A classic and crowd-free French resort
A vast ski area at high altitude, located in a stunning French Alpine valley
With 80% of its skiing above 2000m, the Serre Chevalier valley often enjoys some of the best early and late season skiing available, which makes it the perfect destination for a December or Easter getaway. This photo was taken in April!
Big skiing and small crowds! Although Serre Chevalier is the 8th largest resort in France, you'll be surprised how few people there are on the slopes most mornings. Join us away from the crowds and enjoy all that the valley has to offer.
Many of the main lifts in the Serre Chevalier valley have recently been upgraded, which means less time on the lifts and more time on the snow! With further major upgrades planned for the future, this is a truly world-class resort.
Serre Chevalier is a classic French resort. It offers the kind of extensive skiing and picturesque views that you might expect from a big-name resort, yet without the high mountain prices.
Ski Miquel has been coming here for over 20 years, so we know the resort very well and are continually surprised that it is still relatively unknown to the British market.
The valley boasts 250km of interlinked pistes, over 80% of which are above 2000m, so it provides excellent snow conditions throughout a good, long season. The lift system has recently benefitted from some major upgrades, and queues here are unusual.
The resort is a crowd-free haven for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. Beginners will enjoy the gentle blues high above the village, whilst intermediates will love the sweeping bowls, and for experts there are plenty of unmapped pockets of snow and of course the challenging Olympic Luc Alphand black run!
The resort’s snow record
Serre Chevalier has one of the best snow records in the French Alps.
Well-groomed runs
The piste management is exceptional here, and snow cannons also help to keep the lower slopes in top condition.
Sensible food and drink prices
Our staff will help to find you the best tables at the mountain huts for your lunches, and the best value.
Spring skiing
This is a superb resort to enjoy in the Spring, with stunning views and pistes which wind down through the beautiful larch forests.
High vertical descent
Especially on the most northerly facing slopes, which means you can enjoy good long runs on excellent quality snow.
Muriel Sports in Monêtier has been providing equipment hire to our Ski Miquel guests for many years.
Their equipment is top quality, and they also offer an upgrade option if you wish to try out the latest innovative kit.
They also sell equipment and accessories at reasonable prices if you wish to purchase anything in-store.
Oxygène Ski & Snowboard School is located next to the Chalet-Hotel Charlotte in Monêtier and they offer ski and snowboard lessons with English-speaking instructors, and if you want something a bit more adventurous they also offer ski touring and snow-kiting lessons.
www.oxygene.ski/serre-chevalier-ski-school
The local ESF (École du Ski Français) in Monêtier offers teaching programmes suited to all abilities, with a choice of either group or private lessons, and they also offer other services such as off-piste ski guiding, snow-shoeing, and even Nordic skiing.
Serre Chevalier lies within the Écrins National Park and the hiking around Monêtier is superb, with walks through the forests between the villages and links onto part of the GR54 Alpine tour route.
Why not take the afternoon off and soothe your muscles in the thermal spa baths near the base of the slopes and enjoy swimming in the outdoor pool whilst admiring the high peaks surrounding you.
For a dose of culture, head to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Briançon - Home to part of Vauban's fortress network, it's impossible to miss the magnificent citadels rising above the small city as you pass through it on the way to our chalet-hotel.
But it's not just the fortresses you get to see in the highest city in France - There are also many fantastic restaurants and shops to see as well, and it's only a short trip down the valley from Monêtier.
For a great thrill try the giant zip-line from the top of the cable car in Chantemerle, which is 1.1km long and drops 300m of vertical in just over a minute, travelling at a speed of up to 70mph!
Known to the Romans for the healing properties of the two hot springs in the area, Monêtier is the quintessential picturesque French mountain village. It is located at the top end of the Serre Chevalier valley and offers easy access to all the great skiing this area has to offer, thanks to the installation of fast and modern lifts.
If you are interested in finding out more about the region’s cultural history, walking tours are available, and you can also visit the Museum of Sacred Art. The thermal baths close to the Chalet-Hotel Charlotte are the perfect place to unwind after a hard day’s skiing.
For the best French mountain cuisine, head to Le Montagn'Art in Monêtier, where you can try fondue and raclette or a wide range of other local and traditional mountain dishes.
Also try the restaurant at Le Cairn, which is located immediately opposite the Chalet-Hotel Charlotte and offers a sophisticated take on French cuisine.
We would also recommend Le Ristrett, which is situated close to the Chalet-Hotel Charlotte and offers a great range of pizzas and other Italian style food.
For après-ski fun, Bar L’Alpen is always worth a visit, located just off the main church square, with a short walk back to the Chalet-Hotel Charlotte for afternoon tea!
For live bands and happy hours, you may want to try La Grotte in Villeneuve, which is the next village down the valley to Monêtier. With resident bands, DJ's and special guests, it's a great way to finish the day on the slopes, and an easy bus journey back to the Chalet-Hotel Charlotte afterwards.
Just returned from a great trip skiing, Hotel Charlotte is a lovely place to stay, nice rooms, lovely food, and helpful friendly staff, The skiing area was great for us although a little more snow would have been great, lots of choices to eat and drink on the mountain, we loved going out with the hosts as they were very knowledgeable of the area and conditions, we skied with the other guests and the staff every day, it was like a extended family holiday, we will definitely be going back to Ski Miquel.
Perfect place to stay for a week skiing in the beautiful Serre Chevalier region. The whole team were so welcoming and made the stay comfortable and enjoyable. Highly recommend Ski Miquel. Lovely village and would recommend a trip down the valley to Briançon.
Just returned from a great week's skiing holiday at Chalet Charlotte. We were a group of 11, family and friends, with children ranging from age 13 to 25. The chalet is in a great position in the centre of the lovely little village of Monetier with a few friendly bars, restaurants and shops, just a short walk to the lifts. All the chalet staff were so very friendly, helpful and fun to be with, they really made the holiday. They were all so welcoming and nothing was too much trouble, Will was our ski guide and did a fabulous job, a really nice guy who took us all over the area at a pace to suit us, saved us so much time too and such a pleasant and intelligent guy to have around. Anita was our chef and the food was wonderful, such a great variety, she was so flexible too and catered really well for all diets and tastes, she cared so much as to whether you were enjoying everything and if there was anything you didn't like, she was so friendly and keen to please, think it's the best food we've had in a chalet, definitely restaurant quality. All the other chalet hosts, Hannah, Harriet and Max were all so very friendly, helpful and keen to please. Laura the chalet manager did a great job of organising and keeping everything running smoothly. Fabulous holiday.
We had a fabulous week over half term as a family. Many thanks to all of the chalet staff! We enjoyed skiing with Max and Laura, skiing at a good speed with a break for a coffee and lunch. The chalet staff were also great off the slopes. Many thanks to Chef Anita for the delicious food and making changes for fussy kids! Laura ran the chalet impeccably, with organised yet relaxed plans for the day. Our rooms were spacious, warm and clean, making our week very enjoyable. The area downstairs was split into 2 alcoves, which is ideal for half term where there are more kids/teenagers. Many thanks again to the chalet staff and we are looking forward to our next ski holiday with Ski Miquel!
Chalet Hotel Charlotte is brilliant, the staff and service can’t be beaten! I would definitely recommend to family and friends. Only a quick 10 minute walk from the ski lifts and shops. Keep the good work up Ski Miquel.
Just returned from another great holiday with Ski Miquel. The team at Chalet Charlotte headed by Laura are super friendly and helpful and couldn't do enough to make sure we had a great time. As usual there was plentiful wholesome food and a very reasonable chalet bar. The guiding was great fun and as always with Ski Miquel there were many groups of like minded people that during our week all got on like a house on fire. Busy planning our next trip!
Just returned from our first Christmas ski trip with Ski Miquel. Serre Chevalier is a pretty village and we enjoyed the skiing. The food at Chalet Charlotte was very good and the Chalet staff team led by resort manager Laura were friendly, helpful and fun to be around as were our fellow guests. We had a very enjoyable week and thoroughly recommend Ski Miquel.
