Chic Chalet Guide: Chalet Himalaya, Val d'Isère, France

Chalet Himalaya
Val d'Isère
Sleeps - 8 (with possibility of extending to 12)

From £12,500 exclusive chalet per week

Tibetan chic comes to the Alps

usp
Well, where to start? This extraordinary property will blow people away. It is owned by Pamela Nicholson, the music TV-producing, professional piano-playing mother of rock violinist Vanessa-Mae. She has spent five years refurbishing what was a 17th century monastery, using lavish amounts of Asian furnishings and pieces. It is an incredible mountain home, but is possibly not for everyone: you will either love or hate it.

location
Himalaya is located in La Daille, the least salubrious part of Val d’Isère, near a rather ugly 1960s block of apartments, but don’t let this put you off. Once inside, you don’t really want to look out anyway. And it is not as if you have to walk anywhere; there is a chauffeured 4x4 laid on from 8.30am to 11pm every day to take guests wherever they wish to go. Also, crucially, the chalet is genuinely ski-in ski-out for skiers of all levels, with an easy green on one side and a World Cup downhill slope on the other. The owner says that this was key when she was shopping around for her winter home -- just as key as a beach villa having direct access to the sea.

style
Mountain chic, as in the Himalayas rather than the Alps. The owner has spared no expense at all in furnishing this opulent home with imported Tibetan chests and giant carved wood doors, handmade rustic railings from the Mongolian Steppes, and vast blocks of carved marble. It feels extraordinarily lavish and indulgent and hideaway. ^

rooms
There are four rooms, or rather suites, and each is named after one of the seven summits of the seven continents, with everything inside supposedly befitting the relevant continent. They are broadly similar though, with hardwood bespoke beds, platform areas scattered with Tibetan angora cushions beside a remote-controlled fire place (complete with sunken ice-bucket), Tibetan rice carriers for laundry baskets, and, most knock-out of all, vast, marble, glass-screened in-room baths that are big enough for four people and that double as steam rooms. It is all rather dark and almost a little kinky. ^

food & drink
The food at Himalaya is totally bespoke. It can have an Asian twist, to fit in with the surrounding décor, or it can be completely Alpine in approach. It can also be fancy and gourmet, or it can be a pizza or steak and ale pie in front of the telly. Being a member of Consensio, the company that was born out of the ashes of Descent International, Himalaya’s chef is trained to do everything to perfection. The house champagne is Perrier Jouet, while there are also special His and Hers Consensio cocktails on offer as well as an à la carte wine list to upgrade to. ^

service
Consensio’s staff consist of the best of Descent’s ex-employees plus highly trained professionals who have worked on private yachts and in big private houses. They are not as hotel-y as Descent, however, and are rather more laid-back. ^

spa facilities
Himalaya has a sauna, a massage room, and an extraordinary swimming pool with electronically adjusted sinking marble floor (it can drop to create a pool or just a shallow Jacuzzi area – quite over the top really). ^

children
This probably isn’t a place for kids. It’s too sophisticated and Asian-sleek, although it feels perfectly relaxed and cosy in a very grown-up sort of way. ^

extras
There’s plenty of these -- a cigar room, to save the smokers from having to stand outside in the cold; a giant hidden-away movie screen in the main living area; a small business centre so folk can stay connected; wifi everywhere; and a wine cave. Oh, and there are the fanciest loos throughout the chalet. Each one is electronically-controlled and has a heated lavatory seat with sophisticated multiple hygiene functions, including ‘front cleansing’ and ‘rear drying’. They even play music, dammit. ^

for skiers
Ski and boot fitting is arranged in the comfort of the chalet, and the giant Espace Killy ski area is right on the doorstep. Himalaya only works with a small number of key instructors and mountain guides, all of whom need to be booked in advance, and they take care of every need including booking mountain restaurants in advance for lunch. ^

for non skiers
There is everything from snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, ice driving, parapenting and ice skating to a new indoor swimming pool in resort, massage treatments in the chalet, and even yoga or Pilates instructors if guests wish. Or you can visit a local farm to see how the famous Beaufort cheese is made (you can bring one back and hand it over to the chalet chef to see what they can create with it), or else visit the local Val street market. ^

best thing
The sinking-floor swimming pool-cum-Jacuzzi. ^

worst thing
It doesn’t really feel like you are in the Alps. As the owner herself said, she didn’t want it to be very ‘chalet’. ^

getting there
Grenoble or Chambéry are the nearest airports, each taking about 2hrs to reach Val, or else Geneva which is about 1hr 30mins more. Alternatively, you can get the Eurostar ski train to Bourg St Maurice from where it is about 40 minutes up the mountain to the resort. Transfers can be organized at an extra cost, from a luxury limo to a helicopter transfer. ^

bottom line
Himalaya can only be booked exclusively and costs from £1388pp per week based on eight adults. ^

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.

Scores out
of ten

Chalet - 9
Service - 9
Room - 8
Food & Drink - 8
Luxury - 9