Luxury Ski Chalet Holidays in Val d'Isere

Located in the French Alps, near the Italian border, Val d’Isere is widely acclaimed to be one of the best ski resorts in the world, with one of the best snow records in Europe, thanks to its high altitude and local micro-climate. Situated in the vast Espace Killy, the ski area offers 300km of runs shared with neighbouring Tignes.

Most famous for its steep slopes, off-piste and lively apres ski scene; this charming village is also easy to get around and has plenty of activities for non-skiers and family groups. Part of Val d’Isère’s appeal is that despite its cosmopolitan atmosphere, it is has a lovely peaceful town centre and wonderful nursery slope area, perfect for watching young children learn to ski.

Val d’Isère spreads along the valley floor for about 10km with lifts rising up from the heart of the resort as well as the satellite villages and hamlets on either side of La Daille and La Fornet. Up above the ski areas interconnect and down at village level too, huge investments over the past 20 years have led to great improvements and inter-connectivity between the mountain bases, with more upgrades currently underway. 

The village is absolutely charming and is centred around a traditional Tarentaise church that sits proudly in the heart of the village ‘Old town’. The chalets and hotels have grown up around the church and the flat main high street that runs all the way from the entrance of La Daille along to the peaceful La Fornet hamlet at the other end of the valley. Sympathetically designed in local materials the growing number of luxury chalets around Val d’Isere village are all highly sought after due to their proximity to both the slopes, a wonderful range of shops and lively village centre. 

Val d’Isère has a strong ski racing heritage and is included as one of the major stops on the World Cup circuit each December, along with many other fantastic events throughout the year including the famous New Years Eve Fireworks party.

If you’d like to know more about the incredible resort of Val d’Isere and what events are going on, you can always take a look at the website Val d’Isere Tourism they have lots of useful tips and information about the resort.

One of the big draws of Val d’Isère is its famous nightlife. It’s one of the very few resorts where its best known après ski venues are known independently of the resort.

No trip to Val d’Isere is complete without a trip to La Folie Douce, the ultimate après ski experience and now a world-renowned brand. This spectacular après ski venue serves up a daily on-mountain cabaret show and pumping Dj until the lifts close, what’s more, those with weary legs can simply hop in the cable car down to La Daille instead of skiing down.

In town, just at the base of the Solaise lift, Cocoricos offers legendary après ski sessions with a huge outside bar area and terrace.  We also recommend trying out the brand new Saloon Bar, housed in what used to be Cafe Face. Saloon Bar features two sleek, fast-flowing bars with a host of international DJ’s playing every day.

After dark La Baraque offers live music and a fantastic selection of local wine. Victors is also a must-try and is popular with locals and ski instructors who all enjoy the lively atmosphere, good food and good music, not to mention the famous cocktails, and daily 2-4-1 Happy Hours.

Those looking to stay out and dance into the small hours must visit Dick’s Tea Bar (+33 6 51 39 99 81; www.dicksteabar.com), a resort stalwart for four decades and where The Club opens from 1.30am – 5am.  A huge highlight is the Doudoune Club, which hosts the biggest and best club nights in Val d’Isere. Located under the nursery slopes it can be tricky to find. It has also hosted household names such as David Guetta, Pete Tong and Roger Sanchez and boasts the best sound system in the Alps.

There are, however, lots of other options of course, from loud and lively pubs to suave and sophisticated cocktail lounge bars and you can expect a wide range of live acts from the latest, greatest DJs to outrageous cabaret performances. Once the lifts close for the evening Val d’Isère has it all.