The Chalet in Detail

Les Bois is a hamlet 3 km (2 miles) north-east of Chamonix, five or six minutes by car from the centre. It is the quiet side of the valley, between woods and meadows, facing the Drus and the Aiguille Verte. Geneva airport is around an hour and a quarter away by road, outside peak times.

The Flégère gondola is the nearest lift. Close, but not ski-in ski-out: you walk to the bottom station with your skis, take the shuttle bus or drive. That is the point of the Les Bois area, quiet without being cut off.

Five bedrooms have a king-size bed and their own bathroom. Four of them are on the ground floor, the master is on the first floor with its dressing room. The sixth is a bunk room, two sets of bunk beds and so four beds, on the lower ground floor, with no en-suite.

So the usual split is ten adults and four children, and the whole chalet follows that ratio: five bathrooms for five bedrooms, a large table in the living room and another on the balcony.

A group of twelve or fourteen adults can rent the chalet, and some do. Two to four of them will sleep in the bunk room. Worth knowing before you allocate the bedrooms: the layout for twelve leaves two bunks free, the one for fourteen fills them.

That count, adults rather than beds, applies to any house you look at: what to check in a large chalet before you pay a deposit.

Ten adults always fit in the five king-size rooms. Two of those beds split into twins, which saves friends or siblings from sharing a king-size bed, so tell us at the booking stage and the beds are made up that way. The full layout for ten goes through it bedroom by bedroom.

A smaller group uses fewer bedrooms and still shares no bathroom: with eight of you that means four or five rooms depending on how the group splits, set out in the layout for eight.

There is nearly always one day in the week when nobody skis: the weather turns, or half the group has had enough of the slopes. The spa is on the ground floor, with a hammam, or steam room, for four to six, a traditional sauna for six and a hot tub on the covered terrace, also for six.

The hot tub is heated continuously and hot when you arrive, with nothing to switch on. The water is treated and checked before each arrival, so nobody has to think about it during the week.

The hammam, sauna and hot tub run all year, summer included. There is no age limit and no set hours: the group sets its own. That matters during UTMB week, when a runner gets back at an hour nobody can predict.

Anyone not in the spa ends up on the lower ground floor. The cinema room was built for it, acoustic treatment included, with a four-metre screen, Dolby Atmos sound and Netflix, Canal+ and Disney+. On the same floor, the Technogym gym has a treadmill, a rowing machine and a weights bench, and the wine cellar has its own wine list.

There is a playroom for the younger children, with books, a tipi and toys. Table football and a chess set cover everyone else, and the things to do in the valley are back on as soon as the weather clears. Outside, not everything takes fourteen people at once: things to do in Chamonix for non-skiers compares the winter outings by group size, age limit and how far ahead they book.

In summer it works the other way round: the balcony becomes the main room, and the walking paths, the mountain-bike trails and the Chamonix golf course are all in this part of the valley.

Five questions that come up on almost every group enquiry.

How many people does the chalet really sleep?

Up to fourteen, ten of them in en-suite bedrooms. The remaining four beds are bunks, in the bunk room on the lower ground floor, which suits children or teenagers better than adults.

Is the spa private, and is it included?

Yes: the spa is private to your group and included in the weekly rate. The hammam, sauna and hot tub are yours alone for the week, with no extra charge, and they run all year.

Is there a chef or any staff on site?

Nobody lives in, but the concierge service looks after you all week: the chalet manager is on call for whatever you need. The kitchen is equipped to feed a group of fourteen, and a private chef — from a single dinner to full board — a driver, ski lessons or daily cleaning can all be added for the evenings or days you choose.

Is the chalet ski-in ski-out?

No. The Flégère gondola is 550 m from the chalet, a five-minute walk. Chamonix's ski areas are not linked to each other, and Brévent-Flégère is the one you reach fastest from Les Bois. Our comparison of the four ski areas sets out what each one offers and how you move between them.

How far ahead should we book?

For New Year and February half term, allow eight to twelve months. The rest of the winter and the summer book later, and the flexible arrival day often opens up dates that Saturday-to-Saturday rentals leave empty.