Domaine de L'Orme

To The Manor Born

Peacefully set on a hillside dotted by pine trees just outside Méribel, Domaine de l’Orme is a refined kind of chalet. Aesthetically pure chocolate box, pleasingly proportioned with weathered timber and a deeply pitched roof, its quaintness belies an interior with more than a touch of class. Traditional chalet does not have to mean dark rooms and rusticity. Domaine de I’Orme has been designed so that paned windows flood elegant rooms with alpine light. It takes luxury seriously but with a subtle approach that never forgets its mountainous surroundings.

Inside, the focus is the spacious, double height living room. Wood clad and yet bright, with eaves that soar like a lofty mountain to incorporate an attractive mezzanine, its style could be described as sophisticated alpine with a hint of classic. A log fire blazes in a fireplace that combines a traditional stone surround with a contemporary feel. The chandelier transports you to a forest and a rustle of leaves as a deer makes an escape through the trees. Then plush sofas, well populated bookshelves and framed artwork hint at English country house. The space flows into a dining area that is resolutely alpine chalet, with a long wooden table seating up to fourteen guests like a mountain restaurant full of good cheer as the snow falls outside. You might be dining on exquisite dishes created by your private chef, beautifully served by well-trained staff, yet that ski holiday ambiance, its enthusiasm and its laughter, can only prevail in such surroundings.

You can also find some calm. There are civilised reading rooms, a cinema room and a separate TV nook on the mezzanine. Or turn up the exuberance again with a table-football tournament.

All six bedrooms have plenty of space. The master, on the top floor, is truly a master, with glorious views across the valley from its balcony and its own wood-burning stove. While decorated in restful hues, it has touches of flamboyance in the bathroom where a roll-topped bathtub has stepped straight out of a fairy tale. None of the five bedrooms and bathrooms could be described as small, including the bunkroom that accommodates up to four children.

Then there is the spa. It is a gently glamourous space; you could be in a lovely boutique hotel except that you have it all to yourself. A pool where you can swim with views to an alpine meadow. A hammam. A glazed door to the garden. Venture outside to the cold that makes your skin tingle then sink into the soothing water of a sunken hot tub so thoughtfully designed that it blends discretely into the pine-scented environment. It is a secluded haven that sums up Domaine de l’Orme. You are in the Alps, you need a proper chalet, but it should have grace and culture and a whisper of indulgence.

Note – there is a small staff apartment on the lowest level of the chalet for the use of the operator’s staff.