Saint Martin ski resort has stayed true to its origins: an authentic Savoyard village within the Three Valleys and its 600km of pistes, featuring the iconic clock tower, narrow streets and beautiful chalets. I was lucky enough to experience this beautiful alpine village and experience what a St Martin luxury ski holiday has to offer…
The village has developed over the years from traditional Savoyard farming huts to welcoming guests in some of the best luxury ski chalets in the French Alps. Gateway to the fabulous Three Valleys ski area, the village is known for its high quality of chalet accommodation, its friendly atmosphere and its gourmet cuisine.
St Martin Ski Area
In the immediate ski area, St Martin is well established for beginner to intermediates, with plenty of snow making facilities to be snow assured. The nursery slopes are in the centre of resort with easy access to practice your techniques. From here you can progress to the long blue run, Verdet, which runs from Roc de Fer and is usually quiet or the red Jerusalem run from the top of the gondola. The resort also benefits from being Southerly facing, ensuring the sun graces the slopes at every opportunity and keeps beginner and young skiers warm during their hours of ski school instruction.
Of course, you also have access to the worlds largest interconnecting ski area, the Three Valleys, for an overwhelming choice of pistes and runs to suit all abilities. The main gondola from St Martin has had a full revamp this year with new cabins and 30% more capacity, making it even easier to access the Three Valleys: it takes just two lifts to ski down to Meribel then you can head up the Saulire lift to make your way across to Courchevel. While staying in the Val Thorens valley, you can also head up to 3,230m for some higher altitude skiing.
To make your Three Valleys ski holiday 2020 even more magical, “Les 3 Vallées” are partnering up with the latest animated Disney film, Frozen 2. Take part in the ski treasure hunt, following in Elsa and Anna’s tracks on a one-of-a kind route. If you complete the full route you can collect your medal, certificate and other surprises from the ski pass sales office.
Restaurants in St Martin de Belleville
There is plenty to tickle your taste buds in the wide choice of restaurants in St Martin de Belleville. Whether you are heading for lunch or dinner, there is a variety of cuisines from traditional Savoyard to fine dining Michelin star…
La Ferme de la Choumette is a traditional, rustic restaurant and offers a unique experience. Many of the dishes are cooked over an open flame, and you can enjoy incredible views whilst dining on the sunny terrace at lunchtime, or there is a large dining room if you are heading out for an evening meal. Out the back, there is a glass wall where you can see the stable of cattle, sheep and goats from your table.
To satisfy the whole party, you can’t go wrong with La Voute, located by the church. Hosting a family friendly atmosphere, you can enjoy an excellent choice of pizzas or a great selection of local specialties which are not to be missed.
L’Eterlou and Le Montagnard are favourites for a sunny lunch on the terrace enjoying the traditional French cuisines or the varied menus in the evening for the chalet staff’s night off.
La Bouitte, the first Savoyard restaurant to have gained 3 Michelin stars. Staying true to the traditions, La Bouitte offers gourmet Savoyard cuisine in an authentic and cosy atmosphere.
Bars for both après-ski and evening fun
For a resort of its size, St Martin de Belleville has a good number of bars and pubs, though no nightclub. For some après-ski immediately off the slopes, Le Dahlia is a great choice; situated at the front-de-neige, it is a great place to lounge in a deck chair at the end of a hard days skiing with a glass of something cold (or a vin chaud) in hand.
Arguably, one of the best après-ski bars in St Martin is the relaxed and cosy Pourquois Pas bar (P-bar for short), with its open fire and chilled atmosphere. It is open until just after midnight, so you can carry on into the evening if you so wish! For those wanting to keep up the party, Le Billig (just behind the church) or Le Joker cafe/bar are open later, both of which are good fun.
L’Eterlou features again. At the foot of the St Martin drag-lift the bar and restaurant has a much more French feel to it and has a great terrace for some late afternoon sun and casual drinks.
Where St Martin isn’t the liveliest of resorts, there is plenty in the surrounding area. The world famous Folie Douce is just up the road in Val Thorens and also Roc Solaise in Les Menuires which is at the top of the Roc 1 Gondala – be prepared for the crazy DJ on the decks on the terrace.
Luxury Ski Chalets in St Martin de Belleville
A traditional converted barn, or a contemporary chalet that reinterprets the mountain-style, there is a wide variety of accommodation on offer in Saint Martin de Belleville. Tucked away between the big named resorts of the valley, a St Martin luxury ski holiday offers amazing value – high quality luxury ski chalets, without a Three Valleys price tag. I have picked out a couple of the best luxury ski chalets in St Martin de Belleville, perfect for your ski holiday to the Three Valleys.
Lodge Floralie
Lodge Floralie is made up of Chalet Floralie sleeping 12-14 and Floralie Penthouse sleeping 4. These can be combined together to make Lodge Floralie. If you take the whole property there is no less than 5 separate living areas making this an extremely spacious chalet. The impressive wellness area boasts a huge Jacuzzi and sauna to relax those aching muscles after a hard day skiing the Three Valleys. Walking out the ski room, you will be in the lift in less than 2 minutes and on the ski home, a blue run, you will be taking your boots off within 30 seconds (unless you stop off at an après-ski bar).
“The idea behind Floralie was to create a contemporary, chic and comfortable ski holiday chalet that guests would return to again and again – our aim is to provide the style and easy service of a smart country house hotel in the Alps where you can relax and feel completely at home in your ‘home from home’.” Suze Drew – Chalet Manager.
Chez Bugi
Chalet Bugi features in our Ultimate Luxury Chalets collection and accommodates 12 adults in 6 en-suite luxurious bedrooms. The chalet is in a great location within the Three Valleys, from the lounge you can see the St Martin de Belleville gondola go past the chalet. Conveniently, this luxury chalet is ski-out ski-out, although if you would like to start or end your day in a different location, then you can take the driver service. If you still have energy you can walk into the village or again make use of the daily driver service between 8am and 11pm to drop you into town. At the chalet you can take advantage of immersing yourself in the bubbles of the outdoor hot tub or relax in the sauna – the perfect way to unwind after a day on the mountain.
Head chef Alex manages and oversees the catering for Chez Bugi and a few other luxury ski chalets in St Martin de Belleville. We have previously been lucky enough to interview Alex, so for more information on the quality of catering and recommendations for gourmet dining in the Three Valleys, take a read.
Offering the perfect combination of traditional alpine village full of charm, affordable, luxury accommodation and of course the extensive Three Valleys ski area, a St Martin luxury ski holiday has a lot of appeal.
If you think that this wonderful, luxury ski resort of St Martin de Belleville is next on the list for your Three Valleys ski vacation, please do get in touch for more advice and recommendations and the team at Ski In Luxury will be more than happy to help. Send us an email or give us a call on +44 1202 203650 – you’re one step closer to a perfect luxury ski holiday to St Martin de Belleville!
