Pashmina

When Val Thorens, in the French Alps, calls itself “the roof of Europe,” it’s a reference to the fact that it’s the highest-elevation ski resort on the continent. But it’s not just the altitude that makes it special — it’s part of Les Trois Vallées, which means access to what might be the most abundant wealth of ski slopes in the world. Hotel Pashmina Le Refuge sounds like just the sort of place you’d like to wrap yourself up in at the end of a day on the valleys’ mountainsides, and upon further inspection, it turns out it’s aptly named indeed.

Anyone who’s spent much time in traditional Alpine lodges knows there’s such a thing as too much coziness. Here at Pashmina it’s tempered with quite a bit of visual interest, a modernist reinvention of the lodge style for a new generation of guests. The rooms range from cozy doubles with balconies all the way up to the three-bedroom Apartment-Chalet, and everything in between, with plentiful creature comforts and a lively, contemporary look.

Add a L’Occitane spa and two restaurants — one of them the proud owner of a Michelin star — and you’re in proper luxury-hotel territory. And with a ski shop and the never-ending list of outdoor activities, it’s a very fine base camp for a bit of Alpine adventure.