Luxury chalet Panorama Lodge, Chamonix: Chic Chalet Guide review

Panorama Lodge
Les Bois, Chamonix
Sleeps - 10 + 4 children

From £6620 exclusive chalet
per week uncatered

Rustic Alpine charm with all mod cons

usp
Panorama Lodge is everything a modern rustic Alpine chalet should be. The chalet, a totally new build, incorporates all the essential mod cons behind a façade of old wood and antique tiles – underfloor heating, designer lighting, wifi, integrated appliances etc – making it perfect for those who want Alpine charm without forgoing all the very latest creature comforts.

location
The south facing Panorama Lodge is neatly set back on a large plot of land in the exclusive hamlet of Les Bois with, ahem, panoramic views of Mont Blanc and its surrounding peaks. With on-call transport at your disposal you can be at any of the five main ski areas within 15 minutes and Chamonix town centre in five. The nearest ski lift, Flégère, is within walking distance – just ten minutes away.

style
Panorama has been lovingly crafted from reclaimed timbers. The lounge on the first floor is spacious and airy with high ceilings. There are large, traditionally built stone fireplaces, heavy dark beams, stylish, chunky hand carved pieces of reclaimed wood furniture and some lovely old decorative floor tiles which feature throughout the chalet. Rich dark coloured drapes, the odd animal fur, rustic light fittings and a smattering of Alpine memorabilia add the finishing touches to create a gorgeous winter lodge. ^

rooms
The rustic theme runs through into the bedrooms with gnarly hewn beds, wooden beams, and white-washed walls. Soft furnishings in rich warm colours coupled with the soft glow of the lights create intimate cosy rooms which are just right for snuggling down into, especially given the crisp white linen and plump duvets on the beds. There are six bedrooms, one of which sleeps four children in smaller beds with an en suite loo and hand basin. The master bedroom boasts a substantial walk-in wardrobe, and has a large family sized en suite bathroom. Of the remaining four doubles, three are en suite. There is no other separate bathroom although there is another loo and hand basin on the ground floor and in the spa area. This means that anyone staying in the fifth bedroom which is not en suite, as well as those in the children’s room, must share the bathroom facilities, which may not be ideal for some groups. The tiled bathrooms with chrome fittings are all fairly spacious and come with baths and showers. Complimentary toiletries are from L’Occitane. ^

food & drink
Flexibility is the key here – you do not have to 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. Most guests do however opt for the comprehensive VIP half board. Read the Chalet des Drus review, a sister chalet of Panorama Lodge, for more information on what you can expect with the VIP catered option. ^

service
The staff are friendly and chatty yet professional and unfazed by any guest’s demanding requests.

spa facilities
There is a sauna, gym and shower area while the outdoor hot tub to the front of the chalet is perfectly positioned for those fabulous mountain views. There is no dedicated therapy room but bought-in treatments, such as deep tissue massages or Thai massages, as well as a full range of beauty treatments, can be organised in either a spare room or the guest’s own room. ^

children
Panorama Lodge has its own special children’s bedroom tucked away on the top floor with four smaller beds and an en suite loo. The couple that run the chalet business have a young family of their own and are therefore highly tuned 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
There is wifi throughout, plus Sky TV with full selection of UK channels, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, a range of less technologically challenging board games and a separate TV room scattered with bean bags. There is also a fully equipped private office for those who need to work while away. ^

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
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 sledging sessions. The village of Les Bois itself offers some lovely walking paths with restaurants such as Le Sarpe, Hotel Eden and La Cabane all within easy strolling distance. Then again you may just choose to relax in the beautiful surroundings of the chalet and take advantage of the massages and treatments on offer. ^

best thing
The fabulous uninterrupted views of Mont Blanc from the lounge. ^

worst thing
The shared bathroom facilities between the children’s room and one of the doubles. ^

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
Panorama Lodge sleeps 10 plus 4 children and is only bookable in its entirety. Prices start from around £6620 for an uncatered package. ^

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