The main streets are littered with designer names including Dior, Prada and Chanel, the pavements are heated and only the best champagne is served.
Courchevel is, quite literally, a millionaire’s playground.
But it is not just the shops and fine dining that attract the wealthy Parisians and Russians each winter. The ski area is, hands down, one of the best in Europe.
Not that this was entirely obvious as we set off from the Chalet Hotel Crystal 2000 on day one of our family ski holiday – the visibility was poor and we could barely see the lift we were aiming for!
We headed up over the mountain in the hope of finding clearer conditions higher up but sadly we were out of luck and the thick hazy fog clung on for the first few days of the holiday, with little respite.
We did find some light relief down in Le Tania however, and the runs into the main part of Courchevel – formerly known as Courchevel 1850 – were reasonable.
We made the most of them, and while my husband ventured across the Three Valleys to neighbouring Meribel and Val Thorens with his skiing friends, I stayed in La Tania.
Less confident on my board than he is on his skies, I found some long, twisty reds and honed my technique, learning the series of four or five runs by heart, meaning I could tackle them whatever the weather.
For once, I wasn’t chasing after skiers, and could just enjoy boarding at my own pace – despite the conditions I was starting to back-track on my threat of throwing in the board and learning to ski instead.
On day four, I knew for sure that I wouldn’t be switching. We were treated to some of the best snow conditions we have ever experienced, the result of several days of light snow, an overnight dump and the arrival of bright sunshine.
Hovering over the snow drifts, crossing between runs, slipping on and off piste, it was heavenly. For the first time since taking up boarding six years previously I felt like a true boarder.
This was boarding – not the slipping down icy runs trying to get an edge that I had experienced earlier in the season in Val d’Isere.
Suddenly I could appreciate why Courchevel commanded such a premium, why it was so popular with the wealthy Europeans.
The days of mist and fog were forgotten as we cruised through the rest of our holiday, making the most of this glistening white paradise.
There are some stunning hotels in the resort, and down in the resort centre there are a plethora of exclusive chalets with luxury hot tubs but we opted for the family-friendly Crystal 2000, operated by Esprit, which better suited our needs and our budget.
Esprit offer a complete holiday package from playrooms at the airport to kid-friendly meals, milk-warming facilities and our hotel even had its very own soft play area which had been built in what was previously a swimming pool.
You can build your own childcare package, with full-day nursery care for tiny ones and escorted ski lessons for first-time skiers to baby listening services at night and a late-night Cocoa Club for older kids.
At eight, and with four weeks of skiing under her belt, my step-daughter was less keen on childcare and more interested in skiing with us.
We did, however, take advantage of the snow ranger service and lunch club which meant we could drop her with the Esprit childcare team after breakfast, knowing they would take her to ski school, collect her, and provide a filling lunch while we had four hours to go off and explore the more advanced runs and find suitable routes for our afternoons spent together.
One run you must try with little skiers is the Indians, where you can stop off at the tepee and toast marshmallows for a small donation.
While the childcare team cannot be faulted for their service, the catering team were lacking some direction and meal times could be a little hit or miss – in fairness the manager had only been parachuted in the week before our stay and was still finding his feet.
Breakfast was chaotic at best with slow service, a delay in replenishing the buffet and a poor layout of the dining room leading to queues at certain stations. This did improve as the week progressed though.
In the evenings, children are served high tea at 5pm but from this season, those over eight will be given the option of dining with their parents which would better suit our family.
The evening meals were slightly delayed some nights and after a full day on the slopes, we were often famished and keen to tuck in (even if we had indulged in soup and cake on returning from the slopes).
Couples are mixed up so you dine with new people each night – luckily we found our dinner guests entertaining on night two as we were placed with them for the next two consecutive evenings as well following a mix up with the seating plans.
All in all it was a lovely trip.
A week-long stay at the Chalet Hotel Crystal 2000 during the 2016/17 seasons costs from £759 per adult, with discounts for children. Prices include flights, accommodation plus breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course evening meals, served with wine. Childcare packages are extra.
• A week-long stay at the Chalet Hotel Crystal 2000 during the 2016/17 seasons costs from £759 per adult, with discounts for children. Prices include flights, accommodation plus breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course evening meals, served with wine. Childcare packages are extra.
For more information, see the Esprit Ski website
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