Simon Calder's Travel Week
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If reaching for the stars seems a little ambitious, I (US travel editor Ted Thornhill) can heartily recommend reaching for the mountains instead, where you'll find jaw-dropping views, clean air, and some of the world's best hotels.
My passion for high-elevation escapes was driven by a winter season in the French resort of Les Orres in the 1990s, where I worked in a bar by night, and snowboarded by day. That experience gave me a lifelong addiction to the sport, and to the mind-cleansing euphoria of being among the peaks, where the troubles of the world seem diminished.
One of my favourite resorts is Courchevel in the French Alps, which has snow-retaining north-facing slopes, fairy-tale woodland runs, and is home to the ridiculously fine hotel Les Airelles. Nestled next to a cute tree-lined run — Jardin Alpin — Les Airelles has a Bavarian storybook appearance, a beautiful indoor swimming pool and a children's "kingdom", complete with arcade games and a mini castle that adults love exploring as much as the little ones.
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The Dolomites are ideal for skiing – but also hiking, cuisine and spa days (Val Gardena Marketing) |
I'm not the only member of The Independent's travel team smitten with the loftier life. Travel correspondent Simon Calder is a fan of the Pyrenees. He says: "While the Alps have the altitude, the range between France and Spain has a higher proportion of villages where you can find shelter and food at the end of a long day's hike. There is the added bonus of the principality of Andorra, a geopolitical oddity in the Pyrenees that offers some excellent and good-value skiing."
For Daisy Lester, it's the Italian Dolomites and Hotel La Perla that does the trick when it comes to high-altitude holidays. She commented: "Hotel La Perla in Corvara offers mid-century charm and old-school luxury. First opening its doors in 1956 and affectionately dubbed a 'house', the hotel has passed down through three generations of the Casa Costa family. It's an institution in the town, from the hotel's buzzy après ski venue to traditional Alpine restaurant and moody bistro bar where live music plays each evening. Ski-in/ski-out access means you're moments from the slopes and the famous Sellaronda circuit, but the Sassongher views and serene spa make it difficult to leave La Perla."
Read on for more mountain escapes inspiration, and some of our favourite articles from this week. Introducing Independent Trips: Explore the Atlas mountains on an adventure through Morocco |
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