The Alps have a charm that entices holiday-makers to visit in their thousands annually, a stunning combination of beautiful vistas, delightful food and world-class skiing make for a wonderful holiday experience. Narrowing down the resorts to just five is a hard task but below I’ve listed my top five favourite resorts in the Alps for your perusal. Whether this inspires you for your next trip or you’re looking to try somewhere else out, we’re very happy to chat through the characteristics of each resort and make sure you get the perfect match for your next holiday!

St. Martin de Belleville:

Relatively unknown by comparison to neighbouring Méribel and Val Thorens, St. Martin de Belleville is an utterly charming traditional French resort situated in the Belleville Valley of the Three Valley ski domain.

With good connections from the village centre up to the pistes of Méribel and Val Thorens, within just a couple of lifts you can ski down Jerusalem (one of the best runs in the Three Valleys) and back down to St. Martin, drop into the Méribel Valley or head on through Val Thorens on to the hidden valley of Orelle.

St. Martin gives you access to the incredible 600km terrain of the Three Valleys, yet dodges the crowds and offers plenty of charm. With a picturesque central church and square, piste-side traditional bars to end your day and some completely luxurious chalets to enjoy, unless you’re an après ski hungry holiday-maker, St. Martin is a brilliant choice. Offering charm aplenty and full of character, it’s a well kept secret that I love.

Megève:

Situated just an hour away from Geneva, Megève flies under the radar a little, traditionally French and chic, full of boutique shops, luxurious accommodation and with a full complement of excellent restaurants and cafés to enjoy, Megève has charm and character aplenty.

Part of the Domaine Evasion Mont Blanc, the ski area covers Megève as well as Saint-Gervais, Les Contamines and a number of other ski regions. Whilst altitude might not be on Megève’s side (most of the skiing is between approx. 1,100 – 2,000m altitude), as long as you avoid the very beginning and end of the season you can generally get a range of quiet and varied runs to enjoy and Megève is home to a Folie Douce for those looking for lively après in your ski group.

Megève offers a more relaxed ski holiday than the St. Anton’s and Val d’Isère’s of the Alps. My favourite way to enjoy Megève is to opt for a different aspect of the ski area each day and to enjoy the cruisy runs in the morning and to take a long lunch in the afternoon before heading back down to resort. It’s a great resort for non-skiers to meet on the mountain for a long lunch, a personal favourite is the outdoor grill for a wonderful steak with chunky chips and panoramic views at Le Super Megève.

St. Anton:

St. Anton’s popularity has soared in recent years, it is similar in popularity to the likes of Val d’Isère and Méribel and this is for very good reason. With 305 kilometres of marked pistes and 200 kilometres of itinerary off-piste runs across the linked Arlberg area, (Austria’s largest continuous ski area) the skiing is world-class. With historically excellent snowfall combined with incredible terrain, whether soaring down Blue 100 piste or tackling Kandahar Black 52, St. Anton challenges all types of skiers and snowboarders.

It’s not just the incredible ski domain that’s the reason for St. Anton’s popularity, it’s the tick-list of all you could want from a ski resort that makes it one of the best resorts in the world. A short transfer from Innsbruck airport (one and a half hours), friendly and hospitable locals, some of the best après ski there is, and the fact that, unlike France, in Austria they don’t call it a day at 5pm but hold the stamina until 8pm. There is great nightlife and when it snows it offers incredible off-piste terrain and bottomless powder fields in the right conditions, St. Anton is one of the best there is.

Whether sipping a relatively reasonably priced beer watching skiers launch the pro-line kickers from ‘Rendl Beach’, sliding down to the toilet and exploring the wine cellar at the Hospiz Alm, challenging yourself to complete The White Ring encompassing the best pistes that the Arlberg offers, or partying like the Austrians do at Krazy Kangaruh as the sun goes down. If you’re looking for a lively resort for your next ski holiday we’d highly recommend St. Anton!

Zermatt:

One word to sum up Zermatt: Matterhorn. Wherever you look, whatever promotional material you find, even down to the Toblerone you pick up on your way home via Zurich or Geneva, the Matterhorn features. The Matterhorn is wondrously beautiful and provides an incredible backdrop for a long lunch at Chez Vrony or as one skis back into Zermatt from Italy, but there is a lot more to appreciate and many a reason why Zermatt is in my top five.

When it comes to food, there is no ski resort in which I would rather gorge myself. Zermatt boasts over 100 restaurants in resort and on the mountain and covers nigh on every cuisine and standard you might want. From the two michelin star After Seven restaurant with its surprise dining to the wonderful Les Marmottes by Furi gondola station where the proprietors rear their own meat and catch their own game, Zermatt is a foodie’s dream destination.

Zermatt offers a range of luxurious chalets to choose from alongside some amazing skiing on both the Swiss and Italian sides of the Matterhorn Paradise ski area which is open 365 days a year. Being a wonderfully beautiful and charming alpine town results in a holiday destination which is well suited to anyone, there’s even après ski and nightlife if you are that way inclined.

Val d’Isère:

This might come as no surprise to many that Val d’Isère features on our list of favourite ski resorts, a cliché perhaps, however this cliché is well deserved. For many years Val d’Isère has been one of the Alps most popular resorts and for many years to come it will hold its own against the best there is. World-class skiing, check, snow-sure from December through April, check, terrain for all abilities, check, après ski and nightlife, double check, mountain restaurants and dining in town to keep the most discerning of foodies happy, check!

Val d’Isère combined with Tignes makes up the Espace Killy ski domain, covering 300 km’s of pistes ranging from the newly developed beginner slopes around the Solaise area (complete with WiFi equipped bubbles and covered picnic spot) to the mighty Face run back down into resort from the Tignes side of the ski area. For those who don’t fancy the black mogul-field that is La Face, La Folie Douce above the La Daille area of Val d’Isère entertains aplenty, or for those seeking a long lunch in the sun, Le Fornet and Edelweiss meet this need exceptionally well.

Val d’Isère’s accommodation choices are something to write home about. With a full complement of stunning chalets and 5* hotels, whether ski-in/ski-out party chalet for 20 in the shape of the homely Chalet Le Chardon, complete with swimming plunge pool and hot-tub, suits your needs best. Or alternatively the impressive and well known Chalet Marco Polo which amazes with its spa facilities, so enticing that you might just forget about the skiing… Val d’Isère has something for everyone.