Photo: Booking

Take In The Best of French Ski Country at the Grand Hotel Courmayeur

France Epic Stays
by Hannah D. Cooper May 1, 2024

Resting at the foot of Mont Blanc, Courmayeur consistently ranks as one of Italy’s top alpine resorts with four seasons of mountaineering activities. The Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc, by R Collection Hotels, is a modern mountain retreat 500 meters from the heart of the village. You’ll appreciate magnificent views of Western Europe’s highest peak and roll-out-of-bed proximity to the Aosta Valley’s pistes, trails, and cable car from this five-star spa hotel.

Geneva Airport is a two-hour drive from the Grand Hotel through the French Alps and the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Turin is a similar distance in the opposite direction and Milan adds only an extra 30 minutes behind the wheel. While Courmayeur is internationally acclaimed and even a popular self-drive destination for British skiers and summer adventurers, you’ll find yourself mainly in the company of Italians on a weekend getaway.

We hope you love the Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.

Book Now

Luxury suites at Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc

Photo: Booking
Photo: Booking
Photo: Booking

Get a preview of what’s in store from your room where you’ll feast on uninterrupted views of the Italian Alps. All 72 rooms and suites are scattered across three stylish chalets wrapped around a central building containing the lobby, restaurant, bar, and spa.

Most units have a private balcony and all are turned out with hardwood flooring, warm wooden accents, and contemporary bathrooms. Beds are made up with mattresses by Simmons and extravagant leather headboards to ensure a restful night’s sleep before hitting the slopes or trails.

Couples will appreciate the additional space afforded by the junior suite as well as the full-with balcony and deep soaking tub. Larger suites accommodate up to six guests and are designed with families in mind.

Exploring northern Italy’s Aosta Valley

Photo: Booking
Photo: Booking

Ski season is the reason rooms sell out months in advance at the Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc. The Courmayeur ski area is divided between the Checrouit and Val Veny sectors. There’s a handful of blue runs for beginners but this resort is tipped toward competent skiers, boarders, and free-riders. Much of the terrain is glacial with crevasses and moguls and there is the possibility to go heli-skiing. Val Ferret is one of the most spectacular Nordic ski terrains with snowshoeing and fat biking also available.

If you wake up to clouds, scan an eye over the webcams for Chamonix on the French side of the massif. Also included in the Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass, the French resort is a perfectly doable day trip and only half an hour’s drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this mountain resort shuts up shop when the wildflowers bloom. It’s quite the opposite; those 62 miles of runs become a playground for hikers, mountain bikers, and climbers whereas Val Ferret is repurposed as a golfing and yoga haven. Five miles south of town, the Dora Baltea River delivers the best rafting, kayaking, canyoning, and fishing in the Aosta Valley.

Courmayeur is known for the Skyway Monte Bianco which takes you to the highest point in Italy and the closest Mont Blanc lookout point. Enlist a guide to lead you down the unmarked Vallée Blanche or grab a bite to eat in the clouds before taking the cable car back down to 1,224 meters.

Family-friendly activities including ice skating, climbing, tennis, and golf are available in all seasons at the Courmayeur Sports Center.

The hotel operates a regular shuttle service to the Dolonne lifts and Skyway station in Entrèves. A public bus covers the same circuit and passes by the property.

Après-ski, après-hike in Courmayeur

Photo: Booking
Photo: Booking
Photo: Booking
Photo: Booking

Tuck into hearty alpine cuisine with a view of the Brenva glacier from the wood-clad La Fourchette at the Grand Hotel. This light-filled restaurant draws inspiration from Italian, French, Swiss, and Austrian cooking and creates a fine dining experience in a relaxed setting. The Equinox Lounge Bar is an extension of La Fourchette and offers an equally dramatic perspective of the Mont Blanc massif and an all-weather terrace.

Courmayeur village maintains a cheerful après scene in traditional chocolate-box taverns. The Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc is a 10-minute walk from the car-free Via Roma where you’ll find a mix of restaurants, bars, and cocktail lounges with ad hoc live music. Things wind down early in town but for a wilder night, have reception call you a taxi to Shatush where DJs spin until the wee hours in Entrèves.

The Wellness Center at Erre Spa comprises a gym, indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and herbal tearoom. These facilities are enough to straighten out aches and pains although a full menu of massages and treatments will see you right after a bumpy journey down Diretta.

Book Now

Discover Matador