11 Stunning Ski Lodges and Resorts Around the World to Book This Winter

Making first tracks in the French Alps. Jumping into Japan’s famed powdery snow. Drinking magnums of mile-high wines from Italy and Switzerland from the comfort of a Mies van der Rohe chair. Let’s face it: Skiing has never been about austerity, and that’s especially true at some of the top ski lodges around the world, whether you plan to clip in or never touch a binding.

The best ski resorts and their lodges today want you to play hard on the slopes and pamper yourself even harder après-ski. A new crop of winter activities—including rides on electric mobiles, expanded night skiing, and dusk sleigh rides—now complement wellness and après-ski activities, such as Wyda (silent Celtic yoga), night sky viewing, sake tastings, and on-property food markets.

As part of Afar’s Hotels We Love series, we’ve selected 11 of the best ski lodges to book, from woodsy châteaux in Canada and sleek Swiss hideaways to a gleaming, slopes-adjacent retreat in Japan—ideal for skiers and for travelers who simply want the mountain atmosphere.

The Alpina Gstaad

Courtesy of the Alpina Gstaad

Situated on a hill a short walk from the too-pretty-to-be-real resort town of Gstaad, the Alpina Gstaad debuted in 2012 as the first luxury hotel to open there in a century. The lobby makes a grand first impression with its contemporary artwork, double-height ceilings, sleek central staircase, and use of reclaimed wood sourced from Switzerland, France, and Austria.

The 58 timber-walled rooms, suites, and residences, designed by contractors Chaletbau Matti in collaboration with regional craftspeople, are mashups of contemporary and traditional aesthetics. Abstract paintings and marble and timber-clad bathrooms with large soaking tubs are juxtaposed with carved wooden ceilings, hanging lamps fashioned out of embroidered leather cowbell straps, and painted wooden cupboards inspired by the generations-old versions in Swiss Alpine homes. Gas fireplaces add an extra dose of comfort on cold nights. Read Afar’s full review of the Alpina Gstaad.

Aman Le Mélézin

Courtesy of Aman

Expect heated boot racks, ski butlers, and a hammam with vaulted ceilings and limestone-clad walls at this 31-room ski-in, ski-out Aman Le Mélézin, a 2.5-hour drive from Geneva or Lyon. (Private shuttle buses from Geneva and Lyon airport take about the same amount of time.) It’s located on the Bellecôte piste, part of France’s mammoth Les Trois Vallées, the world’s largest ski area, with some 25,916 skiable acres.

This may be the place for postpiste pampering, but it’s also a cozy Alpine refuge where you can soak quietly, linger in the bilingual library, or sip champagne next to the terrace’s wood-burning heaters. Exclusive experiences include a first tracks program, which allows you to get a jump start on the slopes, fat-wheel bike riding, and a snowmobile ride at dusk to a chalet in Les Prés de la Croix, where you’re served a traditional Savoyard fondue dinner.

Das Edelweiss

Courtesy of Das Edelweiss

Deck after deck of wellness experiences are on offer at the sprawling Alpine-style Das Edelweiss, which emerged from a major renovation in summer 2024. It’s positioned at the foot of Grossarltal-Dorfgastein Ski Area, about 90 minutes by train from Salzburg, with 16 lifts, 494 acres, and more than 43 miles of ski runs with wide slopes and reliable snow.

Book one of the 17 Family Suites, with their knotty wood paneling and large terraces; they have extra space for groups with gear. The family wellness area includes more than a dozen pools, including a three-story waterslide and kids area, while a subdued new adults-only spa has infrared saunas, fragrant steam rooms, and multiple thermal baths where you can gaze out at the surrounding Alps.

Eleven Revelstoke Lodge

Photo by Janis Spurdzins/Eleven Revelstoke Lodge

Colorado-based adventure travel company Eleven transformed a 1911 brick heritage building in Revelstoke, British Columbia, into Eleven Revelstoke Lodge, a 12-room boutique hotel and heli-skiing lodge—its first property in Canada. From mid-December through March, Eleven Revelstoke Lodge caters exclusively to heli-skiers. Nonskiers in tow can spend their days on scenic heli-tours, dog sledding, snowmobiling, or exploring the restaurants, museum, and shops in town, within an easy walk of the lodge.

The lodge’s three spacious suites have a living area with a sofa, chairs, TV, and bar fridge on the first floor, plus a bedroom and bathroom up a set of open stairs. With most measuring 210–290 square feet, the nine standard rooms aren’t large, but they’re smartly outfitted with midcentury-modern furnishings and colorful wool blankets. The bathrooms have toilets with heated seats, brass fixtures, walk-in rain showers, and Aveda bath products. Read Afar’s full review of Eleven Revelstoke Lodge.— Carolyn B. Heller

Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Courtesy of Fairmont Chateau Whistler

If it’s a ski château you’re after, look no further. Fairmont Chateau Whistler‘s 519-room fairy-tale château, which sits in a forest of snow-frosted evergreens, is a masterpiece of ski resort hospitality. The ski-in, ski-out lodge is a five-minute walk from the Blackcomb gondola, which whisks you to North America’s largest ski resort. (The 200 marked runs, 8,171 acres of terrain, 16 alpine bowls, and three glaciers are a great option for advanced skiers looking for an extended season in the summer.)

The resort is a handy 15-minute walk to Olympic Plaza, which has a museum, gallery, kids play area, and bakery, but you’ll find everything you need on property. This includes a spa leaning into ancient Ayurvedic techniques, numerous indoor and outdoor heated and thermal pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and seven restaurants. Five minutes’ walk from the resort is the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, where guests can learn more about local Indigenous groups the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations. Night sky lovers should look for the hotel’s regular guided stargazing outings.

Forestis

Courtesy of Forestis

A former tuberculosis sanatorium designed for Austrian royalty in Italy’s German-speaking Südtirol is now one of Europe’s most stylish ski retreats. Opened in 2020, the ski-in, ski-out Forestis is composed of 62 wood-lined suites that sit atop Mount Plose’s Palmschoss chairlift. The resort overlooks numerous slopes where 26 miles of piste twist and turn under the watch of the jagged, honey-colored Dolomites.

At the property’s heart is a 21,528-square-foot spa made of mountain pine, spruce, larch, and stone pine. It uses the Celtic Tree astrology system and Celtic-based holistic treatments, which includes silent rooms for Wyda (Celtic yoga), saunas, and salt baths. Snowshoeing, off-piste adventures, and sledding can also be arranged.

Four Seasons Vail Residences

Courtesy of Four Seasons Vail Private Residences

The Four Seasons Resort Vail has an excellent slope-adjacent location. But its sprawling and edgier 23 residences—ideal for longer stays to help you tackle Vail’s 278 trails and 5,317 acres of skiable terrain—are a super cool upgrade and ideal for families or groups of friends who want more space.

Expect individually designed rooms with modern furnishings like lasso-shaped chandeliers, and balconies with private whirlpools, panoramic views of the mountains, firepits, and barbecues. Modern kitchens provide the chance to whip up your own meals (with or without the help of a private chef).

The sprawling spa offers high-altitude adjustment treatments, plus steam rooms, saunas, indoor and outdoor pools, and hot tubs. The dedicated ski concierge can help facilitate back-country excursions to powder-filled bowls, ice-skating, snowmobiling, dog-sledding, cross-country trails, and more.

Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel

Courtesy of Hoshino Resorts

In December 2023, snow resorts Alts Bandai and Nekoma Snow Park & Resort joined forces as Nekoma Mountain, now offering a total of 13 lifts and 33 courses on 467 acres. Here, the ski-in, ski-out Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel offers lodgings at affordable prices and has several room configurations for groups or families.

The 149-room resort supplies a plethora of activities between trips to the slopes, including morning food markets, hands-on programs for making local Aizu handicrafts, night sky viewing, sake tastings in the convivial sake bar, and a tiled onsen, spa, and pool. A relaxed café offers casual fare (breakfast and dinner only), while Aizu Yushoku Takazen restaurant serves excellent Aizu cuisine each evening, including local beef and miso dengaku dishes—glazed vegetables from Tohoku.

The Omnia

Courtesy of the Omnia

Understated and contemporary, the 30-room Omnia will make you feel like you’re in a James Bond film, thanks to the fact that it’s built into a mountain with a discreet cave-like entrance. The timber building of the Omnia is in a quiet back corner of Zermatt, offering easy access to the lifts along with some of the town’s best Matterhorn views. You can soar among the peaks on cable ride journey Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, which whisks guests from Switzerland to Italy at 11,500 feet above sea level.

Expect furniture from designers like Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen, while the spa features an indoor pool, thermal bath for aching postpiste legs, and saunas and steam rooms. The restaurant is a highlight, with its hearty-but-healthy vegetable-forward dishes like baked cauliflower with wild mushrooms, cedar kernels, and mountain thyme. Ask about the excellent wine menu, showcasing many high-altitude varietals from Italy and Switzerland.

Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono

Courtesy of Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono

Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono‘s 100 spacious guest rooms—including 28 suites, each with a private onsen—occupy four separate buildings and overlook the Annupuri range. The spa is surrounded by a stream and hemmed by birch trees. It includes a pool and a tattoo-friendly onsen—a rarity in Japan, where tattoos are often still considered taboo.

Accommodations include deep soaking tubs, oversize beds, huge walk-in closets for storing bulky winter items, and sofas that convert to an extra bed for families or small groups. Close to a dozen restaurants are on offer, including a deli, sushi counter, cozy charcoal-grill robata, and French Japanese teppanyaki, plus a private karaoke dining room. On-site ski valet services pamper powder pilgrims, while an early-bird first tracks program with the general manager himself gets you on the piste before it opens.

Six Senses Crans-Montana

Courtesy of Six Senses

February 2023 saw the opening of the Six Senses, a 78-room ski-in, ski-out complex above the main gondola in Crans-Montana in Switzerland’s French-speaking Canton Valais. The chalet-style, terraced accommodations offer killer views of either the Matterhorn or Mont Blanc and exclusive early bird access to the piste twice a week.

The property’s 21,500-square-foot spa is no afterthought. Ten treatment rooms, a yoga studio, three thermal pools, including one with dedicated kids hours, steam rooms, and a hammam promise a sweet recovery after skiing. Especially intriguing is the Biohack Recovery Lounge, which uses smart tech to optimize the body’s natural healing processes. Think NormaTec compression boots for lactic acid legs, Hypervolt percussion massagers, and back wraps that soothe muscle tension after a day on the piste.

This article was originally published in 2023 and most recently updated on October 15, 2025, with current information.