Saint-Martin-de-Belleville: an extraordinary ski resort in Les 3 Vallées

If you’re a beginner or a rusty intermediate skier, boost your confidence with a private lesson with ESF, a ski school academy in the heart of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can explore quiet slopes around the village.

More experienced skiers are drawn to Saint-Martin-de-Belleville because it offers access to 600km of slopes in Les 3 Vallées – it’s just a few minutes from the top of Tougnette, which opens on 16 December 2023 and is one of the main links in the valley.

The village is also within easy reach of Les Menuires and a trio of villages collectively known as Méribel.

An unrivalled playground for powder lovers, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville also attracts skiers chasing an adrenaline buzz. Race down ungroomed slopes or hire a guide to ski off-piste – creating your own path instead of following the beaten track. One of the region’s most beautiful off-piste routes begins at 2,800m above sea level at La Pointe de la Masse. From there, you can hurtle down the Vallée des Encombres’s unspoilt slopes with a guide, finishing 1,500m lower down in Le Châtelard.

Charming hotels, luxury chalets and cosy mountain refuges: Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is not short of exclusive cocoons – and whichever you choose, you’ll be able to ski in and out of your accommodation.

If you seek the elegance of a hotel and the comfort of facilities such as a spa, consider staying in the four-star Saint-Martin Hotel or Lodji Hotel, or five-star La Bouitte or M Lodge Hotel, which opened at the foot of the slopes in 2022. Built from wood and stone – symbols of yesteryear – M Lodge Hotel blends traditional architectural features with contemporary facilities such as a wellness area with a sauna, gym and 16m swimming pool. Book one of its 18 rooms or treat yourself to one of seven suites. At 90sqm, most are double the size of an apartment in London.

Want to wake up each morning to a panorama of snow-capped mountains? Well, if you stay in Aloha, Duchesse, Nanook and Quebec – all chalets that overlook the village – you can do just that.

Visit in 2023 and you can also be among the first to bed down in Chalet Constantia. Spread over three floors, the 375sqm space discreetly celebrates African culture through African print cushions and an elephant sculpture. The outdoor hot tub and wood-burning fireplace will keep you cosy after a day’s skiing.

Meanwhile, the four-bedroom Chalet Alpea in the hamlet of Caseblanche sleeps eight. After an afternoon on the slopes, its sauna is ready to welcome you – luxury at its purest.

Wherever you’d like to stay, if you reserve your accommodation through Saint-Martin-de-Belleville’s booking centre, you’ll enjoy a lift pass discount.

Quality cuisine is never far from the slopes, thanks to Saint-Martin-de-Belleville’s Michelin-starred restaurants and country bistros which are open all year round.

For a treat, dine at La Bouitte in Saint-Marcel, a Savoyard hamlet adorned with chalets topped with lauze (flagstone) rooves. Named after the phrase ‘little house’ in the Savoyard dialect, La Bouitte has been taking diners on a culinary journey since it opened in 1976. In a first for the region, it’s held a Michelin star for 20 years, gaining its first one in 2003, second in 2008 and third in 2015.

In addition to La Bouitte, you may also wish to dine at Le Montagnard, a legendary chalet at the foot of the slopes. In addition to a 2023 renovation, its bar has a new cocktail menu while its chefs employ old-school techniques – favouring short supply chains and local producers.

Gastronomy, wellbeing and skiing: the holy trinity of an Alpine ski resort. No wonder winter sports enthusiasts flock to Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the heart of Les 3 Vallées.

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Saint-Martin-de-Belleville main image credit: Lottenberg OT Les Menuires