THE FACTS ABOUT LES FERMES DE MARIE, MEGEVE

France

This chic Alpine resort is more than a conventional spa hotel. Ski all day, then roll up for a languorous massage; walk for miles, then have a body wrap. The idea is not to get fit in the spa but from exploring the great outdoors. In addition, the spa has developed its own beauty products based on mountain plants such as horsetail and arnica, which means you can't get the excellent treatments elsewhere. Rhododendron Vegetable Serum and Edelweiss Cream are used in facials. While the treatments at Les Fermes de Marie are serious (they include six different facials, body scrubs and rigorous, detoxifying body wraps) it is the staff - poached from some of the best spas in the world - that make it special. Facilities are excellent. They include 16 treatment rooms, jet showers, hydrotherapy pools, spa baths, warm mud baths, a smallish indoor swimming pool and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Add this to the hotel's 71 beautiful, chalet-style rooms and suites (some with marble bathrooms) and you have all the luxury you need. With its heady concentration of Michelin-starred eateries, a significant part of Megève's attraction is the cuisine, which, if one of you is spa-obsessed and the other cares more for their belly, makes this destination unusually suitable for couples. Doubles from around £278. Massages from around £46; facials from around £32. www.c-h-m.com