Lucie Loves… Travel // My Val Thorens blogger ski trip with Aéroports de Lyon
I love really to travel. Dangle any opportunity in front of me - especially one where I get to explore somewhere new and I’ll snatch your hand off!
Bags packed and passport at the ready, I took at tube to London Heathrow airport and boarded a British Airways flight to Lyon for an all inclusive blogger weekend away at Val Thorens ski resort in the French Alps with Aéroports de Lyon.
After a flight time of just 1-hour 35 minutes, we arrived at the rather spectacular fan-shaped canopy of the Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava.
Did you know… there are over 179 ski resorts within 3-hours of Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport - with over 30 airlines currently operate flights there making it quite literally “the most skiable area in the world.”
Also along for the trip were fellow bloggers Niamh Shields - Eat Like A Girl,Millie Cotton - itsaLDNthing,Kate Baxter - Fabric of My Life and Laurie Wangg - New Yorker Meets London.
Lyon Aéroports are doing there bit to make your ski holiday are stress-free as possible with smooth pick-ups and drop-offs. They offer a special VIP service, with a personal welcome in the baggage welcome area, and uniformed staff on-hand to help with any oversize baggage enquiries, information about your onward journey or to help you track down any lost luggage.
You can fly to Lyon Saint-Exupéry from the following UK airports who offer flights for the ski season:
Now, I can’t say that I’m a very good skier. In fact, I’m not even close to being good. I went skiing for the very first time when JMG and I went to Austria for his cousin’s wedding.
Flash forward 6-years and I realised - as I hurtled down a blue slope - that I’d actually forgotten everything I’d learnt and that included how to stop. Three tumbles later and I’d reached the bottom and into the safe clutches of Pat, our private instructor - PHEW! I was actually calculating how long I would have between the ski trip and the wedding just incase I broke something and had to have it put in plaster…
Fortunately, a MASSIVE adrenaline rush was the only thing I experienced and I came out unscathed. I couldn’t believe how hot it gets up their on the mountain. I bought a couple of HEAT TECH base layers from UNIQLO for my trip and was literally sweating buckets after a few hours trying to ski.
I couldn’t wait to go back to our hotel to freshen up. I packed what looks like the contents of my bathroom cabinet, including a few sk:n Anti Blemish products that I was sent to test and were actually a complete saviour when a huge spot appeared on the side of my head. Girl problems. Urgh.
One of the highlights of the trip to Val Thorens - along with the excellent company - was the food. Oh the food! Here we are checking out the menu and about to tuck into a hearty lunch at the restaurant Le Montana based in front of the slopes.
Why not have a glass of good wine or two to toast that beautiful view. The French Alps are truly breathtaking.
It was quite literally cameras at the ready when they brought out the food.
The chef Jeremy Gillon has just won his first Michelin star!
And then to top it all of we ordered one of every dessert that they had one the menu…
And then we smashed them all up!
After a very leisurely lunch we had the choice of going to the spa or taking a spin on the longest toboggan run in France. The toboggan ride was a unanimous decision: it has a 45 minute descent! It was absolutely hilarious. Us girls were shrieking with laughter and we crashed and bumped our way down the slopes.
Later that night we took a gastronomic tour around the resort, exploring the foodie jewels that Val Thorens has to offer. Note: no ski holiday is complete without eating/drinking your weight in saucisson, cheese and wine.
After sampling some of the best meat and cheese La Belle en Cuisse has to offer, we headed for dinner at The Steak Club.
After an exhilarating day we were only to ready to relax with a cocktail and soak up the Val Thorens nightlife. If you come to The Steak Club I definitely recommend ordering yourself an Old Fashioned and a Bramble.
The Argentinian rump steak was superb, served with chips like your mum used to make and a pot of peppercorn sauce to drizzle over the top.
Val Thorens has plenty of bars to explore if you’re up for some après-ski fun. Hang out with the ski instructors and guys doing a season working on the slopes. Ladies, if you come here you’ll soon realise that the ratio of men to women is like 10:1 - making it the perfect Hen Party destination. Just saying…
The next morning after partying the night away at club Malaysia, we were taken to luxury 5 star Koh-I Nor Hotel for brunch. What a joy!
When I come back to Val Thorens I’m definitely getting a room here. Now this is what I call skiing in style.
** A HUGE thank you to the Lyon Aéroports team for making this a truly unforgettable experience. I can’t wait to come again with my friends.**
Photography © Lucie Kerley