In most cases, when tourists come to the area for a ski vacation, they turn left at Châble, and follow the winding road up to the lively resort of Verbier. Some intrepid travelers choose another destination in the Val de Bagnes and the same time a different and equally satisfying experience. Maev Cox explores one such destination, the village of Lourtier, and reveals a gem of the region.

Ultimate playground for mountain lovers, Verbier offers some accommodation among the most expensive and most luxurious in the world, and of course a thriving nightlife. For many, Verbier is the fashionable place. That said, a few kilometers away, visitors can live completely different holiday, while taking full advantage of what Verbier and its surroundings have to offer. At the outer limit of the quiet village of Lourtier, along the Winding Road Mauvoisin is a historic building that houses the Hotel & Spa Valley. On a cold autumn morning after the first snowfall of this year, I met Nancy Pellissier, daughter of Jean-Marc and Patricia Pellissier, hotel owners, find out a little more about the family business rather special, going back several generations.

“The company has been run by the family since 1954, when the parents of my mother, the Michellods, resumed the existing restaurant. Several years later, they bought the building and began to also manage the hotel. In 1994 my parents took over, exchanging their home in Lourtier with their retired parents and my family moved. ” Since then, the hotel has been a work history and love for Jean-Marc and Patricia, who raised three children and worked tirelessly to grow and renew the company, moving with the times, while maintaining a strong sense of traditional hospitality.

“When we were kids and we were doing the ski competition, my father got up at 5 am on weekends to prepare breakfast before customers are waking up, and then took us to the races in different stations Swiss ski while my mother looked after one of the hotel all day. In the evening, Dad came home to prepare and serve dinner to customers with mom after spending all day carrying our skis ” said Nancy. It just seemed normal to us, but we now realize the sacrifices they did and how they worked hard. ”

There are two years old, Jean-Marc has added a wellness center in the building basement. The SPA center includes a hot outdoor pool with a view of the entire valley, a sauna and steam room and a therapy room for massages and treatments. Hotel guests can relax their tired muscles after a day of skiing or biking, but facilities are also available to outsiders.

We are in-between seasons when I visit the site, the hotel is closed to customers, but we can see a slight hum caused by some activity inside, while renovations are undertaken, as well as a thorough cleaning. Meanwhile, Patricia and her mother Denise, 82, are occupied by bottling and jars, ensuring that many of the fruits and vegetables grown in the hotel’s large garden will be kept and used in the service throughout the winter.

Jean-Marc is cooking, the menu offers hearty Swiss dishes such as La Potence (soaring meat with cognac and served with five sauces), fondue and raclette.

At the peak of winter, between February and April, Nancy told me that the dining room is full. The restaurant is very popular with heli-skiing guides and their clients (the hotel has its own heliport), as well as among local workers, and I easily imagine myself a restaurant filled with skiers red faces came to warm up and feast on dishes ravigotants Jean-Marc. The hotel is run by a small team which Denise Michellod, the matriarch, is still an integral part. “She worked all her life and she has no intention of stopping,” said Nancy.

Looks like a secret offer a little surprise in the heart of the country of Bagnes, but this hotel-restaurant run by a family is actually a very popular institution by the many loyal natives and tourists who attend. It gives customers the opportunity to spend a truly relaxing holiday and authentic, away from the hassle and bustle of Verbier, but within a reasonable distance. “We have customers who come here child, back when my grandparents ran the hotel,” said Nancy, “now they come back as adults with their own children. They tell us stories about those ancient times and it keeps the history of the hotel alive. ”

Le Châble in Bruson, of Versegères in Lourtier and beyond, dig a little the subject and you will find that the Val de Bagnes is filled with unique holiday destinations, each with its treasures, all worthy to be explored …