A review of Mademoiselle hotel by Airelles in the ski resort of Val-d’Isère  

The uber-swanky ski resort of Val-d’Isère in the French Alps is awash with luxury accommodation options – but even here, in this snowy fun park for the rich and famous, new hotel Mademoiselle stands out.

It is breathtakingly wonderful. An exquisite, elegant lodge in the style of an old seigneurial residence that I fall in love with the moment I cross the threshold.

Mind you, this comes as no surprise, because Mademoiselle, which opened in December 2019, is a creation of the Airelles group, whose other two properties – Les Airelles in Courchevel 1850 and La Bastide de Gordes in Provence – are ‘palace-rated’ by the French government.

Is Mademoiselle on-track for this ultra-prestigious accolade?

Should it be denied, I’ll be shocked to the marrow.

I’ve stayed in Les Airelles and La Bastide – and the 41-room Mademoiselle is similarly bewitching.

Stepping across said threshold and one beholds wow-factor No1 – the reception area.

I gawp with my correspondingly wide-eyed partner at an opulent velvet sofa and chairs in front of a grand fireplace, dark wooden floors, a lovely timbered ceiling and sweeping hand-crafted wooden staircase.

And delightfully, one of the bookshelves doubles as a secret staff door.

It’s ‘oh my’ central in this room and throughout.

That’s partly down to the highly revered French architect and interior designer Christophe Tollemer, who has overseen the décor of all three Airelles hotels.

Here he has meticulously recreated warm Haute Epoque décor using hand-picked authentic antique furniture and paintings from all over France, plush fabrics, aged-oak parquet flooring, pewter chandeliers and Italian frescoes.

Our corner suite bedroom is a masterclass in refinement, with a thick heavy wooden door, a huge old aristocratic wardrobe, a double-sink ensuite with stone floors, rain shower and very expensive-feeling fittings – and two TV screens that, like magic, materialise from behind framed mirrors.

I’m also very taken with the breakfast buffet, where rustic loaves are stationed between two candles in ornate holders.

I WhatsApp a picture of the scene to my chum – and MailOnline’s etiquette expert – William Hanson, who remarks that it looks like I’m in the opening scene from Beauty and the Beast.

He’s right. But Mademoiselle offers far more than rustic Disney aesthetics.

It leaves skiers and snowboarders wanting for nothing, thanks to a chic ‘boot room’ brimming with top kit for sale and hire run by highly knowledgeable staff.

And with the property sitting at the confluence of the resort’s major gondola – the Olympique – and a clutch of beginner lifts, plus being just yards from the resort’s designer shops, top bars and must-visit restaurants – it couldn’t be in a better location.

Sold?

Of course you are. But there’s more.

Mademoiselle is also a total dreamland for children.

There’s a ‘children’s kingdom’ containing a Mario Kart arcade machine, pinball machine, games consoles, mini-kitchens and drawing boards.

My two-and-a-half-year-old daughter is in raptures.

And the ecstasy continues at the astonishing piratical ‘treasure island’ tiered children’s pool that comes with inflatable treasure chests packed with toys. Plus a floating volleyball net.

This pool lies within another jaw-dropper – a magnificent, almost other-worldly 12,900-square-foot spa, the largest in Val-d’Isère, which has been created in partnership with the prestigious skincare and cosmetic brand Guerlain.

Facilities include a 20-metre-long swimming pool, hammam, sauna, a vast sunken hot tub, sensory showers, and a ‘health bar’.

I sit at this and eat some almonds. But I much prefer the bar upstairs that serves alcohol, which is in a league of its own.

For starters, you get ‘amuse-bouche’ and truffle-coated nuts with your drinks.

Amuse-bouche are normally served at Michelin-starred restaurants before a tasting menu.

Here you get them with a pint of beer.

Then there’s the Jòia restaurant, overseen by the double-Michelin-starred chef Hélène Darroze.

We have a gourmet feast of farm eggs mimosa style with smoked eel and Oscietra caviar (55 euros/£45), hay-roasted rack of lamb (42 euros/£34), fish with Chambery vermouth sauce (36 euros/£29) and a ‘dessert buffet’ to round things off in the sweetest of style.

Last but not least – the service.

‘Oh my’ central again. Faultlessly polite and gracious 100 per cent of the time.

A special mention here goes to the scent butler.

Yes, Mademoiselle deploys people to your room with an array of scents, by Guerlain of course. You are then invited to pick one to be sprayed around by the turn-down team.

So is Mademoiselle perfection? Well, I consider the lights to be a bit bright during dinner (and our in-room tablet doesn’t work), but other than that, it fully deserves a glowing review.

This is a world-class slice of hotel heaven – which looks just as beautiful in real life as it does in the pictures.

I now consider myself an Airelles groupie.