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CHALET DU SOLEIL

Note: Chalet du Soleil does not have a garage. Street parking is available about 50m from the house (a meter is about a yard). There is also a parking lot about 100m away. The walk to the house is level and kept clear of snow.

Chalet du Soleil, an 18^th-century Alpine chalet that was entirely renovated in 2000, is the ideal house for groups of friends or a large family looking for a mountain experience that can only be found in the French Alps, where details like fine dining and fashion are not overlooked. Situated near the church in the village of Villard-Reculas, less than a ten-minute walk from a gondola station of the Alpe d’Huez ski area, this warmly decorated, splendidly appointed six-bedroom chalet offers what well-bankrolled mountain goats the world over dream of but can rarely find: Alpine ski runs or rugged hiking trails to challenge them during the day, and, as a home base, a luxurious chalet replete with both charm and luxury amenities.

The chalet is a home for all seasons. In addition to Alpe d’Huez, winter visitors have yet another world-class ski area – Les Deux-Alpes - within a 40-minute drive. And each morning they wake up to picture-postcard view of snowy peaks and village houses with thin curls of smoke rising from chimneys. For summer visitors there are rugged trails (scrupulously maintained and mapped by the French government) that run through tall pines and meadows of wildflowers crisscrossed by icy-cold streams. With its sunny spaces, fireplace, cozy living room and a terrace with 180-degree views of the Alps, not to mention the tidy little village of Villard-Reculas with its neighborhood grocery store and shops, this chalet is the ideal venue for an Alpine holiday that is both à la française and in grand style.

The architecture of Chalet du Soleil embodies the traditional Alpine motifs of a sharply sloped roof, beamed ceilings and fine hardwood floors. The house has a large, roomy feel, and has a warm, friendly ambiance due largely to the fact that is not simply a rental property, but is used often by the owners and their family. Personal treasures, such as the oriental area rugs and bright coverlets, are in evidence throughout the house. And while the architecture and style of décor are much what they might have been a century ago, modern amenities abound.

Altogether there are about 500m2 (5,380 sq. ft.) of living space on four levels. The first level is comprised of a large entry hall, a bar and a billiard room with a sofa and armchairs. The billiard table is a true straight-rail table, not a pool table with pockets. This floor is not heated and is intended primarily for use in summer.

The first (French) level, reached by a wooden staircase, can be thought of as the sleeping floor. Five of the chalet’s six bedrooms are here. Three bedrooms on this level, each with a queen-sized bed, face south and are bathed with light during the day. The fourth bedroom has a 140cm (55” across) double bed, and the fifth bedroom has two twin beds. All bedrooms are comfortably furnished and have bedside tables with reading lamps.

There are two bathrooms on this floor, both of them independent from the bedrooms. One bathroom has a Jacuzzi-style bathtub with a separate stall shower; the other has a regular tub with an overhead shower. There is one WC, which is independent from the bathrooms. All of the bathrooms at Chalet du Soleil have twin basins.

The second floor is the principal living space of the house. The large living room has a fireplace, beamed ceilings and polished hardwood floors. There are several comfortable sofas, a television (French channels only) with DVD, a full stereo system with CD player and a Sony Playstation. Well-positioned reading lamps make this a warm, inviting room in which one could curl up and read or chat for hours on a stormy day.

A fully equipped, modern kitchen is also on this floor, as is a powder room. Appliances include an electric stove with exhaust hood, conventional and microwave ovens, two-door refrigerator, dishwasher and washing machine and separate tumble dryer. As the kitchen is partially open-plan with the living room, cooks can chat with the family in the living room while preparing meals.

In the summer, and on sunny days, the favorite feature of this second level is the huge wood deck (42m2, 4,523 sq. ft), which is oriented south toward the afternoon sun. An al fresco lunch of roast chicken and a light white Burgundy at the long table and benches could easily turn in to a full afternoon of conversation and mountain-gazing: the view is breathtaking, and canvas lounge chairs provide a comfortable way to enjoy the fresh mountain air.

The master bedroom suite, an especially spacious room room (40m2, 430 sq. ft) with vaulted wood ceiling and a comfortable seating area with a television, occupies the entire uppermost level. The suite has two 140cm (55” across) double beds, and its own balcony. The bathroom, which is independent, has a Jacuzzi-style bath and WC.

Although there is a good-sized garden (about 400m2, 4,300 sq. ft.) surrounding the house, most guests prefer to take advantage of the deck, which is furnished with tables and chairs and is close to the kitchen.

Alpe d’Huez, 3 km from Villard-Reculas, is one of the Alps’ leading ski resorts for both downhill and cross-country skiing. Located only 63 km (about 40 minutes) from Grenoble, which is served by air and high-speed TGV rail from Paris, the resort has no fewer than fourteen funicular lifts and 70 chairlifts. There are boutiques and restaurants galore, chief among them La Cabane du Pontat, where skiers can sprawl on the large terrace and consume hearty portions of cheese ravioli, veal stew and pot au feu, while those taking the evening meal can dine by can light on delicacies like poulet de Bresse, with a three-course dinner for two including wine running less than $100. Nearby Les Deux-Alpes has three highly rated restaurants as well, among them the Michelin one-star Le P’tit Polyte in Chalet Mounier. In Villard-Reculas, the warm and friendly La Bergerie, a favorite of village residents, is a short walk away.

Chalet du Soleil is available for rental year-round except parts of June through September, when it is occupied by the owners. The property is especially well priced for the last three weeks of January, last half of March and April.