Hotel Les Barmes de L Ours

Hotel Les Barmes de L Ours

At the foot of the Rocher de Bellevarde, where Val d'Isère's Olympic ski run runs almost to the door, Les Barmes de l'Ours has spent two decades building a case as the address serious skiers keep returning to. Ownership calls it a Relais & Châteaux, and the label shows in details rather than declarations: 76 rooms and suites spread across four floors, each committed to its own world, Scandinavian, North American lodge, Alpine chalet, contemporary, so no two stays here look alike. What sets it apart from the rest of the valley is the Galerie des Barmes, a contemporary art space opened in 2022 that invites a new artist each winter under curator Jérôme Neutres, formerly of the Grand Palais and the Musée du Luxembourg, turning a ski hotel into somewhere you might linger for the walls alone. Food is taken just as seriously: Chef Antoine Gras runs three distinct rooms, from the fondue-and-fireside Coin Savoyard to the spit-roasted meats of La Rôtisserie to La Table de l'Ours, holder of a Michelin star since 2019 and, since April 2024, the Michelin Key that recognises hospitality at its most considered. A 1000 square metre spa built with Sisley, and a book-lined Sofa Bar for slower evenings, round out the case. Families are genuinely catered for here, which will suit some readers and rule the place out for those chasing an adults-only retreat. Anyone wanting a quiet ski-in chalet with nothing else going on should look elsewhere; anyone wanting art, a Michelin star, and the slopes outside the window will not find that combination twice in Val d'Isère. At the foot of the Rocher de Bellevarde, this Relais & Châteaux pairs ski-in access to Val d'Isère's Olympic run with a Michelin-starred restaurant, a 2024 Michelin Key, and a winter-only contemporary art gallery. Family-friendly, and unmistakably distinctive.