Luxury Chalet related blog posts…

“If I had to describe Meribel in three words I’d pick beautiful, energetic and traditional. A contradiction in terms perhaps, but the old French buildings hum with energy throughout the season. On a bluebird day I used to love catching first lifts to the top of Saulire and skiing down Creux, a long blue run which winds its way over to the Courchevel valley. Whilst you’re round there the hammocks by the Altiport are a lovely spot to stop and soak up some sunshine, before hopping back over to Meribel and ending the day with apres in Ronnie’s.”

Teacher's pet

Libby is new to the VIP SKI family but brings a wealth of experience to the sales team, having gained a BASI level 2 qualification in Val d’Isere. We’ve already booked her instructing services for our end-of-season staff trip and can’t wait to be pulled up on the bad habits we’ve all picked up over the years.

“My season in Val d’Isere was a blast from start to finish. After a long day of training we’d all pile in to Blue Note, a seasonaire bar which has to be the best kept-secret in Val d’Isere. If you go between 5pm and 6pm they lay on free dips and nibbles which you can enjoy alongside a beer pêche. The hill above the Folie Douce was another favourite spot for a picnic and hours of hilarity watching the madness which would ensue from 2pm every afternoon.”

Three's a crowd

With girls now outnumbering the boys in the office 7:3 we’re lucky that Andy Sorenti has also rejoined us, fresh from a summer season in Morzine. If you’re looking for a summer chalet holiday then call Andy for the low-down on mountain biking, parapenting, hiking, road cycling, swimming…he really did cram everything in to the summer and needs a few months behind a desk to recover!

Between the team we’ve been to every resort, stayed in every chalet and can confidently steer you towards the best option for your holiday. We love nothing more than a good chat about all things skiing.

Libby, Andy, Katie, Lou, Lottie & Jonnie are ready and waiting to pick up your calls on 0208 875 1957. 

Joachim, also known as Joe, started his career as a chef 10 years ago. Since then, he has worked in a range of restaurants, including a prestigious Michelin star establishment. His love of food and determination to provide outstanding hospitality lead him to direct a successful business offering high-end catering for weddings, corporate functions, festivals and events. We were thrilled when he accepted the job with us in St Anton this winter.

Our chalet host cookery course

Joe is delighted to be a part of the training team this summer and will be leading our Chalet Host cookery courses on 23 & 30 June. The course covers all aspects of life as a chalet host, in a real chalet environment.

The course is delivered in the Alpine resort of Morzine. Based in one of our luxury chalets (with a hot tub!) it provides the perfect learning environment; you’ll be cooking in a chalet kitchen, at altitude, and with similar hours to that expected of you in a chalet host role.

Guaranteed interview

All participants of the course will be offered the opportunity to interview for a chalet host role with us for the 2018/19 winter season.

How much?

Alongside Joe, the course is delivered by experienced chalet hosts offering you their knowledge and guidance in a relaxed environment and with a maximum of 8 participants in any one session. It is designed to encourage you to interact, ask lots of questions and learn, not just about cooking but also life in general as a chalet host. 

£645 per person in a shared twin room

£745 for single occupancy of a double room

Please note that flights are NOT included. We will be providing a return transfer service so do ask about this upon booking.

Book now

Places are limited so do get in touch if you have any questions regarding the course. Call our team on 0208 875 1957 or email ski@vip-chalets.com

Click here to read more about what’s included and to read the full course details.

Eden Blanc

Boasting an incredible ski-in ski-out location at the top of the village, right beside our other Alpe d’Huez chalets, the Eden Blanc property has been built to replace the previous well known Beau Soleil hotel.

We have snapped up two fabulous chalet apartments in this brand new property, Eden East and Eden West. Our interior designers are yet to complete the fixtures and fittings, so our photos are computer generated but rest assured, our CGI guys know exactly how we build and furnish and everything you see is to exact scale.

Sleeping four guests in two en suite rooms, we’re certain Eden East will be a popular choice for families and couples choosing to ski in Alpe d’Huez. The position is sensational, piste and lifts right outside the building, and only 100m from the shops, bars and restaurants. There are flat screen TVs in each bedroom as well as WiFi and an open fire.

Eden West is the bigger sister of Eden East, sleeping 6-8 guests with three en suite bedrooms, one of which has additional bunk beds, providing an ideal space for two families or a group of friends. There is private lift access and stunning views of piste and mountain from the living room and bedroom balconies. The chalet is comfortably and elegantly furnished with a spacious open plan living area, warm your toes in front of the open fire or curl up on the squashy sofas.

Huge plans for the future of Alpe d’Huez

Let’s not forget that there are huge plans on the horizon for this fabulous resort. 350 million Euros of investment has been confirmed to upgrade Alpe d’Huez in the coming years which includes linking the resort with Les Deux Alpes by 2021.

The gondola ride will take less than 20 minutes, and will open up the ski areas to a total of 475km making it comparable to the well-known Tignes and Val d’Isere or the Paradiski area.

Special launch offer

We’ve already seen significant interest in these fabulous new properties so don’t delay! If you book before the end of May, you can save £50pp. 

Call our team on 0208 875 1957 or email ski@vip-chalets.com.

The nickname “Janpril” has surfaced amongst Val d’Isere locals, with cold temperatures and plenty of fresh snow. It looks like these wintery conditions are set to stay for a while. See it for yourself from £799pp from 15 April.

Taken from our webcam this morning, the conditions in Alpe d’Huez can only be described as spectacular. Wall to wall sunshine with powdery pistes, what’s not to love? We’ve got availability in our Chalet La Chapelle from 15^th April from £769pp

Reaching up to 3250m it’s easy to see why the Paradiski area is reporting 18cm of fresh snowfall and more to come in the next few days. We have rooms available in our La Plagne chalets next week, 15 April, from £700pp.

Mixed conditions have left our Meribel & Courchevel guests baffled, with blue skies in the morning turning to snow by the afternoon. Head out there this Sunday with 7 night holidays from £799 pp and short breaks in Meribel from £100pppn until 15 April.

Fabulous views from another of our resort webcams – this time Les Gets! Conditions in the Portes du Soleil region have been so great that they’ve extended their season by another week. Snap up a last minute special offer and ski next week from £799pp.

Courtesy of Lech Zuers, this aerial shot gives us a taster of the stunning conditions. Practically empty pistes, clear blue skies and great quality snow is keeping our guests more than satisfied. Last chance to ski in Lech & St Anton, Sunday 8 April holidays from just £700pp.