Chamonix
No matter where you are in The Clubhouse, this in-town hotel feels like a tree house from your youth with Art Deco accents. The exterior of the mansion has a Black Forest cuckoo-clock charm, and there are just six guest rooms—as well as a few bunk beds in the basement for the midwinter snowboarders on a budget. Management prefers if you book for a week, and you'll be glad you did: A mere two or three days would leave you weepy at checkout. The first-class cocktail bar adheres to the painstaking drink preparation methods of New York's and London's Milk & Honey bars. Chef Mark Webb's meticulously prepared three-course meals include hearty Alpine lamb casserole and organic salmon. A masseuse is on call, and the front desk can arrange paragliding, helicopter rides, dogsledding, glacier exploration, or a simple trip to the slopes. Virtually everything is within walking distance of the hotel, except of course the "walk" to the Sommet du Mont Blanc, which at 12,600 feet is perhaps best reached by tram (33-4-50-90-96-56; clubhouse.fr; doubles, $2,000–$4,000 per week; prix fixe, $27–$34; open Dec.–Sept.).