Chalet La Maison du Rocher, Val d'Isere, France

The Maison du Rocher is part of a lovely stone farmhouse in that little enclave of stone chalets on the left as you reach Val d’Isère proper from La Daille. This is the chalet you may have read about once in the Telegraph, in an article so enthusiastic people thought we must have written it ourselves.

Perfectly situated in a large garden just above the main road, the chalet is totally insulated from the sound of passing traffic or people, yet close to the bus and just one stop from the funicular or three from the village centre. Not that its guests count bus stops: our Land Rover shuttle takes them straight to the lifts in the morning, and brings them home in the afternoon.

The building dates back to the 1620s, so its walls are deep and solid, its roof of granite slabs and whole trees robust enough to support the weight of Val d’Isère’s heavy snowfall (and a satellite dish).

Fortunately, the five bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms don’t date back to the 1620s. They are all individual, but all warm, welcoming and very comfortable, well fitted-out with lights and cupboards. Two of them (4 and 5) are split-level single rooms, with the bathrooms below and the beds above, under the eaves.

Bedroom 3 has twin beds, which we can fit together to make into a 6ft double (please specify which you’d prefer when you book).

There is a separate dining room, where food is served which we defy any restaurant in Val d’Isère to match (the chef lives in the basement).

The vast sitting room is one of those rooms that feel right, perhaps because of the log fire, the bottomless hand-made British sofas (with duck-down cushions, so guests can spend hours wallowing in them, and chalet staff can spend hours plumping them back up again!) or just the stone walls and wood ceiling. And perhaps in spite of the home cinema system and all-channel satellite…

On the ground floor is a sauna. If you really want to do the thing properly, you can make the short sprint through the front door, roll in the snow in the garden, beat yourself with larch branches (beware – they’re spiky!) and sprint back into the sauna. But most guests seem just to chastise their bodies with a glass or two of bubbly.

The Land Rover is shared with the neighbours, Chalets Le Vieux Crêt and La Croix, and is available to ferry you to or from any point in Val d’Isère between 08.30 and 10.00, then from 15.30 to 17.30.

(Please note that the use of the sauna in Maison du Rocher 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’.

• Part of a beautifully refurbished 1620s farmhouse
• En-suite facilities throughout
• Some rooms give option of twin beds or six-foot doubles (please specify which you prefer when booking)
• Vast sitting room with log fire, satellite TV, DVD, surround sound
• WiFi
• Separate dining room
• Private sauna and shower
• Boot warmers, garden
• Silent, sunny position on edge of Val d’Isère village, ten minutes’ walk from centre or Funival
• Private Land Rover shuttle shared with next-door chalets Le Vieux Crêt and La Croix
• A chef and an assistant, one of whom lives in self-contained ground-floor studio

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.

5 bedrooms for 8-10 guests
5 baths, 1 shower

Bedrooms in order of preference (in our opinion)

Bedroom 1
Double (13′ x 10′) on second floor. Bathroom with wc.

Bedroom 2
Twin (12′ x 11′) on ground floor. Bathroom with wc.

Bedroom 3
Twin/double (10′ x 14′) on second floor. Bathroom with wc.

Bedroom 4
Single (9′ x 11′) on second floor, split-level (a further 3′ x 12′ beneath). Bathroom with wc. This room contains two beds, the second of which can be used when one party books the whole chalet. The beds can be made up as a twin or double.

Bedroom 5
Single (12′ x 11′) under eaves on second floor containing a double bed. Split-level (a further 7′ x 7′ beneath). Spectacular views in wall-to-wall mirrors!! Bathroom with wc. Two people can occupy this room when one party books the whole chalet.

Sitting Room
(20′ x 23′) On first floor. Fireplace, DVD, satellite TV (all major channels), fridge for your drinks. South-facing balcony. WiFi.

Dining Room
(13’6″ x 10′) Next to sitting room. The open-plan kitchen is not included in measurements.

Sauna
On ground floor with further shower.

Extra Beds
Rooms 4 and 5 have space for additional people. The cost for these extra beds is half the quoted Maison du Rocher 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

Please note that the use of the sauna in Maison du Rocher is at your own risk (and that of your party members). YSE cannot accept responsibility for any accidents/injuries that occur during the use of the sauna. Children must be supervised when using the sauna.

Damage deposit for all bookings.