An independent guide to luxury ski chalets
From £13,700 exclusive chalet
per week uncatered
Seriously ‘wow’ massive
chalet with drop-dead views
usp
Chalet des Drus is the big-wow-factor flagship chalet of a Chamonix specialist operator. It’s a fabulous new build (owned by a very smart, very monied, very well-placed Parisian couple) and apart from anything else has to be one of the largest properties in a valley where space is at an eye-watering premium.
location
Des Drus is in the exclusive, most expensive Les Bois area of the Chamonix valley, half-way between Argentière and Chamonix. As with most chalets in Cham, it is not ski-in ski-out, but what does that matter when you have 24/7 transport just a mobile call away? It is roughly five minutes by car from the Flégère lift station plus it has totally uninterrupted views of the Mont Blanc Massif (including the Les Drus peak, from which the property takes its name). These smack you awake in the morning and enchant you as they turn pink in the evening light.
style
Super-sleek contemporary. Old reclaimed timber has been used throughout, making the chalet warm and charming, but the furnishings are uber modern. The colour palette is chocolate browns with stabs of orange, from the burnt orange cushions on the beds or sink-into sofas, to the tangerine leather dining chairs and coppery curtains. All the furniture is designed bespoke for the chalet, in fact, by one of Paris’ top designers, including the dramatic slate dining table whose legs are actually made of bits of the Eiffel Tower (left-over bits that were lying around in a workshop, you understand). Serious modern art adorns the walls too -- the owners are keen collectors -- and the pièce de resistance is a central, metal, free-standing fireplace between dining and living areas of the giant main room. ^
rooms
Our room was like a large suite – a bedroom with views of Mont Blanc one way and Les Drus the other, corridor with loo off it, walk-in dressing room and spacious bathroom at the end. A sumptuous, becushioned bed with rabbit fur throw was complemented by a stylish day bed in the corner and our very own wood burner. The furniture was slightly heavy and the TV rather too large, making the room darker than it could have been, but that is a minor quibble: it was gorgeous. All rooms are similarly big and also have their own terraces and views of the mighty Mont Blanc.
Unusually, guests have a toiletries menu to choose from – there are four high-end ranges, L’Occitane, Italian brand Culti, Chanel and even Britain’s own Daylesford. Bathrooms, too, are worth a mention. Ours had a decidedly stylish tub lined with cow hide (on the outside, that is), as were the His and Hers sinks, plus there was a room-for-four shower. ^
food & drink
The thing with Des Drus and the company that run them is their groovy flexibility. They do not insist you buy into a fully laid-on professional chef experience for the entire run of your stay. If you want a four-course feast, it’s there; if you want to dine out, it can be arranged; if you want to rustle something up yourselves – for just one night or for every night of your stay – they are happy to stock the fridge and hand over the keys. That said, most guests opt for the fully laid-on VIP half board. The chef’s creations were indeed gorgeous and you would be mad not to have at least one night being cooked for by him.
There was lots of seafood on offer, from lobster springroll with wasabi cream to baked langoustine and blue mussels, but just about everything was available. Produce is sourced as locally as possible too. As for wine, the chalet operator works with a sommelier at the beginning of the season to pick out some excellent house wines but they also lay on a selection of more exciting ones that are charged extra. Veuve Clicquot is the on-tap house champagne, with the option of spending up on other fizzes such as vintage Krug. ^
service
Not butler-style stuffy or gap-year slack. The staff are friendly and chatty yet professional and unfazed by anything or any heavy-hitting guest’s demanding requests. ^
spa facilities
There is a fantastic indoor pool with fabulous views of Mont Blanc and a treatment bed located beside it where guests can lay, indulge in any number of bought-in treatments, and gaze at the views through the sheet glass windows. Treatments include deep tissue massage, shiatsu, Thai massage and even cranial sacral therapy as well as a full range of beauty treatments. There is also a steam room. ^
children
The almost irritatingly beautiful couple who run the chalets (both used to be models) have just had a baby, hence they are highly sensitised to all the possible needs of new parents. Baby monitors, security gates, sterilising equipment, you name it, can all be provided, including even a wooden cot if that is preferred to a travel cot. Spare bedrooms can be turned into playrooms for little ones, plus excellent nannies and babysitters can be raised or even chalet staff can wade in and help with escorting children to and from ski school. ^
extras
No high-end chalet can operate without wifi, hence it is available throughout, plus there is Sky TV with full selection of UK channels, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, a range of less technologically challenging board games plus two great home cinemas (one more tucked away than the other, for more noisy, late-night gatherings). Each has an impressive range of DVDs including ski DVDs for the enthusiasts who want to pick up tips at the end of a hard day’s skiing. There is also a separate fully-specced private office for those who can’t totally cut themselves off from work. ^
for skiers
Chamonix is a serious skier’s nirvana, and Jamie Strachan, who co-runs the company, used to be the British number one free-skiing champion between 1998 and 2004 (yep, as well as a model, and he’s also an accomplished artist and perfectly delightful with it, dammit). As such he is superbly connected with many of the heavy-duty skiers based in the Chamonix valley. He can raise a day’s skiing for guests with living legend Glen Plake, for example, while director Thierry Donard will come and talk interested parties frame-by-frame through one of his vintage ski videos. Jamie, too, will take guests out skiing for free – and you can’t get more expert than that. ^
for non skiers
Hanging out in the chalet is a lovely thing to do at Des Drus – it has lots of space, a huge terrace and a large garden. But all sorts of other activities can be laid on. There are hot springs trips through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Pré St Didier in Courmayeur, shopping day trips to Verbier or Milan (just a 1hr 30 mins heli ride away), even watch-buying trips to Geneva. Heli sight-seeing excursions to Italy have also been popular in the past, as have snow shoe walking expeditions and husky sledding sessions. Then there is the indoor pool complete with lapping jet and the massages and treatments that are on offer. ^
best thing
Huh, just about everything. ^
worst thing
For some ski-shy folk, the fact that this beautiful chalet is in hard-core resort Chamonix and not somewhere slightly more benign. ^
getting there
The chalet will organise to pick you up from the nearest airport, which is Geneva. Many guests arrive by private jet at Sion, and they will pick up from there too, or either Geneva, Martigny or Annecy train stations. Sometimes transfers are included, sometimes not – depending on the package you arrange with them. ^
bottom line
Chalet des Drus sleeps up to 14 and is only bookable in its entirety. Prices start from around £925 to £2152 for an uncatered package. ^
bookings & enquiries
If you would like to make an enquiry or a booking, please email enquiries 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 - 9
Service - 8
Room - 9
Food & Drink - 8
Luxury - 10
Pack smart/trendy. You wouldn’t want to not fit into this exceedingly stylish chalet. Oh, and take instruction on how to make the minimalist bathroom taps work.
Quickfinder
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* Location
• Style
• Rooms
• Food & Drink
* Service
• Spa Facilities
• Children
• Extras
• Skiers
• Non Skiers
• Best Thing
• Worst Thing
• Getting There
• Bottom Line
• Bookings & Enquiries
• Other chalets in this resort
• Other chalets to suit corporate groups
Bookings and enquiries: enquiries at chicchaletguide.co.uk Telephone:
+44 (0)7772 853996
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