Did you think you needed a lottery win to enjoy a luxury ski holiday in Kate and Wills’ beloved Courchevel? Think again: in a jewel of a French resort hotel that doesn’t cost the earth

In the French ski resort of Courchevel, the station from 1850 is understandably in the spotlight.

At 1,850 meters above sea level, it is snowiest, and is home to world-class Michelin-starred restaurants and beautiful hotels, including several ‘palace-rated’ properties (where nightly prices in euros correspond to altitude).

No wonder Kate and Wills enjoy skiing there.

But here I’m going to shine the spotlight on the mountain, where I discovered there are also treasures to enjoy.

Courchevel Moriond (formerly Courchevel 1650) not only has beautiful slopes with guaranteed snow, but there is also a gem of a hotel – Portettaa ski-in, ski-out property located right across from the Belvedere slope.

The Prince and Princess of Wales holidayed in Courchevel in 2016 with Prince George (then two) and Princess Charlotte (who was 10 months old)

Officially it is a four-star hotel, but downstairs there is a five-star feeling.

There is a large, luxuriously appointed living room – peppered with plump, lush cushions, nomad-chic rugs and cuddly toys.

Next door is a beautiful bar with stylish red bar stools, and behind it a richly furnished Italian restaurant – Cucina Angelina, by Angela Hartnettchef and owner of the Michelin-starred Murano restaurant in Mayfair, London.

We learn that at Cucina Angelina she is quite hands-on, visiting regularly and rolling up her sleeves in the kitchen.

Rooms in Portetta start from 300 euros (£257) per night, which is a bargain for a luxury hotel in Courchevel

Portetta’s luxuriously appointed living room with ‘nomad-chic carpets and sumptuous cushions’

Drink it all up: the hotel bar has ‘stylish’ red stools. Ted says everyone at the hotel ‘seemed to be having a great time’

She wasn’t there when I visited with my partner and young daughter, but her absence didn’t cause any slackening. The food was well executed and tasty – especially the sea bream carpaccio with saffron vinaigrette and the duck ragu – and the staff were well-rounded and bursting with bonhomie.

We also enjoyed being surrounded by happy guests, especially young families.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time, helped by the Instagram-challenging April snow at the end of the season.

We were kitted out for fun in the plentiful white stuff in the hotel’s well-stocked ski room and took the free shuttle bus until 1850, when our daughter had signed up for lessons at the great Club Piou Piou ski school there.

Stuffed animals are frequently present in Portetta’s guest areas. Ted writes: ‘Officially it’s a four-star hotel, but the atmosphere downstairs is resolutely five-star’

The richly furnished Italian restaurant Cucina Angelina, by Angela Hartnett. Ted describes the food there as ‘well executed and tasty’

Angela Hartnett, whose London restaurant Murano has a Michelin star, regularly visits Cucina Angelina and rolls up her sleeves in the kitchen. Above you see an example of a dish at Cucina Angelina

It’s easy enough to ski and snowboard back to Portetta from 1850 for anyone at beginner level or above, but it was a little beyond our five-year-old.

After the slopes/Cucina carpaccio we slept well in our room on the first floor, which did not match the public areas in terms of luxury, but had a balcony overlooking the slopes, a comfortable double bed and an ensuite bathroom adjacent to the bedroom with a cute little wooden window with shutters you could open so you could shower and enjoy the view.

On our last morning, as snow fell outside and as we ate breakfast from the extensive buffet in the Cucina dining room, the perky staff promised us with delicious coffee… that we would be back. Portetta at Courchevel 1650 – it’s a top spot.