9 chalets for between 6 and 16 guests
The Resort The journey up the winding roads to the Espace Killy makes you remember that you are in the middle of what used to be nowhere! From a series of tunnels you’ll emerge wide-eyed, past the foreboding Grande Motte glacier and the mysterious reservoir, held up by Atlas (or is it John-Claude Killy?) and watched over by the sentinel lady of the lake. You’ll then pass some strangely incongruous apartments which mark the beginning of Val d’Isère – a deep valley, dominated by the Bellevarde and Solaise peaks. Way up in the wilderness they thought this resort would never workbut nowadays it’s known as a world famous ski and party-town by Brits, French and a good smattering of Scandinavians. The aforementioned Monsieur Killy, winner of nearly every category of the ’68 Olympics, learnt to ski here and as a consequence the resort, which links with Tignes, is named in his honour.
The Skiing Val d’Isère is a dramatic resort with a recently much-improved lift system. With easy links to Tignes it makes up the Espace Killy, renowned for its challenging skiing and vast off-piste areas. This is not to say that novices are overlooked – they can warm up on the free ‘Village’ drag, then opt for the ‘Ski Tranquille’ area around Borsat. The more experienced should try out ‘Criterium’ in La Daille, venturing to ‘Mattis’ in the trees during snowy weather. A trip over to Tignes is simple and quick and opens up all manner of options for skiing and sampling the vin chaud! Advanced skiers will enjoy the challenge of speeding down La Face (the Olympic downhill in 1992) at the end of the day and those who have come to sample the famous powder will be desperate to try the Col Pers route above Le Fornet. Red-run skiers are welcome to join our free ski guiding service, which takes in all the best runs around the whole Espace Killy during the week.
The Chalets Look at our village map and you’ll see that the majority of our nine chalets are grouped together, in what we call the ‘Cacholet’ area. We designed and built these six chalets, each sleeping between six and 14 guests, in this peaceful, sunny location. A few years ago we added the very large and popular outdoor hot tub which is shared by all guests staying in ‘Cacholet’. Our other choices in Val d’Isère include the two super smart chalets of La Bouclia and Pierre de Compia, which earned a mention in an article entitled ‘World’s Coolest Chalets’ in Harpers Bazaar! They’re definitely worth that little bit extra and they too have an outdoor hot tub. For quick access to the slopes, we also have Chalet du Berger, which sleeps 16, has flexible accommodation and is fantastic value for money.
The Rest For those who have the stamina to ski all day and party all night, Val d’Isère is your Mecca (although bingo nights are few and far between…). Choose from chic cocktail bars, rowdy sports pubs, catch a live band or have a few games of pool or table football. There’s a huge selection of restaurants for chalet night off, ranging from the usual pizzas and steak to all manner of fancy fare. There’s a wide range of shops too; and keep an eye open for the Patisserie whose window displays are extremely enticing. Getting around is easy, with the free buses running regularly to and from each end of Val d’Isère, should you get waylaid on the way home from the slopes, or prefer not to waste time walking to the bar!
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