Alison from the Peak Retreats team returned to La Rosière in January 2026. Since her last visit, several new residences have opened, and she was excited to explore them. Read more about her trip and her insider tips…
I last skied in La Rosière in 2018, so when the opportunity for a work trip there came up, I jumped at the chance. The resort has had a lot of gorgeous new properties added since my last visit. Would it still have the same ability to charm as when I visited with my family?
Driving up from Bourg St Maurice having arrived by train, the beautiful Chapelle Saint-Michel was unmissable. It was night and the chapel was illuminated and almost shone like a beacon, making a stunning sight with the lights of the valley towns and villages as its backdrop.
The chapel was renovated in 2024 and the exterior repainted white partly as a result of a generous gift left in a Will by a French holidaymaker who skied in La Rosière for years and loved the resort, as our taxi driver recounted.
Françoise Jambert, the widow whose husband, a stonemason, had been passionate about the chapel, said that she had known La Rosière for 62 years having first visited with her parents and fallen in love at first sight with the resort, then subsequently introduced the resort to her husband and their children.
Chapelle Saint-Michel ©LaRosiereTourisme
Arriving in La Rosière, we headed to Les Eucherts, the area of the resort which was previously the baby sister of La Rosière Centre. Now it more than competes, with an enhanced range of restaurants, bars, shops and the resort’s liveliest night spot (for a family oriented resort anyway).
Les Eucherts ©LaRosiereTourisme
I was lucky enough to be staying in the I.L.Y hotel. The original hotel opened in 2017 but has recently been taken over by the group and restyled.
Rooms are decorated in muted warm tones with lots of comfortable touches from cosy throws to deep pile rugs and suites have a living space with plenty of comfy places to sit and enjoy the view from the sliding doors leading to the balcony. Their family suites are spacious with plenty of storage, a rainfall shower and separate bathroom.
The hotel has a good sized indoor pool and an outdoor hot tub, which saw me tiptoeing through the snow for a dip. At night, looking up at the stars or down the valley to the twinkling lights of Les Arcs, it’s well worth it. For gym bunnies, the equipment is state of the art from brand NOHRD in a quirkily designed fitness space reminiscent of a drawing room.
The hotel has two restaurants; the quieter Le Mazot serves more traditional Savoyard fayre (we had a wonderful raclette with generous portions of potatoes and a salad with a delicious dressing). Le Bonami has more of a gourmet offering with a modern twist.
It adjoins the bar area and has fantastic views (my steak was one of best I have eaten in a while but my husband is vegan so it is a rare treat!). The bar is large and airy and has a terrace overlooking the valley and the best sunset views we were told.
Le Bonami restaurant
In the main “square” of Les Eucherts, where you’ll find the ESF office, ski equipment shops and a Sherpa mini-market, is Alpen Lodge. This residence has proved incredibly popular since it opened a few seasons ago.
It offers stylish self-catering apartments and the location is hard to beat. As well as a well designed wellness area with pool, sauna and steam room, guests can enjoy yoga classes in the fitness room (for a supplement).
For families, there is a ‘den’ style space for children with a table football table, reading/games area and mini-ball pit.
New this season and slightly higher up in Les Eucherts, is the Ecrin Blanc residence and hotel. To access the property, you drive through La Rosière Centre, around to the upper part of Les Eucherts, meaning views over the resort and the valley are stunning.
The property has a combination of hotel rooms and apartments and great communal facilities including a bar and restaurant (with big windows offering views over the resort), as well as a wellness area.
The access on skis couldn’t be easier. Ski back to the property from the Papillon blue slope directly to the ski room, and in the mornings, come out of the ski room and take a short trail to join the main slope down to the Les Eucherts Express lift and ski school meeting point.
On my final morning in resort, I was able to experience the wellness area at Alparena. This property has been established in La Rosière since 2018 and is enduringly popular for its location, facilities and friendly staff. It offers well equipped hotel room and suites. The pool area is beautiful.
Saunas have huge glass windows meaning you can relax watching winter walkers return to the resort. From the pool, you can watch skiers returning from the slopes or heading down to the Eucherts Express to explore the 198km of the slopes that the ski area offers.
There is a baby pool for little ones, hot tubs, and steam rooms too, as well as plenty of loungers for those who want to relax. The Solario restaurant, one of two on site, offers a post-wellness set menu for lunch and salmon on a bed of lentils followed by a lemon tart was a welcome end to my trip.
As well as visiting some of our properties, I was able to fit in a bit of skiing, a different experience without the family. When I’d visited my children had been little and loved doing what they called ‘the dog run’, which is a St Bernard dog themed fun slope amongst the trees just above La Rosière Centre.
This time, I skied to Italy, tried a Bombardino and enjoyed lunch in one of the many mountain restaurants.
La Rosière is a resort for all seasons, all stages of life, new developments have enhanced rather than overwhelmed it and I loved it just as much on my recent visit as when I skied in with my children.
In fact, it’s leapt to the top of my list to come back to with my husband, now adult son and almost adult daughter.