Icing on the break: Chalet Andre in Val d'IsereOpting to share a house with complete strangers during a skiing holiday is still largely a British phenomenon. In fact most Europeans, especially those from Alpine nations, think we are barmy. I prefer to think it’s just a little eccentricity, or simply that we are open to embracing the spirit of camaraderie.
Whatever the reason, the ski chalet concept is thriving. And it has certainly improved from the days when ‘rustic’ chalets were renowned for their wafer-thin walls and creaking beds, rarely supplied enough hot water for all guests to enjoy a shower in the only bathroom, and where the smell of sweaty ski clothes drying was only mildly disguised by the aroma of stew bubbling in the communal kitchen.
Many chalets now have good quality chefs preparing your meals and feature a much better ratio of bathrooms to bedrooms. For high-end properties, you can expect Michelin-trained chefs, en suite rooms, fluffy robes, hot tubs, swimming pools and massage rooms.
For home-from-home comfort we have the late Erna Low to thank. In 1932, Erna was a student in London, unable to afford to travel back to Austria to visit her family. So she advertised for people interested in joining her on a skiing trip near her family home. Five people responded – enough to pay for her ticket.
The trip was such a success that Erna decided to repeat the exercise the following winter, and soon established a travel company that still bears her name today.
The chalet idea was introduced in the Fifties, when the firm’s slogan was Sun And Snow With Erna Low.
Below I have hand-picked a variety of accommodation offered by long-established firms and new operators, at prices to suit all pockets.
Great value on a budget
Erna Low (0845 863 0525, www.ernalow.co.uk) offers a seven-night self-drive holiday, departing on January 29 and based on eight people sharing a three-double-bedroom apartment with mezzanine in the Prince des Cimes development at the French resort of Arc. The price of £437.75 per person includes return Eurotunnel crossings for two cars, breakfast, tea and dinner with wine provided on six days by catering firm www.projectski.co.uk, and free use of the pool, hot tub and sauna.
Family specialist Esprit Ski (01252 618300, www.espritski.com) offers the intimate Chalet Andre or recently expanded Chalet Hotel Ducs de Savoie in Val d’Isere, France, departing on December 12. The total cost for seven nights at either property for two adults and two children aged between two and ten is £1,281. This includes return flights from Stansted to Geneva, transfers, breakfast, adult and children’s high tea and a four-course evening meal with wine for six days.
Mid- to high-end
Meriski (01285 648518, www.meriski.co.uk) has been operating in the French resort of Meribel for more than 25 years. Its chalets all come with a dedicated chalet host and chef, and complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks are served throughout the holiday.
Meriski is offering its recently refurbished Chalet Virage at a discounted rate next month. Departing on December 19 for seven nights, the holiday now costs £995 for adults (down from £1,290) or £895 for children under 12 (was £1,190). The chalet can be booked as a whole or on an individual-room basis, but the price does not include travel to the resort. The chalet features eight double bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms, a hot tub on the terrace, heated boot-rack and stunning views across the Meribel valley.
Fish & Pips (0845 474 1054, www.fishandpips.co.uk) has eight chalets in Meribel and Val d’Isere which all offer great value and award-winning food. Chalet Le Christophe in Meribel is just yards from the piste and for seven nights, commencing December 12, the four en suite double bedrooms can be booked from just £495 per person on a full-board basis. Chalet Killy is a smart chalet/apartment in Val d’Isere, located 200 yards from the piste and close to town centre. Again, it features four en suite double bedrooms and costs from £795 per person on a full-board basis departing for seven nights on January 15, 2011. Prices exclude travel.
Many chalet operators offer accommodation only so that clients can take advantage of low-cost airlines or choose to travel by train or even drive.
Remember that Swiss International (www.swiss.com) is the only airline not charging for carriage of skis and snowboards. These costs can be considerable. Transfers from a range of airports around the Alps can be booked through 0870 068 0479 or www.europetransfer.com.
Pioneer: Erna Low set up the ski firm that still bears her nameSuper luxury chalets
Scott Dunn (020 8682 5050, www.scottdunn.com) offers its flagship property, Chalet Artemis in the Nasserein area of St Anton in Austria, for seven nights departing March 20, 2011, from £2,245 per person. This is based on a total chalet occupancy of 12 in six en suite bedrooms.
The price includes return Club Class British Airways flights, private transfers, breakfast, afternoon tea, champagne and canapes before dinner, a cocktail-making evening, and use of the indoor pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs and steam rooms. The chalet, which is spread over four floors and also features a 12-seat cinema, must be booked in its entirety.
Brand new for this winter from Consensio Holidays (www.consensioholidays.co.uk) is the five-bedroom Shemshak Lodge in Courchevel. The total price for full occupancy is £17,500 a week at low season and almost doubles during high season.
Shemshak’s Iranian owners – the chalet is named after a skiing area in Iran – make no bones about the fact that this state-of-the-art chalet is not for the budget-conscious. Neither is this glamorous French resort, which attracts the world’s most affluent and wealthy skiers, including many Russians.
The chalet is striking in every way and facilities include a gym, Jacuzzi, sauna and treatment rooms.
The price, which excludes travel, affords you sumptuous breakfasts, tea, champagne aperitif and dinner daily, as well as a chauffeur, newspapers and fresh flowers.
source: dailymail
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