The snow is crisp and powdery, the slopes are nearly empty, and the accommodations are as authentic as they come: five winter hotels for the snow hungry.

Villa salon at Copperhill Mountain Lodge in Åre

© Copperhill Mountain Lodge/Gosta Fries

A romantic Alps excursion in Sweden: Copperhill Mountain Lodge

Cottage romance isn't generally a word that skiers would connect with Sweden. It's more than just the lack of towering mountain ranges, there's also a certain celebratory glee that perhaps isn't a defining part of the Swedish culture. They are a practical people, and a new Peter Bohlin-designed resort in Åre shows clear, functional lines and an awareness of wide-reaching sparsely populated areas. Part of this philosophy ensured the inclusion of a helicopter landing pad and a private ski-lift. The saunas on the other hand are pure Scandinavian luxury. Panorama windows in the treatment rooms offer a stunning view of the Jämtlands mountain landscape, which - at a height of 730 meters - appears much larger than it really is. With its high-quality snow, the region has rapidly developed into Northern Europe's largest winter sports destination. Were it not for the beautiful copper vases and ornamental touches that British designer Tom Dixon designed for the 112 rooms and suites, it would be hard to imagine that the area was was a copper mining town. Two restaurants and two bars offer "Après-Ski" hours - something sure to appeal to romantics coming from the Alps.

Double room with breakfast starting at 200 Euro. Booking

Copperhill Mountain lodge Photo gallery

A piece of Canada in Austria: Wood Ridge Luxury Chalets

A small piece of Canada 45 kilometers south of Salzburg - this is the best way to describe the Wood Ridge Luxury Chalets resort that opened here in 2010. Five log cabins are set right on the edge of the slopes, giving guests direct access from their front terraces. In addition to the North American charm of the lodges themselves (each of which also features a wood-fired stove), guests also have ski-shoe dryers, an outdoor whirlpool, w-lan internet, a private sauna, and Aboriginal teepee tents for children to play in. The breakfast basket is filled with certified organic produce, and all other culinary wishes are fulfilled by the private chef that transforms cottages into veritable gourmet temples at a moment's notice.

The smallest Chalet for two starts at 276 Euro per night, including breakfast. Tel. 0043/664/557 07 37, www.woodridge.at

Minimalism at its finest: Switzerland's Maiensäss Guarda Val

"Unbelievably authentic" is probably the most common comment from guests at the Lenzerheide hotel, 1600 meters above sea level. Those searching for unspoiled mountain meadows with typical cottages and stables won't be disappointed. Eleven wooden houses constructed in the same style as they have been for hundreds of years adorn the landscape. Heritage building lovers would never guess from the outside that the huts have been completely redesigned on the inside.

Here you find minimalism at its very finest, and at the same time, guests at the 2009-opened Maiensäss Guarda Val need deny themselves nothing: a high-class wellness center and a gourmet restaurant awarded 16 Gualt Millau points are also part of the lodge. Open fireplaces and bog-clay bathrooms provide a warm old-fashioned traditional feeling. If this sounds a bit too quaint and rustic for your tastes, bear in mind the following: there are also suites with up to 150 square meters split over two stories and a private steam bath. It's not for nothing that the Maiensäss Guarda Val boasts a four-star rating. The hotel is located a few kilometers away from the Arosa ski resort, giving guests access to over 60 kilometers of prepared runs.

Double room and breakfast starting at 360 Euro per night. Tel. 0041/81/385 85 85, www.guardaval.ch

1250 meters above sea level: Switzerland's Maierl Chalets

Even in Kitzbühel, a region equally famous for its skiing as it is for its high-class hotels, the Maierl Chalets remains one of the top destinations. And in the truest sense of the word: the hotel is set 1250 meters above sea level. The hotel swimming pool is connected to the chalets by a underground tunnel - something that's considered a bit exceptional even by Austrian standards. Maierl Chalets also offers an outdoor whirlpool on the sun deck that provides an incomparable view of the Kitzbühel landscape.

Chalets for up to eight people can be rented on a weekly basis and start at 115 Euro per person including breakfast. Tel. 0043/5357/21 09 www.maierl.at

Another world altogether: France's Hotel Cheval Blanc

Despite the innumerable celebrity hotspots found in Ischgl, Kitzbühel, and St Moritz, in the four years since Bernard Arnault opened the Hotel Cheval Blanc in Courcheval, the establisment's fame has spread rapidly.

When France's richest man commissions a villa to be built exactly according to his wishes, expectations rise, and certainly all the more so when it becomes the flagship of a boutique hotel company that competes with Bernard Arnault's luxury goods concern Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH).

The resort offers everything that one would expect from the LVMH realm: Karl Lagerfeld and his photography adorn the walls, the wine cellar is well stocked with the best vintages of Château Cheval Blanc from the family-run vineyard, and each of the 34 rooms and suites feature small touches that make them unique. The Givenchy-spa wellness area offers the finest treatments available, and the restaurant "Le 1947" (whose name is derived from one of the finest Bordeaux wines of the last century) further accentuates the luxurious atmosphere. In the event that you feel you might be lacking the proper attire for such an establishment, private Dior, Marc Jacobs, and Louis Vuitton boutiques are available to ensure that you want for nothing.

Double room with partial meals package: 1350 Euro. Tel. 0033/479/00 50 50, www.chevalblanc.com