Lodging

Megève has the best collection of upscale, beautiful, elegant hotels of any ski resort in Europe or in the world, for that matter. In style they range from avant-garde and art deco palaces to gilt-and-velvet luxury to rustic French provincial. Rates based on one person double occupancy in February €€€—€125+; €€—€75–€124; €—less than €74.

Chalet du Mont d’Arbois (450 21 25 03, fax 450 21 24 79; €€€) is a small, super-luxurious, chalet/hotel owned by the Baron and Baroness Rothschild. Guests are treated like welcomed visitors rather than hotel residents. Imagine yourself moving into your own mountain chalet with a lot of mountain wood, giant fire-places and priceless antiques.

Lodge Park (450 93 05 03, fax 450 93 09 52; €€€) provides the style of a North American lodge. It has a very classy bar and a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

Les Fermes de Marie (450 93 03 10, fax 450 93 09 84; €€€) is not just a hotel: it is a phenomenon. Jocelyne (a painter and designer) and Jean-Louis Sibuet (a builder) have created a private hamlet just five minutes from the town center. Farmhouses from across France were painstakingly taken apart and reassembled here with a combination of warmth, tradition and good taste. There are 69 bedrooms, three restaurants, living rooms, a library and bar, and a spa with an indoor pool along with a wide range of spa treatments. The food is excellent. One restaurant specializes in cheese dishes and hearty, local tartiflette and fondue are always on the menu. The rooms and suites are tastefully decorated, often with paintings by Jocelyn Sibuet.

In addition to the main hotel complex, the owners, who also operate Au Coin du Feu among others, have opened two large luxury residences just outside of town called Les Fermes du Grand Champ (450 93 03 10, fax 450 93 09 84; €€€+), that can each be rented by one or more families. These residences are spacious and decorated with antiques. They have saunas, swimming pool, garage, private meal service, and other amenities. The larger chalet sleeps eight to 10 people and includes an office, covered swimming pool and fitness room. It rents for €6,900 to €10,500 per week, depending on the season.

Hotel le Fer à Cheval (450 21 30 39, fax 450 93 07 60; €€€) is like staying in a French country cottage. Every highlight is rendered in wood. The furniture is rustic. The walls are covered in country-patterned fabrics and stencils. Even the doors are hand-painted.

Au Coin du Feu (450 21 04 94, fax 450 21 20 15; €€–€€€) is another country-perfect setting, owned by the brother of the Fer à Cheval’s proprietor, with similar French country touches. In the restaurant wooden cupboards line the walls, al-ternating with stone arches around a fireplace. The hotel has 23 rooms, many of which are minisuites.

Hotel La Prairie (450 21 48 55, fax 450 21 42 13; €€) is an excellent, three-star hotel in Megève. The chalet-style building is bright and spacious. The rooms are simple with heavy wooden doors and pine highlights. Every room has a TV, and you are an easy five-minute walk from the center of town.

Week-End (450 21 26 49, fax 450 21 26 51; €€) is a B&B next door to Coin du Feu, about a five-minute walk up a relatively steep hill from the town center. The rooms have been redone and almost every room has an extra bed for a child or third person. Perhaps something as simple as getting rid of the chenille bedspreads would make the Week-End look more up-scale, as it should be. The owner speaks ex-cellent English. The hotel has breakfast only.

La Chaumine (450 21 37 05, fax 450 21 37 21; €–€€) just a short walk from the center of town near the cable car of Chamois, is an inexpensive, newly renovated, two-star hotel. This old restored farm B&B is cozy and charming.

Another excellent possibility for rooms in a newer, very attractive Alpine hotel is La Grange d’Arly (450 58 77 88, fax 450 93 07 13; €).

Megève Reservation books rooms, apartments or chalets (450 21 29 52, fax 450 91 85 67). Altogether there are 35 hotels and pen-sions in town, although not all are open year-round.

Apartments, condominiums, flats
Write to the Megève tourist office (see Tourist Information), which will contact the major rental organizations in town. You will hear from several—make your pick and let the agencies know your decision. Mid-January, expect to pay about €330–€500 a week for a three-star apartment. In February the price will be €650–€1,200 a week. During the Christmas holiday apartments are rented for two-week periods and will cost €1,300–€1,600 for a four-star apartment. Linen is an additional €22 a week.