Where is it?
Right in the heart of fashionable Megève, a short crunch through the snowy streets to the designer shops and the church of St. John the Baptist with its landmark bell tower. The ski resort of Megève lies in the Alps, some 50 minutes from Geneva airport.
Style
Rustic, mountain-chic – think antlers and framed cows on the wall, sheepskin cushions, faux-fur throws, sloping wood ceilings, shutters and log fires; and a restaurant which spills out onto a sun-filled terrace with red parasols, red and white striped tablecloths and magnificent views of the slopes. The 70 bedrooms are housed in old authentic alpine farmhouses which were rescued from the mountain slopes and recreated as a little cluster in the heart of pretty Megéve by the talented Jocelyne Sibuet, whose Maisons & Hotel Sibuet group has expanded since then to include outposts in such far-flung destinations as the Caribbean’s St. Barths.
Facilities
From a sachet of Sibuet brand Pure Altitude moisturising skin cream, dedicated to levels of high altitude, placed on your bed at turn-down to a shuttle to take you to the ski lifts or into town to the impressive spa facilities, Les Fermes de Marie delivers everything you might need. Home to the first of the Pure Altitude dedicated spas, with nature-based treatments and products developed by the Sibuet family (try the new cold cream made using Alpine beeswax and Mont Blanc glacier water or the just launched Edelweiss organic cotton mask which provides 12 hours of hydration) men and women are equally well catered for here.
There is a new Green Room exclusively for manicures and pedicures alongside further treatment rooms, a lap pool, dry and wet sauna, steam room, Japanese soaking tubs, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, gym, indoor swimming pool and a Leonor Greyl hair salon. There is a boot room for skiiers and an excellent pool of local ski guides to draw from.
Outside the hotel, this year sees the opening of L’Epicerie des Fermes, a grocery store and delicatessen where you can stock up on Savoyard produce to take home.
Food & drink
Sensational – in a word. Waking up to a breakfast of mountain hams and runny local cheeses, warm croissants and eggs any which way you want, you know you are in for a treat. Lunch in Le Restaurant Traditionnel, in the heart of the main chalet, focuses on the best of local produce, such as fish from the mountain lakes and cheeses from the surrounding producers. Try the Reblochon from a local farmer, made here into a pie with bacon and onion confit or arctic char, cooked skin side down, with spelt risotto and hazelnuts. At dinner, free range chicken with truffle, winter vegetables and creamed chicken consommé is not to be missed, but then neither is one of the hotel’s signature dishes of macaroni with truffles, Saugest ham and Beaufort cream.
Just launched this year to celebrate the hotel’s 30th anniversary is La Ferme de Bacré, a beautiful old stone and wood family farmhouse a snowshoe walk away, through mountain pastures. Here, only guests of the hotel can lunch on a menu which includes their prize-winning fondue, made with three different local cheeses.
Extracurricular
Outside the hotel, the slopes await; there are 445 kilometres of pistes in Megéve with extensive terrain which allows for skiers of all levels, from 34 black runs to 38 greens with 82 reds and 65 blues in between. In town the Palais des Sports has a curling rink, an ice rink, climbing wall, and a tennis court for non-skiers. While foodies are well placed, for this is considered the culinary capital of the Alps.
Which room
The 70 rooms are all different, but all invitingly warm in atmosphere with sloping wooden ceilings, tartan plaid armchairs or wallpapers, faux-fur throws and generous rations of coffee and tea. There is a huge choice of configurations with duplex rooms for families with twin beds downstairs and double bed upstairs, interconnecting rooms, cosy attic style rooms and indulgently romantic suites like the Rochebrune Suite, housed in the hotel’s stone tower.
Best for
Read More
Mountain lovers - for walking here in the fields of wild flowers in summer is as magnificent as skiing in winter.
When to go
Winter for the white; summer for the green.
Details
Winter rates start from 389€ (and summer rates start from 342€) per night for a double room on a B&B basis including a day trip to La Ferme de Bacré. fermesdemarie.com/en