Meribel
The attractive ski resort of Meribel has all the trappings of the perfect Alpine village: traditional chalets set in a picture postcard-perfect landscape of snow-laden fir trees.
Along with the neighbouring resorts of Courchevel and Val Thorens, it forms the famous ski region known as 'Les Trois Vallées' in Savoie, right in the heart of the French Alps. This area offers access to 600km of downhill skiing, 644 individual pistes, and 200 ski lifts, catering for all ski levels. It is also highly rated by snowboarders, with two Snow and Terrain Parks.
Meribel is actually made up of three villages: Meribel Village, Meribel Centre, and Meribel-Mottaret - all of which fall within the borders of the beautiful Vanoise National Park.
Although it isn't overdeveloped, the resort's apres-ski is well-established, and there's a good range of restaurants, ski and snowboarding shops, and activities nearby such as ten pin bowling, indoor climbing and a swimming pool.
With the natural beauty of the Vanoise National Park on its doorstep, Méribel also makes a great summer destination. You could take it easy relaxing on the shores of one of the local lakes, or get active with some mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, or paragliding.
There are plenty of other places of interest to visit in the surrounding area, too, including the neighbouring resorts of Courchevel, Val Thorens and Valmorel, or medieval Conflans in Albertville.