An independent guide to luxury ski chalets
Mulberry mountain chic
in slick Swiss resort
usp
Casa Prada consists of two extremely smart privately owned chalet apartments, the Duplex and the Garden, and are the first to be built by Powder Byrne, the luxury ski operator that specialises in family ski holidays, under their new Owners Collection label. They come with access to the full Powder Byrne resort service including celebrated crèche facilities for babies from six months, and ski programmes for children from three years up to teenage.
location
The properties are located in the quiet Swiss hamlet of Laax. They are not ski-in ski-out, but the lifts can be reached by foot along a lovely prepared woodland path across a meadow in 5 to 10 minutes, or by road in a few minutes by private transfer. Powder Byrne lays on regular shuttle buses for all their clients to and from the lifts. The location is very private, the view towards the Signina Range and 4,000m giants beyond is superb.
style
Mountain chic. The exterior is built in the traditional Valser style, all burnt dark timber, with wooden shutters and hand-carved motifs (it’s hard to believe the chalet is a new build, in fact) while the interiors are modern classic, stuffed with lavish Mulberry Home furniture and textiles as well as sleek Swiss designs, wonderful exposed wood beams and hand crafted interior spaces. It feels really homely too, with some lovely personal touches. ^
rooms
These are gorgeously styled (by London designer Susie Beart) but slightly snug. All very light and clean and modern, done out in creams and neutrals with orange and red flashes, or purples and lime greens. We tended to hang out in the communal area more because of the relative lack of space but they were certainly opulently styled, with quality designer fabrics (Osborne & Little, Zoffany etc) and lamps by Porto Romana. All the beds are bespoke in the UK, apparently, and they had deeply luxurious mattresses. They had luxurious 600 threadcount Egyptian cotton linen from William Yeoward with lambswool toppers on the mattresses for extra comfort. Among the most comfortable beds we have slept in. The toiletries are Molton Brown. ^
food & drink
The meals consist of the usual gourmet breakfast, afternoon tea, children’s supper (crucially separate from the adults’) and three course evening meal. A different chef is normally hired each season but the one we had had 20 years experience in luxury cuisine and had worked as an estate manager for a number of years in the UK. To be frank, it showed. He rustled up divine dishes to suit a rather demanding combination of clients (vegetarian, picky child, resolute meat-eater). Dishes ranged from herb-crusted lamb to Thai prawn curry and even raclette. The chalet uses locally sourced ingredients and organic where possible. The house champagne is Louis Roderer NV. Good quality wines with an Italian bias were served, while there were also premium wines available on request, such as an Ornellaia and Tignanello. ^
service
Powder Byrne has built a deservedly strong reputation for being THE people to go to on a ski holiday when you have young children. The level of service and attention to detail is impressive. That said, they are pretty good at looking after the grown-ups too. The ethos is very much “Nothing is too much trouble”. They have a resort manager, ski guides to show you the best runs and to book a mountain restaurant for you, driver service and the full range of children’s programmes. There is also a personal laundry service in the chalet, as well as the expected gourmet chef and chalet host.
spa facilities
The chalet has a sauna and steam room in the basement, available to both apartments. ^
children
These people are the kids experts, so everything is thought of. Babysitting can be booked in advance. High chairs, cots, changing mats and so forth can all be requested, while families can make special requests for the children’s early supper too. There is no minimum age for staying at the chalet, although 6 months is the minimum age for the crèche programme.
The Duplex apartment has a large galleried landing with a kids lounge - huge flat screen TV, DVD, Nintendo Wii and a massive selection of children’s DVDs, toys and games including large wooden BRIO train set, puzzles and books. Plus there is a charming bleached wood bunk room for the children to stay in.
Food for the children, too, is healthy but child-friendly, such as home-made chicken nuggets and home-made 100% pure beef burgers. ^
extras
There is no wifi at the property, although there is broadband and an Apple Mac computer in the Duplex apartment. There was a flat screen TV with cable and DVD players in both apartments, while the kids had a separate TV and DVD at the Duplex apartment. ^
for skiers
Instruction is organised with Flims ski school but, notably, PB sub-contract the instructors then add their own staff in too for both adults and kids classes, so there is no problem with English and there is someone on hand to wipe noses, supervise loo breaks etc (for the children, that is). Powder Byrne has a good relationship with the school due to many years of operating with them. Ski instruction can be booked before travelling to ensure a choice of lesson times and choice of instructors. Powder Byrne also offers a ski guiding service while the resort manager can easily organise a mountain guide at short notice for off-piste ski guiding. ^
for non skiers
There are flat screen TVs with DVD players and a Nintendo Wii (with four controllers). There is also the sauna and steam room in the relaxation area of the basement, as well as table tennis table. But it’s just lovely loafing about the spacious and comfortable chalet, with its cosy open fireplace indoors and outdoor areas too, including a balcony for sunbathing at the Duplex chalet and private terrace at the Garden chalet. ^
best thing
The seamless PB service, plus the fact that this is a private home that has been lovingly created and styled. ^
worst thing
Because these are apartments and you don’t have the entire chalet to yourselves it means that you do bump into strangers in the sauna or any of the other shared facilities. Also, it would be very snug if filled to capacity. ^
getting there
Laax is approximately 1h 45mins by road from both Zurich and Friedrichshafen airports. Private transfers are included in the chalet price. It is also possible to access Laax by taking a train from Zurich airport to Chur, and a private transfer can be organised up to the resort which takes around 20 minutes. You can even arrive in style by helicopter, the chopper typically landing on the outskirts of the village with private transfers up to the chalet laid on. Price is dependant on numbers, luggage, start point etc. ^
bottom line
The 12 person Duplex chalet costs from £9,800 and can only be booked out in its entirety. There is no discount for children, and the price includes all food, cleaning services, beverages and amenities. The Garden apartment starts from £6,650 for the entire property. The Powder Byrne crèche and ski programme facilities are all extra, the crèche starting from £240 per week, Yeti Primer (3 years and up) from £460 and Yeti Club (4 to 9 years) from £480. ^
bookings & enquiries
If you would like to make an enquiry or a booking, please email enquiries at chicchaletguide.co.uk. Remember, we have visited all the chalets we feature so can give you totally unbiased, independent advice on all of them. The prices we quote are also the list prices quoted by the chalets themselves, so there is no advantage in going to the chalets direct.
Chalet - 8
Service - 9
Room - 7
Food & Drink - 9
Luxury - 8
Don't forget your iPod if you want to set your own fire-side mood. Also, make sure you have a gourmet mountain lunch at La Vacca at Plaun (famous for its bison steaks), but definitely book in advance because it is always in demand. Flood lit skiing is a magical way to finish the day -- enquire for the right days because it is not always available.
Quickfinder
• Summer
• USP
* Location
• Style
• Rooms
• Food & Drink
* Service
• Spa Facilities
• Children
• Extras
• Skiers
• Non Skiers
• Best Thing
• Worst Thing
• Getting There
• Bottom Line
• Bookings & Enquiries
Bookings and enquiries: enquiries at chicchaletguide.co.uk Telephone:
+44 (0)7772 853996
guestbook
"Great space and layout for communal socialising but also allowing personal time out/alone. Extremely stylish and chic decoration, with wonderfully high ceilings. Really modern and high tech kitchen. Large sunny balcony allowing après ski relaxation. Pleasant short walk to ski lifts if you do not want to get into the car. Bedrooms/bathrooms to very high standard. Beautiful views."
Jennifer Tahany, UK
Les Cerniers | Chamonix | Courchevel 1650 | Les Gets | Laax | Lech | Méribel | St Martin de Belleville | St Moritz | Nendaz | Sainte Foy
Tignes les Brévières | La Tzoumaz | Val d'Isère | Verbier | Veysonnaz | Zermatt