Le Vieux Crêt has probably become Val d’Isère’s most des res chalet for eight to ten guests.
The chalet hasn’t changed. It is still one of Val d’Isère’s only genuinely old buildings, being part of the 1620s farmhouse that also contains our Maison du Rocher. Its walls are as thick as ever, its granite roof as heavy, though you probably won’t see that under a metre or so of snow.
The huge, high-ceilinged sitting room is still wonderfully comfortable, with its log fire, multi-channel surround-sound satellite TV, DVDs, Wifi etc. There is a separate dining room, and a mezzanine where ninth and tenth guests can stay half-price.
The four bedrooms are small but smart, with good cupboards and lots of lighting. Two are doubles and two are twins which can be made into doubles (please specify which you’d prefer when booking).
Bedroom 4 is on the ground floor, as are the staff bedroom and a sauna. Mercifully few of our guests use the sauna properly, rolling naked in the deep snow of our private garden, whipping each other with birch twigs, but quite a few find it a pleasant remedy for post-dramatic-stretch-disorder.
Le Vieux Crêt is in a brilliant position, in that collection of lovely wood-and-stone chalets just on the left as one reaches Val d’Isère proper from La Daille. The hamlet is called le Crêt – the Ridge – and is considered the Boltons of Val d’Isère (not to be confused with the Bolton). Le Vieux Crêt is at the sunny front, and although its garden wall overhangs the road 50m away and 10m below, there is seldom a sound. There is a steepish little path to the road, with bus stops to the Funival and village centre a further 100m or so. If you chose to walk, either would take ten minutes.
But it seems that to twenty-first century Vieux Crêt guests public transport is unpalatable, walking unthinkable and a snowy path non-negotiable! So we have a private Land Rover to ferry guests from this chalet as well as La Maison du Rocher and La Croix next door to and from any point they choose in Val d’Isère from 08.30 to 10.00, and 15.30 to 17.30. The loveliest old chalet in Val d’Isère is just a few paces from all of its lifts…
(Please note that the use of the sauna in Le Vieux Crêt is at your own risk and that of your party members. We cannot accept responsibility for any accidents/injuries that occur during the use of the sauna. Children must be supervised when using the sauna.)
We are extremely well-suited to families. Some of our chalets are large, some small. Some are very smart, some very good value. And some have Extra Beds for children.
Chalets are more relaxing for families than hotels, where parents are constantly worried that their brood will upset fellow guests, or self-catering apartments, where most of someone’s holiday will be spent shopping, cooking and clearing up.
And, perhaps surprisingly, Val d’Isère is the ideal family ski resort. It has good snow, short queues, wide nursery slopes with free lifts, and extensive new beginner runs higher up the mountain at the top of Solaise. (Beginners do, however, need a ski pass to access these higher nursery slopes) The flat village, free and frequent buses, very good ski schools, English-speaking instructors, and lots of British youngsters also help hugely. Where to Ski and Snowboard magazine describes the nursery slopes as ‘95% perfect’.
4 bedrooms for 8-10 guests
3 baths, 2 showers
Bedrooms in order of preference (in our opinion)
Bedroom 1
Double (10′ x 11′) on first floor. Bathroom with wc.
Bedroom 2
Twin/double (9′ x 9′) on first floor. Bathroom with wc.
Bedroom 3
Twin/double (13′ x 8′) on first floor. Bathroom with wc.
Bedroom 4
Double (11′ x 8’6″) on ground floor with a new large, bright shower room with rain-head and hand-held shower. Separate wc.
Sitting Room
(20′ x 20′) On the top floor. Enormous, high-ceilinged room. Fireplace, DVD, satellite TV (all major channels), fridge for your hooch. Mezzanine with two pull-out beds. Large south-facing balcony. WiFi.
Dining Room
(12′ x 12’6″) Next to sitting room. Open-plan kitchen not included in measurements.
Extra Beds
Mezzanine (13′ x 13′) with twin sofa beds (extra wc and basin between sitting and dining rooms). The cost for these extra beds is half the quoted Vieux Crêt price (not including any transport) or 85% of the quoted price if a flight and transfer are required. On certain dates we may not be able to provide a flight for an extra bed. Extra beds can only be used when one party books the whole chalet. Please note that there are minimum charges applicable – click here for more information
Sauna
On ground floor with further shower.
We start with a proper breakfast. Fruit juice, porridge, cereals from Rude Health, bacon, eggs, baguettes straight from the famous local bakery, yoghurt, tea and fresh coffee from Nespresso machines (with instant or infusions for those who prefer them). On one morning breakfast will be self-service with fresh croissants and pains au chocolat delivered to your chalet.
You return from the slopes to find bread and jam, a freshly-baked cake (except on staff days off), tea and coffee left out for you. If you would like hot chocolate, please inform your chalet staff (and tell them how you like it!).
Dinner is where we pull out all the stops on five nights of your holiday. Our policy on food is straightforward. We start with the best cuts of meat and the best fresh fruit and vegetables, not really counting the cost. Everything we need is available in Val d’Isère. Most people are very happy with our normal formula of canapés followed by a three-course, fixed-menu, dinner-party-style meal. The cuisine is largely French, though with a fusion of other influences.
A small proportion of our guests wishes to eat different food from the rest of their party. If you request a different diet, we will be able to offer one alternative meal so that the normal meal or this alternative will be suitable for vegetarians, vegans, dairy free, no red meat or no onions/no garlic.
Or you could tailor-make a menu for your party for the week and ask us to cook, say, two fish meals, one chicken, one red meat (when vegetarians can simply not have the meat) and one vegetarian meal – or whatever combination suits your group. This way everyone enjoys the same meals all together and, dare we say it, eats a little more healthily.
If a diet is more complicated than those mentioned above, we may have to make a charge for special ingredients but we will let you know in advance. If you want us to buy in special non-dairy milks and yoghurts there will be a charge in the resort, much the same way as the alternative wines mentioned below.
There are some diets we cannot cater for. We regret that we do not have the separate fridges, etc., required for Kosher diets, we do not have access to Halal meats, and we cannot guarantee that our chalets will be nut-free.
With dinner, we serve free unlimited quantities of a selection of very drinkable French AOC wine and vin de pays. This is, unfortunately, only with dinner, not breakfast, and we stop serving the wine when the coffee appears.
We also have a wine list from which you can buy everything from slightly smarter wine to Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild or d’Yquem. We sell these wines at less than they cost because you are not drinking the house wine.
Damage deposit for all bookings
•½ of Espace Killy •Fantastic après •Traditional chocolate box village •Skiable glacier
Ski never-ending pistes and powder, ogle at colossal peaks and cosy Savoie architecture, then end the day with some of the world's most wild and wonderful après ski. Val d'Isere is considered by many to be the best ski resort on earth, and we’re inclined to agree.
Great for •Families •Groups •Non skiers •Catered Chalets
Snow Report: Top 375cm, Bottom N/Acm
Snow Forecast: 80cm expected this week
Snow History: December average depth 80.17cm
Approx. airport transfer times depend on conditions:
Chambéry (CMF) | 145km, 1h45 |
Geneva (GVA) | 180km, 2h40 |
Grenoble (GNB) | 210km 2h50 |
Region: | France, Alps. |
First opened: | 1934 |
Val d'Isere lift pass price last reported as €294 (adult 6 day). Ask for a quote when booking Chalet Le Vieux Crêt.
Night skiing: Yes, every Thursday
Val d'Isere has NSEW facing slopes.
Usually open for skiing October - May.
Town altitude: | 1850m |
Top of slopes: | 3300m |
Bottom of piste: | 1550m |
Vertical drop: | 1900m |
Total length of trails: | 300km |
Longest piste: | 10km (Tignes) |
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