This chalet is only available to guests booking the whole chalet for sole use.
La Maison du Rocher, Val D'Isere
In the little enclave known as the Village du Crêt there are about eight of Val d’Isère’s original chalets. It is clear how old they are from their worn stone steps, their wormy timbers and their lichen-spattered granite roof slabs.
So it comes as a slight surprise to see in any old photograph that until about 1980 there was just one, the 1620s farmhouse which later became the Mountain Lodges. The other chalets are all new, and their genuine C19 wheelbarrows and medieval drinking fountains came in a job lot from the local builder’s merchant. No matter, the new buildings look great.
Somehow, these two chalets, with their thick stone walls and hefty beams, do feel more solid and permanent than their imitators. More importantly, they have the best position, at the sunny front of the eponymous crêt or ridge.
The bedrooms are not huge, and are authentically higgledy-piggledy, two squeezed below the rafters, but they are all warm, welcoming and tasteful, with smart little bathrooms. Some of the single beds fit together to make 6ft doubles (please specify when you book). The vast sitting rooms have large log fires, balconies, WiFi, all-major-channel satellite with surround-sound etc. Each chalet has a separate dining room, where food is served which we defy any restaurant in Val d’Isère to match.
On the ground floor of each chalet are its chef’s cell and a sauna. We are told that a glass of bubbly in the latter, then a naked plunge into the snowy garden, works wonders for aching muscles.
The aches can come equally easily from over-energetic skiing or unaccustomed après-skiing, since the Funival is just one bus stop one way and the fleshpots of the village centre two stops the other. If you chose to walk for any reason, either would take ten minutes.
Features- La Maison du Rocher, Val D'Isere
- En-suite facilities throughout.
- Some rooms give option of twin beds or six-foot doubles (please specify which you prefer when booking).
- Vast sitting room with log fire, satellite TV, DVD, surround sound.
- WiFi.
- Separate dining room.
- Sauna, boot warmers, garden.
- Silent, sunny position on edge of village, ten minutes’ walk from centre or Funival.
- Bus nearby, one stop to Funival, four to nursery slopes.
- A chef and an assistant, one of whom lives in self-contained ground-floor studio.
Please Note: For all parties booking, we levy a damage deposit of £1,000. This is payable by credit card prior to departure, and refunded after the end of the holiday upon satisfactory inspection of the chalet.
Accommodation - La Maison du Rocher, Val D'Isere
5 bedrooms for 10 guests, with 5 baths, 1 shower
- Bedroom 1: Double (13’ x 10’) on second floor. Bathroom with wc.
- Bedroom 2: Twin (12’ x 11’) on ground floor. Bathroom with wc.
- Bedroom 3: Twin/double (10’ x 14’) on second floor. Bathroom with wc.
- Bedroom 4: Twin/double (9’ x 11’) on second floor, split-level (a further 3’ x 12’ beneath). Bathroom with wc.
- Bedroom 5: Double (12’ x 11’) under eaves on second floor, split-level (a further 7’ x 7’ beneath). Spectacular views in wall-to-wall mirrors!! Bathroom with wc.
- Sitting Room:(20’ x 23’) On first floor. Fireplace, DVD, satellite TV (all major channels), fridge for your drinks. South-facing balcony. WiFi.
- Dining Room: (13’6” x 10’) Next to sitting room. Open-plan kitchen not included in measurements.
- Sauna: On ground floor with further shower.
Meals - La Maison du Rocher, Val D'Isere
We start with a proper breakfast. Fruit juice, porridge, Dorset cereals, bacon, eggs, baguettes straight from the famous local bakery, a croissant or pain au chocolat if you like, yogurts, British tea and fresh coffee from Italian espresso pots (with Nescafé and bizarre infusions for those who prefer them). A Cooked Breakfast option is also available.
You return from the slopes to find bread and jam, a freshly-baked cake, hot chocolate etc. left out for you.
Nightly canapés are followed by a three-course, fixed-menu, dinner-party-style meal. The cuisine is largely French, though with a fusion of other influences – what Londoners call Modern British. (Foreign, in other words.) With dinner, we serve free unlimited quantities of a selection of very drinkable French AOC wines and vins de pays.
Please note: The chalet host will have a day off during the course of the week, during which you will be required to eat out.