Picture Perfect
You kick out against the current, gliding towards the white mountainside, the views out across the Vanoise National Park completely uninterrupted spread out before you like a vast canvas at a private viewing. The current in your private out-door swim spa is pulling at you once more and you kick with renewed vigour, not letting that view slip away from you for even a second.
Nowhere else could a swim session been accompanied by such fantastic scenes; a winter wonderland surrounds you at Chalet Le Chardon and the contrast between the warm spa water and the cold mountain air is refreshing and invigorating. Having expended sufficient energy to justify a glass of champagne you retreat to one of the outdoor hot tubs to enjoy it and admire the view from a different angle. Chalet Le Chardon feels on the very edge of civilization, perched at the end of a small road and gazing out across the Manchet valley, nothing at all between you and nature.
In this blissful environment it feels as though time could stretch out before you never ending; you can glide from delicious breakfast feasts to romantic lunches on the mountainside and then back to the spa again (via a bar or two) before on to drinks around your private ice-bar and decadent dinners. Just with the assistance of your skis and perhaps the occasional lift from your chalet chauffeur.
These are the pleasures a luxury ski holiday is made of, and Chalet Chardon is the ultimate setting in which to enact your own dream vacation. The epitome of the classic Alpine ski lodge, Le Chardon is sympathetic to her environment constructed of local wood and stone, inside adorned with wooden Savoyard designs and nods to the area’s farming past. There is just a touch of Scotland here too in the cosy sofas upholstered in gorgeous blue/green tartans, inviting you to sink into them before the roaring log fire and curl up with a good book.
Le Chardon has that rare quality of intimacy often lacking in such a vast property; split-levels help to create this feeling of smaller, warm spaces. You can spread out across two sitting rooms, both with fires and stunning views from the floor to ceiling windows. A separate study is perfect for quiet moments, and if work really can’t be left entirely behind then this area is ideal for a quick scan of the emails.
A separate TV snug ensures that there really is room for everyone to kick back and relax in whatever fashion suits without intruding on each other’s moment. Then there’s the little stone grotto, twinkling mosaic tiles and playful LED lights, housing the Sauna.
In this exceptional position on the edge of the Manchet valley you ski from the door, boots toasty warm from the heaters in your private ski room and you feel every inch the VIP, wasting not a single second. The wonderful team of staff ensure that you are just so, taking care of your every need, often before you realised you were wanting for anything at all. The sign of true professionalism you think, as you take a sip of the fresh fruit smoothie the chef has just prepared especially for you. What a way to start the day.
Your gourmet chef will ensure the day ends on a high too, with mouth-watering canapés and champagne before the fire, and an extravagant 4-course dinner to follow. You marvel at how he handles the special dietary requests of all 20 guests so expertly to produce such perfect creations.
This care and attention to detail is matched by the whole team who are attentive and unobtrusive, but arrange everything from relaxing massages and tables at the best mountain restaurants, to that wonderful evening dining al fresco under the stars, warmed by the log furnaces. You’d have to go a long way to top this.
