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Chalet Spa
Verbier
Sleeps 10

From £36,300 exclusive chalet per week

Uber stylish Ibiza villa on snow

usp
There almost aren’t words to describe how fabulous Chalet Spa is. One thing though: it is not, as the name suggests, all about the spa. It does indeed have a quite stunning spa area, but it is still first and foremost a chalet. And it is, quite simply, a chalet like no other. It is breathtakingly chic.

location
The chalet is at the bottom of the Savoleyres ski area, two minutes on foot from the Savoleyres lift station. It has utterly huge views across the valley looking south west to the Mont Blanc massif and directly across to the Bruson ski area and the Grand Combin massif. No other Verbier chalet we have visited has such uninterrupted views, given the extent of development in the resort.

style
From the outside this new-build chalet looks pretty traditional, but inside is an ultra contemporary, light-drenched, bright white space that bristles with the very latest gadgetry. In a way, it is more Ibiza villa than ski chalet, with its sleek modern lines and cutting edge technology. In the centre of the fabulous open-plan living space there is a giant central mirrored fireplace that becomes a TV screen. How the telly doesn’t melt when the fire is on we have no idea. But then there are the more typical ski chalet touches like the cow hide throws, chocolate leather sofas, plus cream Tibetan goat skin bean bags, and the materials such as timber, leather, stone and granite that are used throughout. It is all achingly stylish. ^

rooms
We stayed in the master suite which fills the whole of the top floor, and it was stunning though not huge. It has its own exclusive terrace – with those views once again – and a gas log fire built into a glass wall and positioned cunningly so that as you lay in bed you can see the mountains through the flickering flames. There is a magic mirror TV (all rooms have these as well as the main living space) which is effectively a two-way mirror: it looks like a mirror but becomes a TV screen when you turn the television on. There is also a smaller version in the bathroom, which will echo whatever is playing on the main screen. There is even a mechanised wardrobe device so you can hang your clothes up then press a button which raises them all to the top of the cupboard where they can hang, properly crease-free. It is detail, detail throughout. Even the lighting, which is beautifully subtle and becomes blue at night, is discreetly labelled on the switches so you don’t have to spend hours working the system out. The bed linen is Belgian satin cotton, the mattresses are Swiss hand-made, the bed throws are cashmere – everything, in short, is Luxury with a capital Lux. Toiletries are supplied by The White Company, which fits beautifully with the sleek, bleached feel of the whole chalet. ^

food & drink
The owner of Chalet Spa is a Jersey businessman, and he staffs the chalet by mining the talent of Jersey. The chef, Chris, is an excellent, superbly talented cook who specialises in Japanese food (having travelled there a lot) and thus delivers a sort of Japanese fusion. Traditional duck dishes might come with an oriental, hot dash to them, while Dover sole might be served with a shizu ponzu sauce. But he can do so much more than that – his carrot cake, for instance, is unbeatable, and his steaks are perfect. Chalet Spa will basically lay on the full breakfast, afternoon tea, four course dinner service with the option of lunch too if guests want. And it is all fabulous.

As for wine, a selection of good regular wines has been drawn together but Chalet Spa specialises in some really high-end bottles – from Cristal champagne (approx £500) to Chateau Petrus 1999 (around £2500 a shout).

One key thing to note: all food and drink is extra. Guests are invoiced at the end of their stay. ^

service
The staff at Chalet Spa are very professional but also very nice with people, if that doesn’t sound too simplistic. They know how to be in the chalet and share this stunning space with you, but they also know not to be invasive. At the same time, they are extremely observant – while seeming casual, they notice stuff like your g&t needs topping up or that you might like an extra cushion on a sun lounger. They are attentive but relaxed with it – the perfect combination. ^

spa facilities
The spa area is one of the most stunning we have seen. There is a 10m lapping pool, a fully equipped Techogym with integrated TV system to all the machinery (which includes cross trainer and running machine), plus a small sauna and a steam room. And of course there is a private separate treatment room where guests can enjoy any number of out-sourced treatments, from aromatherapy to chromatherapy and à la carte massages (from hot stone to Indian head), all using organic products. In addition to all this, there is a Concept rowing machine on the terrace and a spinning bike, a traditional mountain cedar wood outdoor hot tub with just perfect views down the valley, and a covered jacuzzi outside the pool area with pop-up TV and music system. As with everything, too, there is real attention to detail – there are spare pairs of goggles in the pool area and a fridge stocked with beer and fruit juices. ^

children
Chalet Spa is, perhaps surprisingly for somewhere so stylish, extremely child friendly. There is a safety code on the entrance to the spa and pool area, for instance, to keep tiny people out of danger. There are also discreet video cameras throughout the property through which parents can keep an eye on their children via their in-room TV screens (this began as a security system for the chalet’s high-profile guests but proved useful to watchful parents). There is babysitting on offer too, earlier mealtimes on request, as well as things like every imaginable size and shape of inflatable plaything in the pool area plus rigging for a volley ball net (swimming lessons can even be organised). There is a cinema room with a large library of children’s cartoons too (plus huge sofas for them to play around on – indeed, the cinema invariably becomes the children’s own exclusive all-adults-forbidden den).

extras
This chalet is all about extras. A visit to the living room loo is greeted with a selection of top perfumes, from Vera Wang’s Truly Pink to Prada’s Amber. It has two open-top dune buggies for escorting individuals to the slopes (in addition to the larger Mercedes seven-seater people carrier vehicles with blacked-out privacy windows). There is a cinema (see above) with a programmed library of around 250 up to date movies (no need to fiddle with lost DVDs and empty cases here) plus around 10,000 albums loaded onto the state-of-the-art music centre. There is also wifi throughout, of course, plus Xbox 360, Playstation and Nintendo Wii gaming consoles. And they can arrange anything – they’ve even converted one of the bedrooms into a trading room with a bank of flatscreen TVs and a secure system set-up for one banking client.

There is also a fab sun deck with designer teak furniture, recycled teak rustic individual chairs draped with snugly Swiss woollen blankets, and stunning rattan umbrellas, complete with full barbeque set-up. The chalet even has a ping pong table and games area out on another terrace. ^

for skiers
Chalet Spa uses every ski school in resort. They are building up a list of ideal instructors to suit every ski level (nb they only began operating in winter 2008), although they tend to use Adrenalin a lot – particularly because they have many Russian guests and Adrenalin has a couple of Russian-speaking instructors. ^

for non skiers
Well, you’d be mad to want to spend much time outside the chalet if you can’t ski. The spa and pool and all the in-chalet facilities are gorgeous. There is the fabulous sun deck to loaf about on too, but any number of activities can be arranged should you wish to venture out – paragliding, snow shoe walking, dog sledding to name but a few. ^

best thing
The style of the whole place. Oh, and the beach buggies. Such fun, if a little noisy and ungreen. ^

worst thing
None of the rooms, including the master suite, is very big and they have no chairs, thus forcing you to be tidy and hang stuff up. Which is perhaps no bad thing. ^

getting there
The chalet offers a driver pick-up service for up to 12 in one vehicle from any airport, whether Geneva or Sion (just an hour away – for private jets mostly), but all transfers are extra. It only offers its own service, complete with fun fully branded beach buggies, in resort. Heli transfers can be organised, too. ^

bottom line
Chalet Spa costs from around £40,000 per week rising to £55,000 per week. Given that it sleeps 10 people this would work at around £4000pp per week, but it is rarely booked to capacity. Rooms cannot be booked separately. ^

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.

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Bookings and enquiries: enquiries at chicchaletguide.co.uk Telephone:
+44 (0)7772 853996

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guestbook
"What a great place to unwind. I loved the moon buggies, the spa and the screen room. Fantastic!"

David

"This is the best place in the world."

Oliver & George, aged 12

"Thankyou for cooking lovely food."

Elle, aged nine

"Style and elegance! A stunning experience in comfort. The skiing played second fiddle."

Simon & Jackie

"The very best of sun, ski and chalet. Pilates on the terrace watching the sunset was a dream. The food and service was immaculate."

Toby & Caitlin

"Our stay has been like a dream."

Felipe

"Total perfection. World class."

"Best food in town." ^

 

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