Hôtel Au Chamois d'Or

In the MICHELIN Guide's description, the chalet's interiors match its elegant timber and stone facade. The rooms are lined with wood, balconies run along the building's ornamental balustrades, and some of the suites, which the Guide finds particularly charming, are tucked beneath the steeply sloping roofs. The hotel's own account strikes the same note: every room, it says, pairs elegance and comfort, with warm wood decoration and the atmosphere of a chalet.

The hotel stands at 169 Rue Fontbelle in Huez, at the foot of the Alpe d'Huez slopes, and skiers have direct access to the pistes. From the front door, the MICHELIN Guide notes, they can glide down to the nearby ski lift that leads to the longest black run in Europe.

In summer, the Guide adds, guests only have to walk across the street to catch a ride up towards hiking trails, deep blue lakes and hairpin roads featured in the Tour de France.

Every category looks out to the mountains and has a desk, so the choice comes down to size, bedding and layout. The Chambre Petite Confort gives two guests 18 m², a double bed or twin beds on request, a shower room, and towels, bathrobes and slippers, in what the hotel calls an intimate setting. The Chambre Manon, which the hotel credits with a singular character, also sleeps two, in 20 m² with a bathtub; the Chambre Confort is the same size but takes up to three thanks to a sofa bed, and also has a bathtub. The Chambre Confort Balcon, 22 m² for two, adds a private balcony opening onto the mountains and a bathroom with shower or bathtub.

For a family with one child, the Chambre Privilège offers 24 m² for up to three, with a sofa bed for a child under 13, a bathtub and a private balcony. The Chambre Familiale, which the hotel designed for family stays, sleeps up to four in 34 m², with a double bed, bunk beds for children under 13, a bathroom with bathtub and small shower, and a private balcony. The Chambre Communicante, which the hotel describes as ideal for families or friends, sleeps up to five in 42 m², with two double beds, a sofa bed for a child under 13 and two bathrooms with shower and bathtub. The Chambre Communicante Supérieure, 46 m², has a similar layout with two bathrooms with bathtub.

The Prestige rooms, which the hotel describes as generously proportioned, are all split over two levels. Prestige Valentine, 40 m² for up to three, has a double bed or twin beds on request, a single bed for a child under 13, a fireplace, a bathroom with shower and bathtub, and a private balcony. Prestige Rebecca, 46 m² for up to four, has two double beds (twin beds on request) and a bathroom with shower and bathtub, and looks out to the mountains. Prestige Hugo, 52 m² for up to four, pairs a double bed with two single beds and has a fireplace, a bathroom with shower and bathtub, and a private balcony.

Suite Victoire gives up to four guests 53 m² over two levels, with a double bed and two single beds, a bathroom with shower and bathtub, and a private balcony. Suite César, at 75 m², follows the same two-level plan and bedding and adds a fireplace, in what the hotel describes as exceptional volumes. Suite Aurore, 60 m², takes up to six guests, four of them adults at most, with two double beds, a double sofa bed for children under 13, two bathrooms each with shower and bathtub, and a private balcony; the hotel presents it as a space to share with family or friends.

The restaurant, Le Chamois d'Or, sits at the foot of the slopes and is run by chef Gaël Bogourou, whom the hotel credits with a talent for blending tradition and modernity. His cooking brings together local cuisine and bistronomic flavours, and the hotel promises inventive, refined dishes made with the best produce of the region.

At lunchtime, guests can settle on the terrace, just 30 metres from the ski lifts, for a meal in the sun; in the evening, the dining room turns into what the hotel calls a cosy and intimate space, suited to a convivial or a refined dinner. Hours follow the seasons: in winter the restaurant serves daily from 12:00 to 14:30 and from 19:00 to 21:30, while in summer it opens for dinner only, from Tuesday to Sunday, 19:30 to 21:30, and is closed on Mondays.

The bar, which the hotel describes as warm and traditional and suited to unwinding after a day on the slopes, is open daily from 08:00 to 23:45 in summer and winter alike. It offers a long wine list, creative cocktails and carefully chosen regional spirits, and its specialities are cocktails and local craft beers. Before or after dinner, guests can also settle in the lounge by the fireplace, which the hotel describes as warm and welcoming.

The wellness area is open daily from 09:30 to 20:00. Its heated indoor pool is, in the hotel's words, the ideal spot for a swim in a serene atmosphere, and alongside it are a whirlpool bath, a sauna with dry heat and a steam bath, or hammam.

The Nuxe Spa adds treatments and massages by a dedicated team. Its menu of relaxing massages, facial treatments and beauty rituals uses Nuxe products, which the hotel describes as nourishing and regenerating.