Méribel

Méribel sits in the middle valley of the Trois Vallées at 1,450 metres, with lifts running to 2,952 metres and, beyond them, the largest linked ski area in the world: Courchevel one way, Val Thorens the other, all on one pass. The resort was built to a rule that everything should be timber, stone and pitched roofs, and it still looks like it. The village is quieter than its neighbours, which is why families come back to it year after year. Koja d'Or has two chalets here, each with its own reason to be chosen: Chalet Valentine, a seven-bedroom family chalet two minutes on foot from the Belvédère lift, and Chalet Alpaca in Méribel Village, 930 m² with an outdoor heated pool and an indoor climbing wall, sold at Gold.

Getting there and getting around

Geneva and Lyon are both a little over 100 km away, and the road up through the Tarentaise is one of the easier approaches in the Alps. For private aircraft, Courchevel Altiport is a short drive and Chambéry is close. Tell us your flight and we will arrange the rest.

Chalet Valentine is a two-minute walk, 200 metres, from the Belvédère lift, and four minutes by car from the centre of Méribel. Chalet Alpaca sits in Méribel Village, four minutes by car from L'Olympe and three from the village centre, with a driver on duty from eight in the morning until one at night, so the lift is wherever you want it to be. At Valentine the driver joins from Famille upwards; at Essential and Concierge, the walk to Belvédère is two minutes with skis on your shoulder.

How a stay works

Chalet Valentine is one of the few homes we offer at every level from Essential to Gold, so the same chalet can be a self-run family base one year and a fully staffed house the next. At Essential, the house is kept for you: housekeeping every day, lift passes delivered and skis fitted in the boot room, champagne on arrival and our concierge a call away for tables and guides. Concierge adds a chalet manager who runs the house and the resort around you. Famille brings the long table: a private chef for breakfast every morning and five dinners served family-style, and a driver at the start and end of the ski day. Silver is the staffed chalet in a quieter key: the chef at breakfast, afternoon tea and six dinners, hosts at the table, turn-down in the evening and a driver from eight until one. Gold is the whole house in your service: a butler leading hosts present from seven in the morning until one at night, menus designed around the party, flowers in every bedroom, laundry and linen looked after, and a chauffeur on call.

Chalet Alpaca is Gold, and only Gold: the house was built for a full team, with its own staff quarters, a garage for three cars and a dining table for twelve, and it runs best with one. Food and wine are bought for you and billed at cost at both chalets. Valentine's week runs Saturday to Saturday, Alpaca's Sunday to Sunday. The full grid is on the Services page.

Which Méribel chalet suits twelve adults?

Chalet Valentine, which takes twelve adults and two children across seven bedrooms and six bathrooms on 420 m² over five floors, with a lift serving four of them. One bedroom pairs with an adjoining children's bunk room and a shared en-suite to form a family suite. Dining seats ten, with a home cinema, a massage room and a games room below. Chalet Alpaca takes ten adults and two children.

Which of your Méribel chalets has a swimming pool?

Chalet Alpaca has an outdoor heated pool with a copper hot tub set into the decking, and a spa inside with hammam, steam room, sauna and massage room, plus a gym and an indoor climbing wall. Chalet Valentine's wellness is on the terrace: a Swedish-style barrel sauna, a plunge pool and a hot tub in the open air, with a massage room and an individual steam room inside.

Can I book a self-catered chalet in Méribel?

Yes, at Chalet Valentine under Essential: the keys, daily housekeeping, lift passes delivered, skis fitted in the chalet and a concierge by phone. Chalet Alpaca is sold at Gold, with a private chef, a butler and a host team present from seven in the morning until one at night, and a driver on full hours.

Which chalet is better for a family with young children?

Both were built for it. Chalet Alpaca has a children's bunk room with its own bathroom and an en-suite twin or double beside it, so parents and children share one private wing, with an indoor climbing wall below for the afternoons the slopes are closed. Chalet Valentine has a similar family suite, a bunk room adjoining a twin or double bedroom with a shared en-suite, and a games room with table football and a fire pit on the terrace for toasted marshmallows. Both chalets take two children alongside the adults.

Do the chalets change over on a Saturday or a Sunday?

Chalet Valentine runs Saturday to Saturday. Chalet Alpaca runs Sunday to Sunday. Both take a minimum of seven nights. If your flights only work on one of those days, tell us and we will start from there.

Tell us the dates, who is travelling and how you like to be looked after, and we will reply with the home that fits: get in touch.