Main Solaise and Bellevarde ski lifts a 30-second glide away
This is a beautiful, brand new seven-bedroom chalet in a perfect position, just seconds from the pistes.
Chalet Lucaval already exists, but over summer 2019 it has been entirely rebuilt. Almost nothing remains of the old chalet, which was already very comfortable. The new chalet is bigger and smarter. The people doing the work are the company responsible for most of Val d’Isère’s high-end developments in recent years, such as our chalets Ptarmigan, Perdrix and Pic Noir, and it is very special indeed.
All that hasn’t changed is its position. Part of the very exclusive La Légettaz area above the Club Med, Lucaval is precisely 20 seconds’ walk from the edge of the skiing (we timed it). At the start of the day you make the easy glide across the M piste to the Solaise or Olympique bubbles, the Rogoney charlift or the Légettaz poma, or our favourite, the Bellevarde Express chair. And at the end of the day, you ski from Solaise to 50m from the chalet. If it doesn’t suit you to finish up on Solaise, the Rogoney chair is always the last lift to close, making it possible to traverse home from every direction, the free Train Bleu bus stops just by the chalet, and from 17.30 until 20.00 our own Land Rover shuttle runs from the Tourist Office to the door.
For après-skiers, Lucaval is six minutes’ walk from the very smart Étincelle restaurant, or ten from the slightly less smart Cocorico après-ski club. (We never trust these “just a few seconds…” sales pitches, but it certainly won’t take you longer. It was paced out by a pensioner in heavy snowboots. OK, he wasn’t pushing a double buggy through a foot of powder with a leg in plaster, but he’s not Usain Bolt either…)
Lucaval has five gorgeous bedrooms in the main part of the chalet, each with its own bath or shower and wc. Bedroom 4 and 5 each have an extra single child’s bed.
Bedrooms 6 and 7 are in an annexe attached to the back of the main building. Bedroom 6 has a double bed, bedroom 7 a single, and these rooms can accommodate a maximum of two people using the rooms either as two singles, or one double room (when used as a double, the single room is then just a good place to stash your suitcases for the week). The annexe has its own separate entrance a short walk around the chalet from the main door.
The photos above are obviously not of this exact chalet, since it is being rebuilt as we write, but show very similar rooms created by the same excellent interior designer. The exterior photos are rather beautiful computer-generated mock-ups of the new chalet in its actual location. We’ll replace all these photographs with the real thing as we get them, but beware: if you wait until you can see the chalet before you book it, you’ll probably miss it. Chalet Lucaval is selling like little loaves, as the French say.
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’.
7 bedrooms for 12-14 guests
1 bath, 5 showers
Bedrooms in order of preference (in our opinion)
Bedroom 1
Twin/double (14’9″ x 9’6″) on ground floor. Shower and separate wc.
Bedroom 2
Twin/double (13’10” x 9’6″) on ground floor with shower and separate wc.
Bedroom 3
Twin/double (14′ x 9’4″) on ground floor with shower and separate wc.
Bedroom 4
Double (20′ x 10′ in the widest part of the room) L-shaped room on ground floor with a double bed and an extra single bed suitable only for a child. Large bathroom with bath and separate wc.
Bedroom 5
Twin/double (16′ x 9’10”) on ground floor with an extra single bed suitable only for a child. Shower and wc.
Bedrooms 6 and 7
These rooms are in the first floor annexe (with separate outside entrance). Bedroom 6 is a double (10’6″ x 9′) and Bedroom 7 is a single (13′ x 8’6″), and they share a shower and wc. Together they can be used by a maximum of two people – ie. as two singles or one double (room 6 with room 7 empty).
Sitting/Dining Room
(21′ x 28′ excluding open-plan kitchen) on first floor. Huge picture windows onto west-facing balcony. Log fire. WiFi.
Extra Beds
Extra beds are available when one party books the whole chalet. There is a single bed in each of Bedrooms 4 and 5 suitable for one or two children. On certain dates we may not be able to provide a flight for an extra bed.
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 99cm
Snow Forecast: 95cm expected this week
Snow History: March average depth 163.5cm
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 Lucaval.
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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