7 stunning European ski lodges - CNN.com
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Resort: Ideal for beginners or pros, the Italian Dolomites have 1,500 kilometers of skiable slopes.
The traditional wooden exterior contrasts with 11 bright, modern bedrooms. Compact and modern, this family-run hotel is changing the face of a traditionally high-end resort, opening it up to skiers on a budget. Food is simple, seasonal and homemade by the hostess.
Resort: With four different ski areas, Chamonix has no shortage of slopes. Skiers up for a challenge can book a glacier guide and take on the Valle Blanche.
Price: Double rooms from CHF80 (US$86) per person per night.
Contact: Courchevel 1650,Monster Beats, Three Valleys, France; +33 (0) 637 343 875;
Resort: Zermatt has 350 kilometers of slopes, including the Klein Matterhorn which, at 3,820 meters, is Europe's highest lift-serviced summit.
Best for: Couples.
Price: From ?2,000 (US$2,590) per week for full chalet including breakfast.
Resort: Courchevel has 10 black runs, 38 reds, 27 greens and 44 blues. There's also a runway on the slopes, so the super-rich can arrive in style, sans transfer.
Monte Rosa Htte, Zermatt, Switzerland
Price: From ?3,500 (US$4,533) per week.
Le Petit Relais, Gstaad, Switzerland
Resort: St. Anton is geared for hard-core skiers and hard-core partiers.
Lodge: A converted hay barn sitting on the slopes, the Petite Marmotte is Courchevel's only chalet for two.
Contact: La Tzoumaz, 4 Valles, Switzerland; +44 (0) 7903 018 549;
A short walk from Chamonix's bars and restaurants, the chalet itself is secluded, so no need to worry about keeping the noise down. Sun worshipers should make for the first-floor balcony to soak up some rays while admiring the peaks and glaciers.
Contact: Locality Elle 23 39030, San Lorenzo di Sebato, Italy; +39 (0) 474 404042;
Contact: Unterer Mooserweg 2 6580 Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Austria; +43 (0) 5446 2644;
(CNN) -- As temperatures drop and days shorten in the northern hemisphere, it can only mean one thing: the European ski season is almost upon us.
The Mooser Hotel, St Anton, Austria
There's a helipad (which means a seven-minute commute to the slopes), a wine cellar in what was the old goat shed (now goat-free and stocked with 1,500 bottles of local wine) and a mini-spa complete with a Finnish sauna and Turkish bath. At 1,200 meters above sea level, the panoramic views of three valleys are best enjoyed from the heated outdoor whirlpool.
Price: From ?1,021 (US$1,322) per person per week fully catered, excluding transfers.
Contact: 15 Chemin Des Fontanettes, La Frasse, Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France,Monster Beats By Dr Dre; +44 (0) 7920 445826;
Lodge: New this season, Le Petit Relais is a two-star ski-in, ski-out chalet.
Price: From CHF30 (US$32) per night.
Resort: This winter's new SuperPass means cheaper access to Gstaad's 220 kilometers of slopes.
Fashioned from local stone and wood, this ski-in lodge has all the luxury extras: sauna, hot tub and private funicular that delivers you from slope to door and vice-versa. Full of quirky touches, such as a full-size papier-m?ch tiger and white reindeer heads wearing ski goggles, the interiors come from London designer Hugh Berry, the genius who designed the inside of Fortnum & Mason.
Lodge: Split over two floors with views across the Rhone valley, Chalet Auriane sleeps 12 guests.
With so many options -- both in terms of chalets and resorts -- and a huge range of prices to navigate, it's all too easy to book the wrong thing. Whatever your skill level, group size or budget,Monster Beats Outlet, here are some of Europe's best mountain lodges for the coming season.
Chalet Marith, Chamonix, France
Best for: Anyone who wants to party and be pampered.
Price: From ,Monster Beats Outlet Online Store?2,400 (US$3,100) per day.
Best for: A splash-out, outdoorsy, foodie ski holiday.
Lodge: With six en-suite bedrooms and an al-fresco hot tub, Chalet Marith is perfect for groups of friends.
Rustic, snug and romantic, this is a refuge where you can get back to basics -- cooking for yourself, sitting by the wood burner and snuggling up under the eaves. It's an antidote to the glitz of high-end lodges.
Lodge: Built in the 16th century as a bishop's hunting lodge, San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge is now a family-run, four-bedroom mountain retreat where everything is done to the very highest level.
Simple and functional, 18 mini-dormitories (each with three bunk beds) are spread over three floors. The all-Swiss design creates 90 percent of its own energy with a stack of solar panels generating electricity and hot water, which, of course, comes from snow. The 10 p.m. curfew reminds you this is a functional mountain hut -- count yourself lucky there's a sauna.
Lodge: With its glass and aluminum walls, the Monte Rosa Htte almost melts into the Swiss and Italian Alps that surround it.
Contact: Reachable only by foot, ski or helicopter, the Monte Rosa Hut sits at an altitude of 2,795 meters near the Swiss resort of Zermatt. Book via Zermatt Tourismus: +41 27 966 8100;
Petite Marmotte, Courchevel, France
San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge, Dolomites, Italy
Chalet Auriane, La Tzoumaz, Switzerland
Lodge: In a 300-year-old farmhouse, The Mooser Hotel is best known for its adjoining aprs-ski bar, the MooserWirt.
Price: From ?110 (US$142) per person per night.
Best for: Families or anyone on a budget.
Contact: Familie Solveig Lanz and Thomas Kernen, Alte Strasse 8, 3777 Saanenm?ser-Gstaad, Switzerland; +41 (0) 33 744 75 05;
Resort: The Four Valles have 410 kilometers of runs and 89 lifts, all of which are covered by a single lift pass.
Packed with Euro-pop-loving, table-dancing, J?gerbomb-drinking skiers, the bar is lively until closing time at 8 p.m. This is the cue for hotel guests to retreat through a secret door into a haven of white interiors, soft beds and a spa with multiple saunas and an outdoor pool.
Best for: The adventurous and active.
Best for: Extended families or groups of friends.
Best for: Families or groups of friends.