Chalet Freya Chamonix

Argentière Magic

A white polar stands brooding by the pool. You know you are in an exceptional sort of chalet.

Now, we hesitate to use the word “exceptional” when talking about the chalets in our portfolio. So many are spectacular that the word “exceptional” becomes redundant. But we shall make an exception (sorry!). Chalet Freya is exceptional. How?

The location isn’t some high-end, bustling mega-resort. Argentière has a magnetic pull for serious skiers and for those who want something more pared back, more essentially alpine, than glitz. Sparkling new and yet traditionally built, the chalet occupies a tranquil position on its own large plot adjoining the forest. It face south and the view to the Mont Blanc Massif is unobstructed. That sense of magnificence, of awe, incited by high peaks and the drama of their stories, is unimpeded. From the door of the chalet, it is a short walk to a local beginners’ run and cross-country (ski de fond) trail and ten minutes (on foot) to access the Grand Montets ski lift.

So, Chalet Freya lives and breathes its mountain environment. But it is also luxurious. It is enthusiastically contemporary and artfully sophisticated. The brushed timber cladding, the polished glass and steel staircase and the pleasingly designed pieces of furniture, create an ambiance that has understated confidence and elegant poise. At the same time, the architecture inside and out maintains the connection with the environment, the white alpine light enters, the forest is close, the summits dominate.

The main living space on the first floor lavishly spreads out all open plan warmed by a striking modern wood burner with a semi-partitioned reading corner. The kitchen, Italian matte black and wood merging smartly with the rest of the space, adjoins the dining area, with its large table and plush chairs that know their destiny – delightfully fine dining that will replenish the weariest mountain adventurers, exquisitely served. A separate TV/movie room is another of those features that comes on the luxury chalet menu, and here it is a bright sitting room rather than a dark cavern.

Upstairs, under high-ceilinged eaves, there is a large master suite and a twin bedroom, each with its own bathroom, space for a family to claim some privacy if they so wish. On the ground floor, three further double bedrooms each have an ensuite shower room, lots of space for wardrobes and desks, and access into the garden. Down here is also where you find the spa, home to that polar bear who has lost its way. It is too warm and humid for ice in this steamy environment, but he looks happy enough to watch you visit to enjoy a post-ski day frolic in the water or relax in the heat. The pool is 10m long pool with a current feature to provide for a proper swim. The adjacent sauna is glamorously made of glass.

Chalet Freya demonstrates that luxury can be found beyond the flashier resorts. A great find, when access to what is, arguably, some of Europe’s best off piste, is on your doorstep. And the local village has retained a traditional charm lacking from so many others. All in all, pretty exceptional.