Chalet Bonami, in Les Bois, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, has six bedrooms and sleeps up to fourteen. At twelve, at least two people sleep in the bunk room, which holds four; everyone else gets a king-size bedroom with its own bathroom.
- Twelve people in a 450 m² (4,800 sq ft) chalet in Les Bois, Chamonix: five king-size bedrooms, a four-bed bunk room, five en-suite bathrooms.
- Two to four people in the bunk room, the rest in bedrooms with their own bathroom. Of the four group sizes we cover, twelve is the only one where the bunk room can be used without being full.
- The most common layout for twelve in this valley is four double bedrooms plus a four-bed bunk room, so four people sleep in bunks. This one has five king-size bedrooms.
- The whole chalet costs €8,600 to €32,200 a week, including the tourist tax. A group of twelve pays what a group of eight pays.
- 550 m (600 yards) from the Flégère gondola, 3 km (2 miles) from town, parking for four cars. Three nights minimum, and you arrive on the day that suits you.
Twelve people at Chalet Bonami: five king-size bedrooms and a bunk room
A chalet advertised for twelve does not sleep twelve the same way from one house to the next, and in this valley the wording tells you where to look. Across the listings we went through in August 2026, several quote a range rather than a number: sleeps 10-12, sleeps 8-12. That range is the giveaway, and it means the last two or four places are in the bunk room.
Behind those numbers the layout is nearly always the same. Four double bedrooms plus a four-bed bunk room makes twelve, which is how most houses of this size get there: eight people in beds, four in bunks. Chalet Bonami has a fifth king-size bedroom, so the arithmetic starts from ten rather than eight.
In this house you sleep downstairs and live upstairs. The kitchen, sitting room and dining room are on the first floor, and only one bedroom shares that level with them.
| Bedroom | Level | Sleeping arrangement | En-suite bathroom | Stairs from the living areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master | First floor | 1 king-size, separate dressing room | Separate WC, shower, bath | None, same level |
| Bedroom 1 | Ground floor | 1 king-size, splits into twin beds | WC, shower | One flight |
| Bedroom 2 | Ground floor | 1 king-size | Separate WC, shower, bath | One flight |
| Bedroom 3 | Ground floor | 1 king-size | Separate WC, shower, bath | One flight |
| Bedroom 4 | Ground floor | 1 king-size, splits into twin beds | Separate WC, shower, bath | One flight |
| Bunk room | Lower ground floor | 2 bunk beds, sleeps 4 | None | Two flights |
| Total | 3 levels | Sleeps 14 | 5 en-suites |
Five bathrooms for six bedrooms: the bunk room is the one without. Each of the other five sits behind its own bedroom door, so two people share each of them when all five bedrooms are in use.
The two in the bunk room are not counted in that figure, and it is worth raising with us when you book. Every room is listed one by one on the chalet page.
Stairs matter in a three-generation trip, and the house has no lift. The Master is the only bedroom on the same level as the kitchen and the sitting room, so whoever sleeps there never faces a stair at mealtimes.
The four other king-size bedrooms are on the ground floor, level with the spa and its terrace, one flight below the living areas. The bunk room is one level lower again.
Two to four in the bunk room, and the group decides
Past ten, the bunk room is always in use, since the five king-size bedrooms hold no more than that. With twelve of you, nothing says you have to fill it. At fourteen it does fill, and four people sleep there whether they like it or not.
The number in the bunk room is somewhere between two and four, and you decide where. The make-up of the group usually makes the answer obvious.
| Your group of 12 | Who sleeps in the bunk room | King-size bedrooms in use | What stays free |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 adults and 2 children | The two children | 5 | Two beds in the bunk room |
| 12 adults | Two of you, whoever volunteers | 5 | Two beds in the bunk room |
| 8 adults and 4 children | The four children | 4 | A king-size bedroom, with its bathroom |
| 6 adults and 6 children | Four of the six; the other two share one of the twin-bed rooms | 4 | A king-size bedroom, with its bathroom |
These are the usual splits, not rules: two people in the bunk room is always enough, and the other ten fit into the five bedrooms.
The bunk room holds four, so at most one king-size bedroom is freed up, never two. That happens as soon as four people move downstairs, whether four children or four adults who volunteer, and the bedroom then stays empty all week with its own bathroom.
Bedrooms 1 and 4 split into twin beds. That does not change the number of places, which stays at two per room, but it saves two siblings or two friends from sharing a king-size bed. Tell us when you book and the beds are made up that way.
A group where nobody wants to share a bed should do the maths before booking. Three bedrooms have a king-size bed that does not split, two make up as twins, and the bunk room takes four singles. With every bed in the house open, that is eleven single sleeping places: at twelve, two of you share a king-size bed and ten sleep alone.
Other houses in the valley are built differently and some advertise twelve separate beds. Count them yourself on any listing rather than trusting the headline number.
None of this changes the price. The rate is for the whole house, however many of you there are and whichever bedrooms you actually use.
What the bunk room is actually like
The bunk room is a room in its own right on the lower ground floor: two bunk beds built into the old timber, each with its own ladder, and a reading corner with a bench-bookshelf, a beanbag and toys.
Two things to know before you put anyone down there: the room has no window to the outside, and it is the only one of the six bedrooms without its own bathroom.
When all five king-size bedrooms are in use, two of the four bunks are taken and two stay free. The two people sleeping there take a bottom bunk each, with no ladder to climb at night. If you would rather send four people down here and free up a bedroom, all four bunks get used, and two of them are top bunks.
We set no minimum age, here or anywhere else in the house. The bunk room suits anyone who can get down to the lower ground floor on their own in the evening, and it matters less at twelve than at fourteen, since you can put just two people there.
Bonami's tip: settle the bunk room before you travel, and remember it works both ways. Two people down there keeps all five bedrooms open. Four frees up an entire bedroom with its bathroom, and that is the room where the bags go, where a baby sleeps, or where you send whoever needs a door between themselves and the rest of the house.
Living with twelve: the table, the sitting room, the kitchen
Twelve is two more than the big table seats. It sounds like a small gap, and it decides how the group eats every evening of the week.
Indoors, the big table seats ten and the side table seats four. They push together into one, and that settles it: twelve people eat at the same table, under the beams.
Left apart, they sit a couple of steps from each other in the same room, with no wall between the sitting room and the dining room. Nobody eats on their own either way; pushed together, everyone is simply at one table.
The balcony has its own table, twelve places again, off the kitchen on the same level, with garden furniture and a fire pit alongside. It is sheltered but not heated: groups do eat out there in winter, and it is a decision for the evening rather than something to plan on when you book.
In the evening everyone sits down in the sitting room around the fireplace. Twelve is a squeeze, but nobody ends up standing or fetching a chair from the kitchen.
In the kitchen, what matters with twelve of you comes down to two numbers: two ovens and two fridges. Two dishes come out at once, and a week's shopping puts away without having to sort what fits. The island and its stools make a third place to eat, which is where breakfast happens when nobody comes down at the same time.
That does not mean you have to cook. You can book a private chef for one dinner, for the evenings you choose, or for the whole week on full board. If cooking for twelve is the part you would rather avoid altogether, our guide on catered and self-catered chalets sets out what each arrangement actually covers.
Food shopping, laundry and the rest
The shops are in town, five or six minutes by car, and there are none within walking distance of the hamlet. A boot-load for twelve is a single trip, by car. Groups who would rather arrive to a full fridge have the concierge deliver the shopping beforehand, which is charged as an extra; the welcome hamper is included either way.
Bed linen and towels are provided, and the end-of-stay clean is included. The utility room has a washing machine and a tumble dryer, which a group with children uses daily in winter. The ski room has a boot dryer.
Where the chalet is, and how twelve people reach the slopes
Chalet Bonami is in Les Bois, 3 km (2 miles) north-east of the centre of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. The valley runs about twenty kilometres (12 miles) and is a string of hamlets; Les Bois is one of them, between Les Praz and Le Lavancher as you head towards the Swiss border.
In front of the house there are meadows, forest, and the Drus, the twin granite spires of the Mont Blanc massif you can see from the balcony.
The Flégère gondola, 550 m (600 yards) from the door, goes up to the Brévent-Flégère ski area, the closest to the chalet. No piste reaches the house, and that is the first thing to know: those 550 m are walked with skis over your shoulder, driven, or covered by the valley shuttle.
The car park is outside and takes four cars, enough for a group of twelve travelling from two or three different places. A group skiing only at Brévent-Flégère can leave them parked all week.
Skiing anywhere else takes more planning. The valley has four ski areas that do not link up, spread from south to north over some twenty kilometres: Les Houches-Saint-Gervais at the mouth of the valley, Brévent-Flégère above Chamonix and neighbouring Les Praz, Les Grands Montets at the village of Argentière, and Balme at the top, between the villages of Le Tour and Vallorcine. Moving between them means coming back down to the valley floor and taking the car, the bus or the train.
A group of twelve usually mixes abilities, and those days are worth settling the evening before rather than in the boot room. The Mont-Blanc Unlimited pass covers all four areas, while a pass limited to the Chamonix areas is often enough, and lessons are booked through the valley ski school.
With twelve of you, all of that is settled in advance rather than at the ticket window on the first morning, and our guide to planning a ski trip with a large group sets out who decides what, in which order.
Most guests flying in land at Geneva, about an hour and a quarter away by road outside peak times, and the concierge arranges transfers, charged separately. Twelve people with luggage and ski gear means two vehicles either way, so it is worth deciding early whether you hire cars or book a transfer. If you are coming by train, a local line runs the length of the valley from Saint-Gervais to Vallorcine. Its nearest stop to the chalet is Les Tines.
Winter tyres or chains are compulsory across the Haute-Savoie département from 1 November to 31 March. The rule applies to every car in the group, including hire cars from Geneva, so confirm it with the hire company rather than assuming.
Read also: Where to stay in Chamonix, area by area
What twelve people do on the day they don't ski
There is nearly always a day, in a week with twelve, when part of the group stays put: bad weather, tired legs, or children who need a morning off. The three levels of the chalet work separately, so some of you can go out without disturbing the others.
The spa is on the ground floor, level with four of the bedrooms. It has three separate rooms: a steam room for four to six, a sauna for six, and a hot tub for six on the covered terrace.
Added together they take more than twelve, and being separate, three groups can use them at once. Three separate rooms means three groups at once, which cuts the queue on the evening twelve people come back from the slopes together.
There is no minimum age and no booking slots. The hot tub is heated continuously, so it is hot on arrival and stays that way.
Downstairs there is a cinema room with a 4 m (13 ft) screen, a Technogym-equipped gym, the wine cellar, and the bunk room with its reading corner. It is the level where the group spreads out when upstairs gets crowded. Wi-Fi covers every room, lower ground floor included, at around 300 Mbps.
Outside, what there is to do in the valley does not all get booked the night before. Sledging, the ice rink and the adventure park will each fill half a day if you have children with you. The Mer de Glace, the glacier reached by rack railway from Chamonix, and the Aiguille du Midi, which reaches 3,842 m, each need a full day.
Read also: What to check in a Chamonix chalet with a hot tub
What a week for 12 people costs
The whole chalet costs between €8,600 and €32,200 a week. For the same number of nights, the only thing that moves the price is the calendar: between a quiet week and New Year the rate is nearly four times higher, and the week you pick is what sets the price. February half term and late December sit at the top of the range.
There is no per-person rate, so no child rate. A group of twelve pays exactly what a group of eight pays for the same week, and opening the bunk room costs nothing extra.
| Included in the weekly rate | Extra, quoted on request |
|---|---|
| End-of-stay clean | Daily or mid-stay cleaning |
| Bed and bath linen | Private chef, from one dinner to full board |
| Steam room, sauna and hot tub | Private driver and transfers |
| Utilities, welcome hamper, concierge | Ski lessons, instructor or guide, massages |
| Tourist tax | Grocery delivery, bookings and outings |
We take a security deposit. The amount is set out in your quote.
Chalet Bonami is let direct: tell us your dates and we reply within 24 hours with the exact rate for your week.
Booking Chalet Bonami for twelve
A stay does not have to start on a Saturday. The arrival day is flexible and the minimum is three nights, which matters when twelve people are coming from several households and have to line up time off and travel.
That matters more when those households are on different school calendars. English half terms and French school holidays rarely coincide, and French holidays themselves run across three regional zones spread over four weeks.
In 2027, UK February half term falls on either 8-12 or 15-19 February depending on the local authority, and Scottish February holidays fall earlier again. French winter holidays run from 6 February to 8 March across three regional zones. That whole month is the busiest of the season in the valley, and large houses are booked eight to twelve months in advance. A flexible arrival day is what lets a mixed group put its week across the end of one holiday and the start of another.
The house is yours alone: no other group, no rooms let separately. One person handles your booking from the first message to the keys, and the concierge takes over during the week.
Read also: Renting a chalet directly from the owner
The layout changes with the size of the group, and each has its own page: for eight, four or five bedrooms are enough depending on the group; for ten, the five king-size bedrooms take everyone; for fourteen, the bunk room is full.
Frequently asked questions
The five questions a group of twelve asks before booking.
Does someone have to sleep in the bunk room at twelve?
Yes. The five king-size bedrooms hold ten people at most, so at least two of the twelve sleep in the bunk room. It is the first of our four configurations where that happens: at ten, the five bedrooms are enough and nobody goes down.
What age does the bunk room suit?
We set no minimum age, so it is your call. It is a proper room on the lower ground floor with two bunk beds and a reading corner, two levels below the living areas, so it suits anyone who can get down there on their own in the evening. If only two people sleep there, they take the bottom bunks, with no ladder to climb; at four, two sleep up top.
Can twelve adults come?
Yes, and you do not need children in the group to make it work. At least two of the twelve will sleep in the bunk room, on the bottom bunks, or four if the group would rather free up a whole bedroom; better to settle who before you leave than on the stairs. Bedrooms 1 and 4 make up as twins, which gives four of the ten in bedrooms a bed of their own.
Can twelve people eat at one table?
Yes, indoors as well as out. Inside, the ten-seat table and the four-seat side table push together into one, which puts all twelve at the same table. The balcony has its own table for twelve, sheltered but not heated, with a fire pit alongside.
Does the chalet work for grandparents who struggle with stairs?
Partly, and it is worth knowing before you allocate bedrooms. The Master is the only bedroom on the same level as the kitchen and the sitting room, so whoever sleeps there climbs nothing to come to meals. The four other king-size bedrooms are one flight below and the house has no lift, so only one bedroom avoids the stairs, which is enough for a couple but not for three people.