The fantasy castle in Kate and Wills' Alpine playground: Why this gorgeous 'palace-rated' hotel in glitzy Courchevel is the stuff of dreams

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I have quite an imagination – yet I’d struggle to dream up an Alpine hotel any more wonderful than Les Airelles.

It’s officially one of the best hotels in France, one of only 16 that’s been awarded a ‘palace’ rating by the Ministry of Tourism for 'enhancing the image of the country' - and my girlfriend and I are discovering that this is no meaningless accolade.

Its location alone is the stuff of skiers’ fantasies, nestled among trees next to a tiny winding run - Jardin Alpin - in Courchevel 1850.

Hotel Les Airelles is officially one of the best hotels in France, one of only 16 that’s been awarded a ‘palace’ rating by the Ministry of Tourism for 'enhancing the image of the country'. Pictured is the sumptuous lounge area

Bedrooms at Les Airelles are simply wonderful - with beautiful fittings and bathrooms bedecked with Hermes toiletries

By all accounts, it’s one of the most prestigious plots of land anywhere in Europe.

This is the resort, after all, where billionaires and princes and princesses come to play in the snow - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge holidayed here last season – and Les Airelles is in one of the best spots.

The building is a picturesque grand chalet inspired by Bavarian baroque architecture with 37 rooms and 14 suites. It’s the stuff of fairytales from the outside and inside.

Fit for royalty: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge holidayed in Courcheval last season, pictured

An ornate blushed-rose facade with prancing deer motifs and curved wooden balconies hides a lavish 19th-century Alpine-style interior.

Done badly, and this kind of aesthetic can be sickly sweet and tacky. But the interior designers used at Les Airelles clearly know their art.

The décor is intricate, elegant and classy, with beautiful antique furniture and lashings of warm wood.

The downstairs bar contains epic sofas, the plumpest of cushions, scattered liberally – and a couple of massive open fires. 

Grand, yet cosy. A combination that takes real skill to achieve.

The old-fashioned Alpine theme – which has a whiff of the Austro-Hungarian about it - is carried right through to the staff uniforms - traditional French dresses for the ladies and cropped capri trousers with long socks, ankle boots and berets for the men.

Our bedroom is one of the suites, with a living room area, impossibly comfy king-sized bed and a rain-shower that creates a sort of mini-monsoon. 

Just tremendous.

And the toiletries? All by Hermes and Cellcosmet. The squeal of delight from the girlfriend tells me they are top class.

The building is a picturesque grand chalet inspired by Bavarian baroque architecture with 37 rooms and 14 suites. It’s the stuff of fairytales from the outside and inside

I'm more impressed by the brace of flat-screens – one in the bedroom and one in the living room – that both come with Apple TV.

And the view? 

Pine trees and the resort's peaks. But also to a neighbouring palace-rated hotel. It's Courchevel, after all. It has three hotels with this accolade.

The facilities at Les Airelles include a pool in the basement, along with a stunning spa, hammam, sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi and even a barber’s.

It's worth dwelling on the pool for a moment, though, because it's simply stunning. 

The tiling is an exquisite mosaic and the light from underwater spotlights dances off it in a most beguiling way.

The facilities at Les Airelles include a pool in the basement (pictured), along with a stunning spa, hammam, sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi and even a barber’s

The outdoor hot tub at Les Airelles is the perfect place to soothe away aches and pains from a day's skiing or snowboarding

Ok, so a lot of hotels have nice pools. But the Rolex clock above this one is an extra reminder that you're in the classiest of establishments.

The dining options, meanwhile, include a two-Michelin-starred restaurant (what else?) - Pierre Gagnaire.

Here the cooking is sheer artistry. We give it a whirl and our taste buds are treated to sirloin steak of wagyu beef, presse of poultry and clams with cornes of d'abondance mushrooms.

We're offered champagne as an aperitif – Pommery or Cristal.

Here Ted is pictured at Les Airelles' two-Michelin-star restaurant, Pierre Gagnaire, where the cooking is sheer artistry

We go the way of the rappers here.

Children are well-catered for, too, at Les Airelles.

There’s a mini ice rink complete with cute model penguins they can hold on to and an amazing games room containing a mini climbable castle, Xbox Ones, PlayStations, cinema area and a thrilling Star Wars games pod.

What makes the hotel so special, however, is the way the service just purrs.

For instance, every member of staff, from the cleaners to the bell hops, offers a polite ‘bonjour monsieur/bonjour madam' to guests as they pass and napkins are replaced mid-way through breakfast if the one in use is looking a bit too ruffled (the fresh one is placed on the table by way of silver tongs).

The standards at Les Airelles are incredibly high throughout - it just doesn't put a foot wrong. Though the taps in Ted's bathroom were mislabelled

The service at Les Airelles just purrs, with guests taken care of right the way to the slopes. Pictured is a guest being fitted with ski boots in the frankly astonishing boot room

But perhaps it’s best summed up by the occasion when the ski boot-room attendant notices one morning that my girlfriend had arrived with just socks on her feet. When she returns after a day on the slopes, a pair of hotel slippers are waiting for her to wear for the journey back to the bedroom.

It’s a hotel that doesn’t put a foot wrong (though, gasp, the taps in one of our bedroom sinks is mislabelled).

The downside? Deep pockets are needed, with the cheapest room costing around 1,100 euros (£950/$1,100) a night.

But if you can afford it, you’ll find yourself cocooned in the hotel of my dreams. And probably yours.