Insider view: Meribel in the Three Valleys, France

Holly Chandler, pictured left, co-founder of Fish&Pips Chalet Holidays, gave us her top tips on getting the best out of the world-renowned French ski resort of Meribel, which links into the vast Three Valleys ski area.

What’s your favourite ski run in the Three Valleys?
Gosh, there are so many to choose from in such a massive ski area! I love some of the wide red runs in the quieter areas – Jerusalem that drops over the back towards St. Martin is amazing when the snow cover is good. It has these big rollers in it and the most breathtaking views all the way to the bottom. I also love the Creux first thing in the morning, which takes you over towards Courchevel 1650 and the Chapelets run that’s flanked by the national park. That whole area tends to always be quiet and is just beautiful. Of course, for beginner skiers you can’t beat the Altiport.

What’s the best apres ski bar in Meribel?
I suppose it depends what mood you’re in! La Folie Douce and the Rond Point or ‘the Ronnie’ are both an absolute blast. If you’re feeling energetic you can start in La Folie Douce in the early afternoon, enjoy the live cabaret, dance on the tables then head to the Rond Point for live music from 5-7pm. Personally though, I have to say my absolute favourite for apres ski is the Lodge du Village or ‘LDV’ in Meribel Village. The intimate and welcoming bar has an electric apr-~¨s atmosphere, especially when they have live local bands playing. Crowd surfing and toffee vodka shots come as standard and drinks are considerably cheaper than the rest of Meribel. It’s also great for kids and families.

When your guests aren’t relaxing in the chalet, where do they like to party?
Most of the guests tend to end up in Lodge du Village after a day on the hill and then conk out after dinner!

Which is your favourite mountain restaurant?
If you’re looking for fine mountain dining – and you have the budget for it – I’d have to say La Bouitte in St Jean Bellville (just outside the larger St Martin de Bellville), which has been awarded a Michelin Star for good reason. La Bouitte is perfect for bad weather days when a chilly afternoon can be snugly whiled away indulging in exquisite food and wines. Those looking for cheaper, yet deliciously cheerful mountain alternatives can’t go wrong with a 7 Euro Mountain Burger from Mottaret Snack Bar, next to the Sherpa Supermarket. Covered in lashings of raclette cheese and served on a slab of crusty French bread, the Mountain Burger is enough to feed a small army. Make sure you get there early however because there can be queues at lunchtime! Outside of that, I tend to lean towards the more authentic and characterful restaurants in the Three Valleys, of which there are plenty – you just need some inside knowledge to find them: Montagnard in St Martin; Adray Telebar in Meribel; Fermes du Reberty in Les Menuires; Soucoupe in Courchevel and Le Bouc Blanc in La Tania.

What, in your opinion, is the best time during the ski season to visit Meribel?
Meribel is wonderful at Christmas and New Year when there’s loads of festive fun and a mega New Year party on the Chaudanne. The village puts on loads of activities for kids and families and has a really lovely vibe. January’s quiet slopes, excellent snow and favourable prices are always worth a look and spring is so much fun! You’ve got to love the extra sunshine, cracking snow conditions, late lunches and Fish&Pips winter BBQ season. The lighter evenings also mean longer apr-~¨s sessions and some seriously cool hot-tub sunsets! Actually, I think spring might be my favourite…but I love it all!

Can you give us some tips to avoid the peak season crowds?

• Book a Three Valleys holiday – The 3Vs have invested hugely into the ever-improving lift system which means in comparison to other resorts queues are kept to a minimum and clear quickly.
• Stay in Meribel Village! Skiing from Meribel Village means you miss any queues from the busier Chaudanne base – it’s like having your own private chairlift, which enables you to bypass any early morning ‘traffic’ and zoom ahead to the prime skiing spots.
• As long as you avoid the main connecting or ‘motorway’ pistes in peak season you should be okay. The areas further out on the extremities of the Three Valleys piste map tend to take a little longer to get to and are subsequently a lot quieter – Courchevel 1650 and ‘La Masse’ are two of my favourite areas in silly season. It’s best to pick an area of the Three Valleys and spend the day skiing there rather than try and get around the whole piste map in a day, or you’ll spend the whole day on the connecting pistes. Courchevel 1650 is particularly good if it’s snowing or the visibility is limited because of the trees.
• Hit Les Creux piste early to get over there and make sure you give yourself enough time to ski back. For those looking to stay local I always think the runs to the right of the Meribel ski area (if you were looking up the valley towards Mottaret) are underrated and miss a lot of the traffic that’s criss-crossing from one Valley to another. Blaireau and Choucas are great fun. It’s easy to avoid the crowds if you know where to go and our chalet hosts are masters at making the most of their time on the mountain so it’s always worth asking for their recommendations.
• Ski over lunch – get yourself a hearty breakfast fill and a mid-morning pit stop, and ski over lunch until 2pm. Those with hungry children will need to eat early therefore leaving more room on the slopes for those wanting to push on through. Then reward yourself with a late lunch without having to wait for a table!

The Three Valleys are known for attracting celebrities. Have you ever sat on a ski lift with someone famous – and did you take a ski selfie?!
Hmm…Natalie Imbruglia and Hermione Grainger (Emma Watson) but that was a few years ago and sadly no selfies! If you’re into serious celeb-spotting it’s best to ski over to Courchevel. If you like celebrity chefs then you can sometimes catch Adam Byatt at Fish&Pips chalets during our annual staff training and Michelin Star ‘Taste of Trinity’ weeks!