Meribel Unplugged
Your Ultimate Guide To Meribel Ski Holidays
Meribel Ski Holidays in 2024/25 Don’t worry you have chosen one of the very best ski resorts in the French Alps. But don’t just trust me. read what a journalist has to say about Skiing In Meribel ! Also if you have children then see what he says about our Childrens Ski Lessons
Meribel has it’s own green supply of electricity here & with fast chairs covering most of the mountains. Meribel is one of the safest resorts for energy.Meribel Unplugged should have everything you need to know for your ski or snowboard holiday in Meribel, France.
In my opinion, in Meribel you have the very best of what the French Alps can offer. The Tarentaise / Savoie region has a wide choice of ski resorts but I honestly think Meribel is the best of them all taking all aspects into consideration.
Great piste skiing for intermediates & advanced with plenty of red and black runs. Plus superb off-piste possibilities. The green pistes at the Meribel altiport area is a perfect place for beginners. Check out my ski guide pages for more information on the actual skiing.
Meribel apres ski spots includes the famous Folie Douce and Rond Point, both on the Saulire mountainside.
The LDV has it’s big terrace marquee at Meribel Village. Here the apre ski bands play outside.
Jacks Bar at Chaudanne lift centre has live bands every afternoon Monday to Friday and music some weekends.
Being in the very heart of the Trois Vallees it is also very easy to ski to Courchevel, La Tania, St Martin ,Les Menuires, Val Thorens or even the 4th Orelle valley.
As I am totally independent my opinions and reviews can actually be trusted! Do beware of internet scams! I have a terrific selection of Meribel ski chalets and ski apartments on my web site , plus all the Meribel hotels. I can personally vouch for all the private accommodation listed here on Meribel Unplugged.
Please note: Meribel Unplugged is all home-made! I am not a journalist or a professional web designer but I do have a lot of old history in Meribel dating right back to the 80’s. My team are there all season so I still always know what is going on in Meribel so this means I can keep you right up to date with important items of news etc.
If there’s anything you cannot find on my web site or you need special advice feel free to contact me. I usually reply same day or next morning.
My E mail is rob-smart@meribel-unplugged.co.uk. As mentioned previously I usually reply the same day or early next morning. Feel free . I enjoy helping new visitors to Meribel find their way around. My first Meribel visit was 1982 !!! So I have seen many changes !
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Ski Holiday Testimonials
I really do get many great testimonials each season. Here are just a few samples.
Thanks Rob for all the help you gave us for our family ski holiday in Meribel. Through you we managed to sort out everything fast and easy. Our accommodation in Meribel centre was great and the ski hire shop and the ski school you recommended were most helpful. We have no reservations about giving you and your excellent web site our thumbs up. Dave & Mary Edwards.
Hi Rob, just to let you know that we had a fabulous ski holiday in Meribel and your web site was a great help in choosing our catered chalet. The food was excellent and the skiing in the 3 valleys was out of this world. Thank you. The family Roberts.
Thank you for all your help with our ski holiday in Meribel. Your advice on ski hire and ski schools was spot on. We shall be returning to Meribel next year for sure. Les Trois Vallees is a fantastic area for skiing. Unbelievable! Roy Stephenson.
We have no qualms about recommending Meribel Unplugged for Rob’s honest and very useful advice and information. He seems to know everything about Meribel ! It was our first time on a winter sports holiday and we had a great time. We even managed to get over the mountain in to Courchevel on our last day. Andy and Nicola.
I have to tell you your web site is the best we have found for Meribel. It is so easy to find your way around. It is our first time skiing in France. We are from South Africa so we needed help for our accommodation and ski hire especially. Your advice was very honest and made sure we made the right choice of chalet. Our sincere thanks to you. Alex and Elizabeth.
MERIBEL CATERED CHALETS
Over 100 Meribel chalets. Yes.. 100+ for this ski season. These ski chalets come either fully catered or self catered. They have between 3 and 12 bedrooms and can sleep from 6 to 24 people. The most common sized chalets normally have 4, 5, or 6 bedrooms. However they do fluctuate immensely in both price and standards. From 5 star luxury ski chalets to simple but comfortable cheaper budget accommodation. Both catered and self catered chalets are to be found in most locations throughout the whole Meribel valley. If you are a new visitor or it is your first ski holiday then please do feel free to ask our advice. Also take a look at our Meribel accommodation guide. This is a really useful review of all the Meribel villages.
Holidays Tips:
Ski holidays in Meribel can sometimes work out pretty expensive. If you are on a tight budget then maybe go for self catering. Rest assured. We have an enormous choice of ski accommodation at all prices. It starts with small budget self catering studios for 2/4 persons and extends all the way up to 4 bedrooms or 5 bedrooms large luxury 5 star chalet style apartments. Many of our Meribel apartments are located in prime spots in and around the town centre . Others are in outlying villages and usually a little cheaper. With the excellent free bus service you don’t have to worry too much about location. All the buses go to the main ski lift centre at Chaudanne. Do feel free to ask our advice or again check out the Meribel acommodation guide.
MERIBEL HOTELS 2* 3* 4* 5*
Meribel hotels also vary a great deal in both price and standards. The valley has a total of over 20 hotels ranging from simple 2 stars through to the 5 star Kaila at Chaudanne & Le Coucou at Belvedere. 8 hotels are situated in the town centre itself. Two 2 star hotels are in the town centre. 3 hotels are located up in the Rond Point / Belvedere area. These are 3 star and 4 stars & 5 stars. These last 3 although well out-of-town, are in superb positions right by the piste. They are ski in ski out. Plus the Rond Point Bar is world famous for it’s apres ski. Mottaret hosts another five hotels. These are also ski in ski out with a mix of 3 star and 4 star accommodation. Finally one lovely old traditional hotel is to be found in Les Allues village. This is 3 star accommodation located right in the village centre.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
Meribel airport transfers can often cost more than the flight itself. Therefore we offer a full range of transfer options to and from you airport of choice. The transfer companies featured in our unplugged web site are quite frankly the very best. All are also fully licensed and insured for fare paying passengers.
SKI SCHOOLS
The Meribel Ski Schools featured all have English-speaking instructors. (albeit sometime wiz ze French accent!). Prices and times of lessons can vary school to school. Therefore it is worth checking them all out if you all want to have lessons at the same time. All the ski school’s instructors are fully qualified. The teach all levels of skier from absolute beginners through to off piste powder and heli skiing.If you have children then get them in to one of our many children’s ski lessons in Meribel.
Ski hire & snowboard hire costs can vary a great deal. It depends on your level of skiing/riding and the quality of equipment required. Well-serviced skis & boards plus comfortable boots are so important. In fact they are probably the 2 mos t important items of any ski holiday, apart from the snow! To rent or buy check out our ski shops for the best deals.Late in the ski season, you can also pick up some amazing bargains,both skis and snowboards.
LIFT PASSES
Lift passes are not cheap. Make sure you choose the right one. We can advise you depending on your ability and level of skiing/riding. For anyone other than absolute beginners we advise you to purchase the full 3-valley ski pass. However you can get a daily extension for about 35 euros per day.
Restaurants throughout the whole 3 valleys vary greatly in both price and quality. As a result you will find our wide research & price guides very useful. We have a team of volunteers in Meribel keeping us up to date with all of them.
BARS/PUBS/DISCOS
The bars & pubs have a reputation for great apres ski and some also have live music each night. There are also 3 dedicated night-clubs. Two of the night-clubs are in the main town. The other is a cellar club in Meribel Mottaret. All the bars & pubs are listed with full descriptions for both apres ski and late night revellers.
A Guide To Meribel & The 3 Valleys
Meribel, a part of the Vanoise National Park, was orginally discovered back in 1936 by Scotsman, Peter Lindsay. After the war, with the help of French Architects Paul Grillo and his partner Christian Durupt the development of Meribel really got under way. Les Allues the original old village, was part of the commune of the Savoie département of France, Moûtiers. They made sure the new Meribel ski resort was developed in similar true Savoyard style with lots of wood and stone used in the construction. Hence its beauty that remains today. In the 1992 winter Olympics (Albertville) it was host to the ladies downhill race and the ice hockey. This brought the Tarentaise ski regions to world attention.
The main town is only 20 minutes up the mountain from Moutiers rail station. Les Allues village is just 15 minutes up the valley while Mottaret is about 30 minutes. The snow trains and Eurostar from London & Paris arrive weekly during the winter season at Moutiers rail station via Chambery and Albertville. Flights for Meribel land at Geneva, Lyon, Chambery or Grenoble. Transfers are about 2-3 hours.
Meribel consists of various villages. Meribel Village (1500m), built for the Olympics, Les Allues Village (1300m), the original ancient village, Meribel Mottaret (1750m), built in the 70’s. Meribel Morel (1600) & Rond Point (1700m) are located higher than the main town (1400m).
Being in the very centre of Les Trois Vallées Meribel is a fabulous ski resort for intermediates. One of the very best in France. It is also excellent for beginners and advanced skiers. There are over 10 English speaking ski schools for all levels of skiing. Even the French schools all have English speaking instructors.With over 600km of pistes and 180 ski lifts in the three valleys, there is skiing for everybody here. There are also some wonderful cross-country ski routes.
Off-piste skiing is also extremely challenging with a wide choice of mountain terrain to choose from. There is normally very good snow off-piste from January till April above the gondola mid-stations.
Skiing The Three Valleys in Meribel
From the Chaudanne ski lift centre, you can reach Courchevel in 15 minutes and just 20 minutes for La Tania. Les Menuires can be reached in 20 minutes & Val Thorens in 45 minutes. The lower villages of La Praz and St Martin De Belleville can also be reached well within the hour. Meribel Les Allues village can be skied to most of the winter season. Snow conditions are usually good until mid-March for all the lower resorts in the Trois Vallees. Even in April skiing is still great above the middle gondola stations. The ski lifts open in early December and operate till the 3rd weekend of April.
All in all, Meribel is one of the very best choices in the French Alps for a skiing or snowboarding holiday due to its largest ski area.
For more interesting information on this fabulous ski resort follow the link to Wikipedia.
For more further information on Meribel you can also visit the Tourist Office web site.
However I do think you should find what you want somewhere inside Unplugged. If not just e-mail me. I am always happy to help new visitors.