Le Refuge des Aiglons

Nestled in the shadow of Mont Blanc, Chamonix offers some of the best skiing in the French Alps, and its particular tourist economy has created the demand for two kinds of lodgings: the bare-bones variety, for ski bums traveling on the cheap, and throwback, chalet-inspired luxury hotels for families and skiers with a bit more money to burn. Neither of these quite sums up Les Aiglons, a thoroughly modern Alpine luxury hotel that’s been carving out its own niche since its extensive 2008 renovation.

Optimized insulation, on-the-spot natural gas and a pioneering dry wood-chip pool-heating system are a few of the more ecologically glamorous results of the makeover, and they work in harmony with the hotel’s surroundings to give the whole place a carbon footprint of roughly zero. This natural integration of the mountainous terrain extends to the full-service garden spa and outdoor courtyard pool — is there anything more refreshing than the sight of steam wisping across the top of a heated pool in winter?

The interior design by Gilles Leborgne does its best to move the conversation forward from its mountain-chalet starting point, contributing the kind of uncluttered rooms and bold red walls more commonly found in urban boutiques. All the rooms are fully wired, but the real selling point has to be the breathtaking view of Mont Blanc itself — a view which also provides the scenic backdrop for Les Aiglons’ restaurant, where chef David Cochereau changes his menu monthly to reflect the freshness of the local produce.

How to get there:
Chamonix is 88 kilometers from Geneva-Cointrin Airport (GVA).