at lunchtime, bask in the sunshine on the panoramic terrace at the Beefbar and tuck into wagyu quesadillas, Kobe beef, ceviche and carpaccio. Cheese lover? Make a brie-line for Le Fumoir for traditional alpine favourites such as fondue, raclette and tartiflette around the fireplace. Prefer your après a bit more active? Get your cardio fix in the fitness studio, which comes complete with a view of the valley. Or, for a slightly more sedate activity that doubles as a deceptively tough workout, give snowshoe hiking a go – the mountain views are magnifique and you’ll feel free as a bird.
02 Italy
What: Michelin-starred meals in
