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Luxury chalet holidays

14th December 2011, by Chris Gill

Chalet Isba in Méribel - Ski Total

The catered chalet holiday is a uniquely British idea. The deal, in case you’re new to it, is that tour operators install their own cooks and housekeepers in chalets that they have rented for the season, then package half-board in these chalets (well, half-board plus teatime cake) with travel from the UK. So you get the privacy and relaxed atmosphere of a temporary home in the mountains, without the hassle of self-catering or the cost of eating out in restaurants every night.

In the beginning, in the 1960s and 7os, the chalet business didn’t do luxury. Chalet holidays meant creaky old buildings with spartan furniture and paper-thin walls, and six or more people sharing a bathroom. My, how things have changed. Now you can stay in some very plush places indeed – rivalling top 5-star hotels. More importantly, standards have risen across the board. When we first visited Méribel in 1974, en suite bathrooms were unheard of. They are now the norm. Spacious living rooms with log fires, sun terraces and boot warmers are common. Start looking at the slightly more expensive places, and you find spa facilities such as a sauna, steam room or indoor hot tub; some have an outdoor hot tub (the proper form, really) and/or a swimming pool. And all at prices we ordinary mortals can contemplate paying. It’s these chalets that this feature is about.

Because of the huge number of chalet holidays available, choosing the right one can be difficult. Some very helpful websites have been set up by agents, allowing you to sift out chalets that suit you best.

France

The greatest concentration of smart chalets is found – surprise, surprise – in the British skier’s favourite French resort, Méribel. Ski Total, with a wide range of properties, has two new chalets this year that deservedly get the firm’s top Platinum rating; hot tubs, of course, and cinema and billiard room in the case of chalet Isba. Alpine Action has seven smart-looking chalets (one new for 2011/12) in various parts of the resort (including Méribel Village, and a couple close to the resort centre), most with saunas, some with hot tubs.

Purple Ski has five top-notch and highly individual chalets – in good positions, with lovely interiors and outdoor hot tubs. Ski Olympic took a big step into the luxury market a few years back with the acquisition of the Parc Alpin, formerly run as a boutique hotel – 12 luxurious rooms (all with plasma screen TVs), dinky swimming pool and sauna. Skiworld has two very swish places, especially La Ferme. One of the many chalets new to the Inghams programme is an attractive one with outdoor hot tub. Other companies to consider include Consensio, Meriski and VIP.

Over the hill is Courchevel, a resort of parts. Courchevel 1850 is well established as the ‘smartest’ resort in France, with the highest prices and the swankiest hotels and chalets. Operators such as Supertravel, Kaluma, Consensio and Scott Dunn have some lovely properties here. Ski Total has some chalets bordering on the luxury category, and it’s also worth taking a look at Flexiski’s chalet hotel Saint Louis, in an excellent position close to the piste.

The big UK chalet centre is Courchevel 1650, where Le Ski’s range of properties continues to slide upmarket, with many having sauna or steam room. New this year are fi ve small chalets in a single development, with spacious lounges and a shared swanky spa area with hot tub and wave pool. One of Ski Olympic’s flagship Gold Collection chalets is here – chalet Monique, with TVs in the rooms and an outdoor hot tub. Skiworld has some smart-looking chalets here too – the 21-bed Estrella is one of its top places, with outdoor hot tub.

La Tania, not far away on the road towards Méribel, has developed quite a range of comfortable chalet properties. Ski Amis has seven smart-looking places, several with outdoor hot tubs and some offering its Premium service. Le Ski has three neat-looking properties here. Ski Power’s chalets include one wood-built property with outdoor hot tub.

In Les Menuires there are smart places on offer in the recently developed areas. In Les Bruyères, Ski Amis has several chalets with outdoor hot tubs. And in St-Martin the Alpine Club’s chalet Abode is a beautifully renovated farmhouse with stylish furnishings.

Val d’Isère is the great rival to Méribel in the French chalet business. The local specialist, YSE, has several very swish places. At the top end of Le Ski’s programme are two very attractive places sharing a hot tub – La Bouclia and La Pierre de Compia. Skiworld’s ten chalets include one of their top properties, chalet Tolima. Ski Total has lots of smart places, including three very swanky chalets in their Platinum range – one with outdoor hot tub, two with saunas. Flexiski has one of its two chalets here – the stylishly furnished Balias, with sauna. Crystal’s range includes two of its Finest properties, with saunas. Other companies to look at include Scott Dunn, Consensio and Le Chardon Mountain Lodges.

In TignesSkiworld’s programme includes some chalets with sauna and hot tub, and a swanky chalet hotel with pool and sauna. Ski Total has some very smart places with pool, hot tub and sauna, including two in their Platinum range. Crystal and Ski Olympic have some smart chalets too.

The other great French mega-area, Paradiski, offers lots of chalets in La Plagne and growing numbers at Peisey-Vallandry, on the Les Arcs side of the cable car link from La Plagne. Few chalets stand out, but Ski Amis has one of its Premium service chalets in each of these resorts.

There are lots of chalets in La Rosière, but few notable ones. As well as Mountain Heaven’s smart-looking Penthouse, with grand top-floor living space and outdoor hot tub, Ski Olympic has two chalets in a development with its own pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub. Skiworld has five smart mid-sized properties.

Chalets are not common in Avoriaz, so it’s good to see that Ski Total’s handful includes one of its Platinum chalets, with sauna and log fire. Down the hill in Les Gets, the Ferme de Montagne is a kind of cross between a small hotel and a chalet – a beautifully renovated farmhouse with eight luxury bedrooms and gourmet food. They take short-break as well as week-long bookings. Further south in Alped’Huez, both Ski Total and Inghams have smart places with outdoor hot tub.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, Verbier is the chalet capital. Ski Total runs the former Relais & Châteaux 4-star hotel Rosalp as a chalet hotel, not surprisingly now in the new Platinum category. It has also acquired the hotel Montpelier to run as a chalet hotel, with panoramic pool. Other companies to look at include Ski Verbier.

Zermatt, curiously, has not traditionally been a great chalet resort, but Ski Total is setting about putting that right with nine extra chalets this year in a new development sharing a smart spa area. Other companies to consider include Scott Dunn and Supertravel. In nearby Saas Fee, Ski Total’s chalet hotel Ambassador is right at the foot of the slopes with indoor pool.

In cute little Grimentz (covered in our Val d’Anniviers chapter), Mountain Heaven has the very smooth slope-side Cole Ridge, with outdoor hot tub.

Austria

In Austria, St Anton is chalet central. Ski Total now leads the pack, with a dozen places ranging from six beds to the cool 32-bed Inge, with wellness area. Flexiski has the absolutely central Amalien Haus. Crystal has some good places in Nasserein. Just over the hill in St Christoph, Inghams has its flagship chalet hotel – ski-in/skiout, with a good-sized pool. Ski Total also has two smart chalet hotels (one with an indoor pool) in Lech. Other firms to look at in this area include Kaluma and Scott Dunn.

Elsewhere

In North America, only Skiworld now has much of a chalet programme, with good places in Winter Park, Breckenridge, Vail and Whistler. Ski Independence has a chalet in Vail, and Crystal has a Finest property in Breckenridge.

The Chalet Holiday – A primer

Generally, you can either book a whole chalet (the smallest typically sleep six or eight) or share a larger chalet with others. This works surprisingly well, usually. In the beginning, the cooking and cleaning was done by your chalet girl – often straight out of college or finishing school, and mainly intent on having a fun season. Chalet girls still exist, but now there are just as many boys, and grownups, including couples. It would be an exaggeration to say that service is generally professional, but training standards have certainly improved. Breakfast is usually a buffet with the option of some cooked items. At teatime, cakes and tea are put out. Often beer and soft drinks are sold at modest prices, on an honesty basis. Dinner is a no-choice affair at a communal table, including wine – unlimited in quantity but often severely limited in quality. In the middle of the week, the staff have a night off, and you’re left to your own devices – most people like to dine in a restaurant, but you can buy in a picnic.

Note that chalet hotels, a sub-species, are different in many ways. You may have individual tables, or large ones you share with other parties. There may be a choice of dishes at dinner. There will usually be a conventional bar.

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