French Alps · Ski season

Airelles in the French Alps: Courchevel or Val d’Isère for a Ski Christmas?

September 4, 2026·Jay Yan

Les Airelles, Courchevel 1850. The hotel says the facade is modeled on a 19th-century Austro-Hungarian fairytale castle

If you are thinking about a European ski trip this winter instead of Colorado or Japan, start with these two.

Airelles has two hotels in the French Alps, both reopening on December 4, 2026 — the same day the Three Valleys lifts start turning. The one-line version: Courchevel is the castle; Val d’Isère is the slopes.

Les Airelles Courchevel

In Courchevel 1850, with direct access to the Three Valleys ski area
The hotel says the facade is modeled on a 19th-century Austro-Hungarian fairy-tale castle
44 rooms: beamed ceilings, stained glass, European antiques
Restaurants: La Table des Airelles, Matsuhisa, Palladio
In the fir forest, four private chalets — Les Chalets des Airelles — with six to nine bedrooms each

Airelles Val d’Isère

True ski-in, ski-out, straight onto 300 km of pistes
41 rooms by the hotel’s count, including five private apartments and one stand-alone chalet, Chalet Schuss
Interiors by Christophe Tollemer; a 1,200-square-meter Airelles Spa by Guerlain
Restaurants: La Grande Ourse, Palladio, Matsuhisa, Le Piaf

Lac du Chevril, just outside Val d’Isère

With children

Courchevel has an indoor castle, a teen room and a children’s pool in the spa, with ice skating and dog-sledding at the door. Val d’Isère has a Junior Ski Club and a teen games area.

Availability: Christmas week and the February break are already in the “limited” column

Chalet Schuss: 250 m², four en-suite bedrooms, private chef and butler, outdoor Norwegian hot tub

From the availability sheet the hotels sent me on September 1:

Val d’Isère: December 19–26 and after January 2, suites and apartments still open
Chalet Schuss (250 sqm, four en-suite bedrooms, private chef and butler, outdoor Norwegian hot tub): December 19–26 and three full weeks in February
Courchevel: suites still open over the February break

How to choose

For the castle atmosphere, Courchevel. For ski-in, ski-out, Val d’Isère. If you are taking the kids away for Christmas — are you a castle family or a slopes family?

Both hotels’ Virtuoso benefits and live rates are in the directory. If you have dates, write to me and I will check availability with the hotels directly.

Les Airelles Courchevel Airelles Val d’Isère

Photographs are Airelles’ official images. Availability is as of September 1, 2026 and changes daily; the hotels’ latest reply prevails.

Jay Yan · FlyBest