'The most expensive resort in the French Alps'? Only partially true. Sat next to Val Thorens and Méribel, Courchevel is the most easterly of the Trois Vallées (the ski maps are back to front!) It is made up of four separate parts, each with their own character. At the bottom lies 1300 (Le Praz, sometimes mistakenly referred to as 1350), an old farming village set amidst the woods. Expansion for the 1992 Winter Olympics (Le Praz hosted the ski jump events) wasn't particularly sensitive but the centre of the village still retains a certain charm and feels a world away from the Gucci heeled, fur clad sophistication of 1850.