Cheval Blanc hotels in five destinations

In five destinations, one hotel in each: St. Barths, where Cheval Blanc St-Barth runs along Flamands, the long white beach on the island's northwest coast, a few minutes over the hill from Gustavia; Paris, where Cheval Blanc Paris occupies La Samaritaine on the Seine at the Pont-Neuf, with the Louvre a few minutes west along the river; French Riviera & Monaco, where Cheval Blanc St-Tropez stands on the Plage de la Bouillabaisse, a short walk west of the Vieux Port; Courchevel & the French Alps, where Cheval Blanc Courchevel sits on the Jardin Alpin piste of Courchevel 1850, a few minutes above the Croisette and its lifts; and the Maldives, where Cheval Blanc Randheli has an island of its own in Noonu Atoll, in the north of the country, reached by the maison's seaplane from Malé.

Each was admitted on its own merits, one hotel at a time, never by brand. The five are the hotels LVMH built for itself: on St. Barths, 61 rooms, suites and bungalows on the sand, a Guerlain spa and restaurants under Jean Imbert; in Paris, 72 keys in the department store on the Seine, Arnaud Donckele's Plénitude and a spa by Dior; at Saint-Tropez, a house on the beach with Donckele's La Vague d'Or; in Courchevel, the house of 2006 that started the name, on the piste, with Yannick Alléno's Le 1947; in the Maldives, Jean-Michel Gathy's villas across a lagoon, an island and a private islet, with a Guerlain spa on an islet of its own. Cheval Blanc St-Barth, Cheval Blanc Paris, Cheval Blanc Courchevel and Cheval Blanc Randheli hold five-star standing; Cheval Blanc St-Tropez holds four-star standing, and we list it at exactly that tier.

It depends on the destination. St. Barths runs from December through April, fullest around Christmas and New Year, and the house closes each year from the end of August to mid-October. Paris belongs to spring and early autumn — April to June and September to early October — with Fashion Week taking the rooms months ahead and the city emptying in August. On the Riviera, May, June and September are the weeks to aim for, July and August hot and crowded on the road to Saint-Tropez; the St-Tropez house is seasonal, and the concierge confirms its opening dates. Courchevel is winter only, December to April, the weeks around Christmas and the February holidays taken months ahead. The Maldives run on the monsoons: November to April is the dry season, with the Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year weeks its peak, and May to October the quieter south-west monsoon. Each destination page carries its note on the months, and the concierge advises on dates for a specific hotel.

Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.