New VIP SKI Chalets in Courchevel 1850
Specialist ski company VIP SKI makes its first foray into Courchevel 1850 in France, the favourite Alpine hangout of the sophisticated ski set. VIP SKI is known for chalets in its discerning portfolio and has added Chalet Founets Amont and Chalet Founets Aval in Courchevel 1850.
A high-end resort at the centre of some of the most fabulous skiing on the planet, Courchevel comprises four villages at different altitudes and the main one, at 1850 metres, is home to chic chalets, Michelin-starred restaurants and designer shops.
Courchevel offers a combination of vibrant glitz, discreet sophistication and affluent rusticity and has fabulously varied and extensive skiing for all levels. Splendid skiing is Courchevel’s signature, with slopes that can be wonderfully uncrowded even when the resort is busy as many clients head to the spas. A huge network of lifts and pistes radiates from 1850, all connecting easily to the rest of the Three Valleys resorts of Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens to make fantastic days out on skis possible in the largest linked ski area in the world catering for beginners to experts skiers.
VIP SKI is known for its reliable high standards and the two new bijou chalets are no different. Family owned chalets Chalet Founets Amont and Chalet Founets Aval belong to brother and sister duo Francois and Anne whose parents built one of the first chalets in Courchevel back in the 1950’s when it was just a parish with a church. The view back then was as far as the eye could see and these days it is not much different due to the perched position above 1850. The two families have lovingly looked after their homes for over 60 years.
Chalet Founets Amont: Chalet Founets Amont was conceived, built and is still owned by a Parisian architect who was behind most of the properties in the exclusive Bellecote area of Courchevel, second home to the global elite. The house is littered with artefacts, exposed beams and traditional Savoyard character but also with a welcome dose of light and space. The property accommodates 10 guests with five bedrooms in the chalet and along with the perfect location. The chalet is Savoyard in character, cosy, atmospheric and spacious. The fabulous galleried living area boasts a sensational fireplace with huge windows and a terrace that provides a spectacular vista of Le Signal and the surrounding mountain peaks. The slopes are a stone’s throw away in the most sought after area of Courchevel 1850, just beside the green Bellecote Piste, which runs gently down to La Croisette. Put on skis a few steps from the chalet and ski down to La Croisette, where the main lifts and ski school are located, in minutes. There’s another treat in store – an ingenious sauna that can turn itself into a steam room offers a touch of indulgence and relief for aching limbs.
Chalet Founets Aval holds similar features, due to being part of the same building. It is however the smaller sister of Chalet Founets Amont with four bedrooms catering for eight guests. Built in mellow wood and unmistakeably Savoyard-style with a touch of Alpine chintz, it has a quaint ambience that makes guests feel they are in the lap of luxury. From the abundance of wooden beams and beautiful log fire in the open plan living and dining room with views from heaven, the chalet oozes warmth and character.
Together these two new chalets are “ruthlessly engineered for the skier” with an ideal position close to the slope. For families VIP SKI will take care of every last detail, from VIP chalet catering and daily cleaning, to ski tuition and childcare.
Specialist ski company VIP SKI is opening the chalets for December 2016.
Sample package: VIP SKI (0208 875 1957; www.vip-chalets.com) Prices for the season start at £1159 per person based on two sharing at Chalet Founets Amont. Prices include return flights from London Gatwick, coach transfers, accommodation, catered chalet board of cooked breakfast, afternoon tea, three course evening meal on six nights followed by cheese board and coffee and mints, house wine, champagne and canapés on arrival, wake up drinks and complimentary toiletries. Guests can also choose to book; valet parking, private transfers and childcare. Discounts of £100 per person are available as an early booking incentive on selected ‘saver’ weeks through the season.
