Five-star hotels in La Clusaz, the Aravis village resort

A pastoral village that became a resort

La Clusaz lies at the foot of the Aravis chain in Haute-Savoie, and the Nom river runs through the commune. The commune climbs from 984 m to 2,616 m, and the village itself sits at 1,040 m. It had 1,623 inhabitants in 2023.

Its first vocation was pastoral. Since ancient times shepherds have brought their flocks to its green meadows, and in 1601 Duke Charles-Emmanuel I of Savoy raised La Clusaz to the rank of a town and granted it a weekly market and two annual fairs. Its emblem, a silver sheep on a green field, recalls that pastoral past. Winter sports arrived in 1907, the first cable car opened in 1956 and snowmaking followed in 1994.

Skiers from the resort include Edgar Grospiron, Olympic moguls champion in 1992, and Régine Cavagnoud, Super-G world champion in 2001, as well as Vincent Vittoz, cross-country world champion in 2005, and Candide Thovex. The tourist office describes the commune as a land of contrasts, combining wide open spaces and modern chalets.

La Clusaz ski resort: five massifs

The Alpine ski area, marketed as La Clusaz–Manigod, spreads over five massifs, among them Balme, L'Aiguille, Beauregard and L'Étale. From the village at 1,040 m, the lifts climb to 2,600 m, and the pistes start at about 1,100 m. The tourist office counts 85 runs and 125 km of pistes, with a vertical drop of more than 1,500 m, a snowpark and a fun zone. Together with neighbouring Le Grand-Bornand, the wider Aravis area adds up to about 220 km of pistes.

Cross-country skiing has two separate areas. Les Confins, at 1,450 m, has 53 km of trails, including a 7 km link to the Nordic area of Le Grand-Bornand, and is served by a free shuttle from the village. The Beauregard plateau, at about 1,600 m, is reached by the Beauregard gondola from the village and looks across the Aravis to Mont Blanc. Backcountry skiing is possible on Beauregard and L'Étale.

Reblochon country

La Clusaz stands in the historical cradle of reblochon, the soft washed-rind cheese of the Thônes valley and the Aravis, which still concentrates most of its production. The name comes from the Savoyard verb re-blocher, to pinch the cow's udder again. The producers' syndicate traces the practice to the 13th century, when landowners in the Thônes valleys took dues based on each day's milk: farmers left the first milking incomplete during inspections, then milked again and made cheese from the richer milk.

Reblochon received its AOC in 1958 and its AOP in 1996. It is made from the raw milk of three mountain breeds, Abondance, Tarentaise and Montbéliarde, and weighs 450 to 550 g. It is the essential ingredient of tartiflette, a Savoyard gratin of potatoes, bacon and onions.

At the start of the 20th century, output did not exceed 40 tonnes a year; the railway, tourism and winter sports then spread its reputation, and the producers' syndicate now counts 620 farms supplying milk for reblochon across the AOP area.

Summer: the Lac des Confins and the Col des Aravis

The Lac des Confins lies at 1,358 m at the foot of the Aravis chain, in the commune of La Clusaz. It is a small glacial lake of about 5 hectares, 350 m long, fed by two streams and draining underground, and it freezes in winter. Above it, the Col des Confins gives walkers access to the Bouchet valley.

The D909 continues from the village to the Col des Aravis at about 1,490 m, the lowest crossing of the Aravis range, with the Chapelle Sainte-Anne at the top and, according to the tourist office, a view of Mont Blanc. The pass links La Clusaz with La Giettaz in Savoie and has been crossed more than 40 times by the Tour de France.

In summer some lifts reopen for walkers and riders. The resort runs the La Clusaz Bike Park for mountain bikers, and also offers via ferrata, trail running and marked hiking routes of every level.

Hotels in La Clusaz: Au Coeur du Village

Hôtel Au Coeur du Village is a family venture: a father and son of the Pollet-Villard family, established in the Aravis for generations, launched the project in 2009 and the hotel has operated since 2010. It stands at 26 Montée du Château, in the centre of the village, built at the foot of the pistes and close to the shops, with a view of the Aravis mountains; the hotel puts the first ski lifts 50 m away. The Atout France register records 61 rooms, classified five stars on 12 July 2022; as of September 2026 it is the only hotel in La Clusaz with that classification. It is a member of Relais & Châteaux.

Room categories run from Junior and Junior Sommet to Privilège and Privilège Prestige, with single-level and duplex family rooms and a Chalet of 190 m² on two floors. Family rooms come with extra beds, games and toys, and some have their own play areas. Photographs by Ludovic Di Orio hang in the rooms. The hotel has underground parking with a valet at the entrance, and its own ski shop.

There are two restaurants: Le Cin5, the gastronomic table led by chef Vincent Deforce, cooks refined dishes from local produce, and Le Coeur is the more gourmand option; the bar lounge has a fireplace. The 450 m² Cristal Spa has a pool with counter-current swimming, swan-neck jets and a bubble bath, as well as a hammam, a sauna, five treatment cabins, a relaxation area and a herbal tea room. Access to the pool is regulated for resident children. When weighing a ski hotel like this against others in the Alps, our guide to comparing five-star hotels before booking sets out what to check.

Getting to La Clusaz

Annecy is the gateway. From the A41 motorway, leave at Annecy Nord and follow signs for Thônes and the Aravis resorts; La Clusaz is about 32 km from Annecy. The D909, the road over the Col des Aravis, starts in Annecy and follows the eastern shore of the lake through Menthon-Saint-Bernard, so a stay can combine the lake and the mountains. Annecy's station, which the hotel puts about 35 minutes away by road, has TGV services from many large French cities, and our Annecy-le-Vieux page covers the town.

From Geneva, the tourist office suggests the A40 (exit 16, Bonneville) or the A41 via Annecy Nord. Over the Col des Aravis, La Giettaz belongs to the Évasion Mont-Blanc ski area, which it shares with Megève, Saint-Gervais and Combloux. Our French Alps page lists the region's other five-star hotels.