An independent guide to luxury ski chalets worldwide
Giant American chalet-style lodge
usp
Chalet Chloe is a rare thing: a European-style chalet in the US. Americans don’t really do the fully catered, full service chalet experience, so it is good to find a property (or rather lodge) that not only does it but does it in a properly stylish way. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is run and owned by a Brit.
location
Chloe is located in Boulder Ridge in the high Colorado resort of Breckenridge, about a mile from the main street and around 400 metres from the Peak Eight ski lifts. There is a public ski shuttle that stops 35 metres from the chalet, but the location does mean a 10 minute walk to the slopes if you miss the bus or want to sample Breck’s nightlife.
style
The chalet has all the features of a traditional Alpine ski chalet – vaulted ceilings, fireplace, exposed beams – but feels American, with the best that America can offer. The main living area is immense and open plan, with vast leather sofas and heavy wooden coffee tables surrounding a giant fireplace made of local rock. ‘Mountain craftsman’ seems to be the theme of the décor. There is also a fabulous balcony with a hot tub on it and BBQ. ^
rooms
The two master bedrooms, which are the best to stay in, each have vaulted ceilings and huge bathrooms with large tubs and separate large showers. The outsized beds are piled ludicrously high with pillows and there are also His and Hers basins in each bathroom, made of polished granite. The other bedrooms mostly just have ensuite shower rooms. The toiletries are the ubiquitous Molton Brown, which are in fact a relative rarity in the US. ^
food & drink
As with everything in America, huge is the key word here. Breakfasts of burritos, muffins, omelettes, you name it, almost stopped us getting out the door in the mornings, while dinners were four-course endurance exercises (although fabulous food) with such delicious dishes as ginger teriyaki grilled salmon with pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and citrus snow peas, or Thai chilli glazed prawns with soba noodles and coconut lemongrass broth. ^
The emphasis seemed to be not only on properly qualified chefs, but also ones with excellent people skills -- Chalet Chloe has an open plan kitchen so the chef needed to be social and willing to interact with clients while he cooked. He was American, too, so we were treated to some genuinely local cuisine.
service
The service was typically American in that it was excellent but relaxed – not the starched professionalism of some top-end European chalets. Upon arrival, our lift passes were waiting on the counter, a bottle of wine had been uncorked and the chef had readily prepared an impressive array of hors d’oeuvres. James the owner also made a point of personally dropping by at regular intervals to check that everything was ok, giving the personal touch that is the nice thing with small chalet operators. ^
spa facilities
There are no spa facilities at Chalet Chloe, but there is a great outdoor hot tub. ^
children
Chalet Chloe is well equipped with high chair, cots and the chance to have early dinners. Children ate their dinner while the adults enjoyed their appetisers when we were there, and the adults’ dinner was served as they were tucked in for the night. Chalet staff can also drop the kids at ski school and pick them up too, while babysitters can be organised, at an extra cost. The local ski/snowboard school is great for kids too. ^
extras
There are brand new Salomon demo skis for you to try out, totally free of charge. The chalet staff also offer a free mountain orientation tour so you can quickly get your bearings from day one. There’s also an office area with computer, fax and printer, NOT that you should be using it, and a ‘mud’ room, or what we might call a boot room, for boot storage with ‘cubbies’ for helmets and gloves. Each room also has its own humidifier to soothe high-altitude-induced sore throats and ease dry skin (Breckenridge is at a dizzy 2925m). Such a good idea. Why don’t more European chalets offer this? Oh, free wifi throughout too. ^
for skiers
Breckenridge only has one ski school as the mountain is leased off the forestry service for the winter and Vail Resorts Inc (who own the resort, together with Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Heavenly) have a monopoly. Having said that the instructors we used were great and, of course, spoke English rather better than their Euro counterparts. ^
James the owner also made a point of skiing with us and does generally with his clients. He grew up in Switzerland and skied every Friday afternoon and at weekends, then went on to teach skiing so he was able to offer us a great guided experience, with over 15 winters of local knowledge in Colorado. ^
for non skiers
Non-skiers can loaf in the outdoor hot tub, watch DVDs, have a go on the Playstation and try their hand at some video games or even check out any number of local activities. These include snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice skating, sledding down the hill at Carter Park in the centre of Breckenridge or even taking a horse drawn carriage ride around town. ^
best thing
The fact that this is a luxury catered chalet in the Rockies, not the Alps. ^
worst thing
The location. While Americans aren’t that bothered about nightlife, Brits are, and it is a bit of a hike into town, plus it is a hike to the slopes if you don’t get the bus. ^
getting there
Chalet Chloe can arrange transfers from Denver for its guests at an additional expense. There is a scheduled service which operates every hour – the Colorado Mountain Express, costing $82 per person each way. Stretched limos can also be laid on, costing $500 each way for 6-8 guests, while a private transfer can also be laid on by Kokopelli Ski at $549 each way for a van + trailer (up to 13 guests). There are unfortunately no heli transfers. ^
bottom line
Chalet Chloe costs from around £800pp per week, including airport transfers. ^
bookings & enquiries
If you would like to make an enquiry or a booking, please emailenquiries at chicchaletguide.co.uk. We will answer any questions you have or put you in touch with the operator. Remember, we have visited every chalet we feature so can give you totally unbiased, independent advice on all of them.
Chalet - 7
Service - 8
Room - 8
Food & Drink - 9
Luxury - 7
Drink plenty of water because Breckenridge is high altitude. The chalet, thoughtfully, provides lots of individual bottles.
Quickfinder
• 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) 7956 993830
guestbook
"Everyone arrived home safely and has been raving about the holiday ever since. We said it a lot but once again I must add how wonderful Randee and Christy were. The food was fantastic and the effort Randee put in to my meals (with my various allergies) was extraordinary. I haven't eaten that well in years! The whole trip was great, you have a wonderful company."
Julia
Breckenridge | Les Cerniers | Chamonix | Courchevel 1650 | Les Gets | Laax | Méribel | St Martin de Belleville | St Moritz | Sainte Foy | Tignes les Brévières
La Tzoumaz | Val d'Isère | Verbier | Veysonnaz | Zermatt