EAT, DRINK & BE MERI'

I'D been skiing before. But not like this.

- BY RONAN McMANUS

RESTING UP Taking a break during snow shoeing; left, the magnificent feast at Le Coucou and, right, the Falcon apartment

I'd stayed in hotels in various countries in Europe, and beyond. But none like this.

If you are going to visit the French Alps or have an interest in taking on the largest ski area in the world - Les Trois Vallées - then Méribel is the place to do it.

And Le Coucou is the place to stay.

Just a two-hour hour drive from Geneva Airport, over the border into France, you'll find the picture postcard-perfect mountain village.

Méribel is a thing of beauty, a charming village of stone and wood chalets located in an idyllic valley of forests, pastures and peaks with incredible panoramic views of the Alps, including Mont Vallon, Col de la Loze, La Saulire.

It is located right in the heart of Les Trois Vallées and its world-record 600km of slopes offers the very best ski conditions. That's all season long due to the fact that 85% of the ski area is above 1,800m.

The layout of the world’s largest ski area is unique. Les Trois Vallées has, yes, you guessed it, three main valleys. Those valleys take in seven resorts - Méribel, Val Thorens, Orelle, Courchevel, Les Menuires, Brides-les-Bains and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville.

They are all perfectly linked by an astonishing 600km of pistes and 159 lifts. There are 53 high-altitude restaurants and a whopping 2,700 snow guns - just incase.

Why would you need 600km of routes? Well, more ski slopes also means less waiting. But we will get to the slopes, in time.

The ski resort here in Méribel was founded by Scotland's Major Peter Lindsay in 1936. With the help of locals, he chose to design the Méribel we see today - and what a job they did.