"A dream location": inside Club Med's first Exclusive Collection Snow Resort

“Val d’Isere is a dream location in the alps, and Club Med is in a dream location in Val d’Isere, as it’s the only hotel with direct ski-in ski-out access to the slopes,” says Todd Julie, vice-president of marketing at Club Med. “The three reasons why Val d’Isere is our first Exclusive Collection resort is because we’re a dream location; we have unique activities; and there’s a chic but never formal atmosphere. These are the ingredients that make it an elevated, enhanced Club Med experience.”

To celebrate the property’s 50th anniversary, this five-star resort underwent a €50m transformation, reopening in late 2022. There are two restaurants (the food court-style Le Bellevarde which is in place of a buffet and has its own cheese sommelier or “fromager”, as one would want in the mountains, and the a la carte Les Millesimes), three bars, and 216 rooms. With a maximum of 400 or so guests when full, by Club Med standards, it’s a lower density, more intimate property, which is what sets the Exclusive Collection apart, along with extras such as private transfers and a concierge service.

On my first morning, I make it my mission to try out as many of the premium all-inclusive features Club Med has introduced as possible.

Waking to blue skies, I head to the ski room where, thanks to its new “Facilitate Your Arrival” tool, I find all my ski gear waiting for me in my locker. Simply fill in your details pre-arrival, and your ski pass will be waiting in your room.

Heading direct to the slope from the door of the property, I’m already enrolled in a class with ESF instructors at my ski skill level. That is to say, no skill at all!

“It can be painful to arrive in the mountains,” says  Nicolas Bresch, managing director, UK, Ireland & Nordics at Club Med, acknowledging the logistics usually involved in finally getting to the snow. “So we’ve been working hard on this.” Here, I find it’s seamless.

No snow? No problem. Val d’Isere is also covered by Club Med’s Snow Guarantee. If there’s a lack of snow at any of its 14 European mountain resorts, guests can be relocated, free of charge.

Party vibe

After working up an appetite by concentrating on remaining upright, it’s only right to indulge in some apres ski. Here, lunchtime is an event. With a DJ performing on the terrace, cocktail hour arrives as stalls of cheese, charcuterie, grills and cocktails are set up for a mini-party by the slopes.

The vibe is high – Club Med likes to party. There’s nightly entertainment too, champagne from 6pm (a key Exclusive Collection feature) and aperitifs with extensive canapes from 7pm.

Come the next day, and the weather has switched completely. Waking in my cosy suite which includes an additional fold-out sofa bed, I watch the blizzard swallow up the valley from my balcony, coffee in hand.

Assessing my skill level, I decide it time to try out the new activities the hotel has been working on for non-skiers. These include 24 hours of yoga classes a week. Developed by yoga master Heberson Oliveira, there’s Vibhava method options for bad backs, beginners, meditation, balance and more. For children, there’s tree climbing in snowy forests. Dogsledding and fat (tyre) biking sound fun too.

But as I love the kind of weather skiers hate, a snowshoe hike into the mountains sounds perfect. Muscles suitably weary, I return to soak in the outdoor hot tub. Usually, it offers views of the slopes, but today the falling snow is magical.

During a “Bali Flowers Ritual” facial at the spa by Cinq Mondes, I’m not even embarrassed to fall asleep as my shoulders and scalp are massaged.

“Club Med started as a vision in 1950 and became an adventure. Today we have more than 70 years’ experience, and are building the most desirable holiday lifestyle brand for families and active couples,” says Henri Giscard d’Estaing, president of Club Med (and son of former French president, Valery), talking about the brand’s extensive expansion and upgrade plans.

Nearby, La Rosiere has just re-opened with an Exclusive Collection space. Set to total 43 family suites, each will have access to private lounges, terraces, a concierge and 6pm champagne.

Club Med Gregolimano in Greece is currently closed for refurbishment and will reopen in summer 2024, while Club Med Marrakech La Palmeraie is also being revamped. There are more upgrade plans which, for now, are being kept under wraps. 

“In a few months from now, all our resorts around the world will be either ‘upscale’ or ‘very upscale’,” adds Giscard d’Estaing. “It’s a total transformation.”

Book it: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at Club Med Val d’Isere starts from £2,039pp (based on double occupancy) with return flights from Heathrow and transfers included. Price based on a departure date of 21 April 2024; clubmed.co.uk

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