Since 1982, the chalets at Refuge de la Traye, strewn about a hamlet on a preserved natural site in the French Alps, have provided a cozy respite for the après-ski set. Located in Méribel, in the village of Les Allues, the six-room hotel, now part of Monaco developer JV Pastor Groupe’s portfolio, is a quirky, scenic place, “designed to look like a little Savoie village sheltered from noise and time,” says Gilles Lenzlinger, managing director of JV Pastor Groupe.
Last year, Refuge underwent a comprehensive refurbishment courtesy of Hong Kong-based architect and designer Sylvestre Murigneux, a longtime JV Pastor Groupe collaborator. Considering Refuge’s nearly 40-year history, the team wanted to maintain the property’s original spirit and turned to indigenous, natural materials like old larch wood and stone from the surrounding mountains to both reinterpret the alpine vernacular and showcase sustainability. Members of Les Compagnons du Devoir, an organization of French craftsmen and artisans dating back to the Middle Ages, were also enlisted for their expertise. “Building at altitude in such a secluded location was a real challenge as all the materials had to be carried to the site,” Lenzlinger points out.
Mountain textiles, wood, and soothing green tones define the Orchidee suite
Inside the chalets, decked out in hues of gray, beige, and chocolate, a number of contemporary-rustic highlights help to anchor Refuge in its setting. Along with the low-beam ceilings, cowbells, and wildlife paintings, there are rugs made from the wool of Savoie sheep, ceilings covered in logs, and chandeliers fashioned out of stag horns. Further connecting Refuge to the land is an educational farm, complete with beehives, and guest toiletries that are organic and vegan.
Refuge is designed to be “an escape from mundane everyday life into a world of luxury, providing guests with the chance to reconnect with both themselves and nature,” explains Lenzlinger. “In the mountains, a refuge is originally known as a safe place, somewhere that can shelter you during a snowstorm. It was therefore important for us to keep the element in the name, the true roots of a mountain retreat.”
This philosophy is particularly evident in the spa, which fuses the high-tech Japanese Iyashi Dome sauna, water massage, and LED light therapy with a classic milk bath, Tyrolean hay bed, and outdoor jacuzzi, adds Lenzlinger, “for a refreshing moment in the summer or a warming soak in the snow.”
At the spa, guests can partake in a toxin-reducing treatment by lying down in a traditional hay bed filled with fresh mountain grasses
La Table de la Traye restaurant mixes an abundance of wood with plaid banquettes; old larch, among the natural materials embraced on the property, dominates the façade
This article originally appeared in HD’s November 2020 issue.
