April was a really special month for us. My family and I have been so excited for our trip with Ski France for so long, and finally the day arrived, where we were flying to Geneva to spend a week skiing and having fun in Meribel, France

At the airport Frenchie, Clara and I were already trying on goggles for our upcoming skiing adventures! You can never go down on equipment!

Meribel is really beautiful, and so was our jaw-dropping Chalet Mariefleur!

Bonus-info: Mariefleur is located in the heart of the world’s largest connected ski area, the Three Valleys, in Meribel, It is the perfect place to be with friends or family and relax in luxurious accommodation after a day on the slopes

Inside Chalet Mariefleur the guests can enjoy cosy living spaces, set with a fireplace and TV snug…

There are A LOT of bedrooms and bathrooms (most looking like these) In fact, there are so many, that we sometimes got lost, which Clara found hilarious. No space problems here!

The backside of Mariefleur. The chalet has a lot of balconies. Some with this view and some with mountain views… “Look Mummy, there is a tree-house!”

Mountain view de-luxe! Priceless!

The chalet is also equipped with a sauna, hammam, cinema, and a games room, with the highlight being the first-floor terrace with an outdoor jacuzzi…

The jacuzzi was a big hit! We truly enjoyed a lot of quality time here, and it was perfect to be able to go directly inside to the sauna and hammam right after relaxation and fun in the the jacuzzi

Another key feature is that a private shuttle conveniently whisks you to the slopes each morning. I mean – how luxurious is that!

All you need to do is call the taxi company and 5-10 mins they are right in front of your chalet – ready to take you to the slopes! Yes, please!

Did I mention, that there is also a room for ski-equipment outside the chalet! Here, we met with a ski rental team, who found the perfect skis, boots and helmets for all of us! What a service! Look at Clara’s face. She was so excited! Her first time skiing!

Time to get our ski-passes! 

Bonus-info:

• A six-day Meribel Valley ski pass for 2024/25 cost from €333 / £276 per adult and a six-day
• Three Valleys ski pass for 2024/25 cost from €395 / £327 per adult
• Five half-day ESF group lessons for children aged 5-13 costs €233 / £201

 

Clara was nervous at her first day at ski school! I had no idea, how she would do, as this was very new to her. But the teacher, Veronique, was amazing in so many ways. She was really kind and spoke English (with an accent, but Clara is used to this because of her dad), and there were a lot of English-speaking children there – some younger than Clara, so that made her feel at ease!

I watched Clara walk with her team and her skies and I almost shed a tear. As a child, I loved skiing with my family, and I so hoped, that she would like it as much as me

Frenchie had to drag me away for an Aperol Spritz to calm my nerves… He knows ESF from his childhood and assured me that these are some of the best instructors in the world with very high qualification skills, so no need to worry (I still did though…)

OK, My turn…  Frenchie and I were recently in Alpe D’Huez with Ski France, so it hadn’t been that long since we were last on the slopes…

We decided to test some of the green and blue slopes in Meribel, and there were plenty to choose from. Even though there wasn’t a lot of snow, we had enough to get a real skiing experience! 

Frenchie is not as advanced as I am, but he was much more relaxed, than the last time we went skiing. He really enjoyed the slopes here – and I can only say I was impressed with how many options there were for beginners.

Fun in the sun. Life is good! (yes, I did wear a helmet after the photo shoot. It really is important!)

Bonus-info: It is easy to see why Meribel is a firm favourite year after year. There is a real range of runs here – if you are a beginner, the pretty tree-lined slopes nearer town will be right up your street, long and gentle – great for practising your technique. And if you have got a few trips under your belt, the slick lift system will whizz you up to explore higher and rack up more miles. Yes, there is something for everyone – also if you choose to go without skis!

 – But first… Look who just came down from the mountains! Clara’s first day of ski school was over, and she was SO happy and proud (Yes, I cried again) Well done, Clara!

We brought my mother to Meribel… She does not ski anymore, but she loves the mountains, and she was so kind to help also looking after Clara, in case she didn’t like her ski school (but she did, so everything was fine!)

Up to the top we go….

Picture perfect!

At 2,740m, this is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the 3 Vallées.

When you get to the top, you won’t believe your eyes – you will be completely mesmerised. It is a breath-taking sight, with views of the steep inclines of the Aiguille du Fruit, Grande Casse (part of the Vanoise massif), Polset glacier, cime de Caron, la Meije (part of the Écrins massif) and many more

Bonus-info: To get there, take the Pas du Lac gondola 1 and 2 from Méribel-Mottaret, or Saulire Express 1 and 2 from Méribel centre (la Chaudanne)

One of my favourite photos from our trip…

Yes, we really enjoyed our time up here! I was trying to give my best Bond-Babe look in my gorgeous Goldbergh snowsuit from Winternational 

Raclette evening at Chalet Mariefleur. When you choose to travel with Ski France Premium and stay in a luxury chalet, you don’t have to worry about going to bed hungry!

The supplies you will need for breakfast every morning, afternoon snacks, pre-dinner nibbles and dinner for six evenings are included in your chalet so you can skip the hassle of meal planning and ingredient hunting. For us, this was just perfect. When we came home from the slopes, we wanted to have fun in the jacuzzi, hang out and not dress up for a fancy meal. Here, we got all the food coming to us, and we hardly had to do anything except from heating it and place it on the table. There were red, white and rose wine, as well as champagne and beer (and fizzy drinks) Good times!

Lunch was enjoyed by the slopes or in the mountains….

There could have been a bit more snow, but honestly lunch and after ski in the sun … There’s just something about it – and I would it prefer it any day to a snowy day where you can’t see anything and you are freezing cold!

Father/ daughter quality time… (I think Clara might look a bit more like Frenchie than me… )

Aperol Spriiiiitz!

These are some of the memories from our trip, that I loved the most… 

Shopping: Meribel has a lovely selection of ski rental and sports-shops. There are also a few supermarkets, some delis and souvenir shops. The Spar Supermarket really surprised us with a very good wine and champagne selection, real caviar, meats and delicious cheese (but it wasn’t cheap so don’t get too excited!) 

As it was the end of the season, there was a sale going on, and I managed to get a Skiing Barbie negotiated down to half price and a Moncler coat 35% off the price. (That is a really good deal for Moncler, especially as I also managed to get a 12% tax reduction in Geneva airport!)

We had an amazing trip with Ski France to Meribel… It was everything I had hoped for and even more

Helmet-hair! This little one finished her ski school with excellence and got a badge and a ski-pass!

She was SO proud and more than ready to go skiing again! I am so grateful to the ESF team for giving Clara courage and telling me to stay away, when I wanted to come and watch her (hence no photos from her practice sessions!) Everything was as it should be!

We were invited to Meribel by Ski France. All opinions are as always my own

Highlights from Meribel on Instagram can be enjoyed HERE

Bonus-info:

• Lead in prices for a week’s stay at Chalet Mariefleur in the 2024/25 ski season costs from £1,791 total on a Contactless Catered Basis
• Return flights (London to Geneva) cost from £100 pp with EasyJet
• Transfers from Geneva to Chalet Mariefleur were organised through Ski France’s own transfer company, MV Transport: https://mvtransport.fr/en .