Skiing is one of Winter’s most pleasurable activities but with a huge choice of resorts and accommodation, it can be hard to decide where to go. We’ve found a luxury Val d’Isère chalet located in the heart of the world’s best ski resort, that is sure to appeal. Kilco Penthouse by Hip Hideouts is a stylish place that stands out for its central location, impeccable service and gourmet food.
Luxury Val d’Isere Chalet
The first thing you’ll notice about Kilco Penthouse is how conveniently located it is. The chalet is just a few minutes walk from the centre of Val d’Isère and 100 metres from the main Bellevarde and Solaise ski lifts, yet on a quiet and picturesque road.
Ski aficionados will have heard of the iconic Olympic skier Jean-Claude Killy and Kilco Penthouse belongs to the Killy family. In fact the whole skiable area of Val d’Isere and Tignes is known as the Espace Killy.
The family have joined forces with Hip Hideouts to create a truly unique ski experience. Hip Hideouts manage several luxury Val d’Isere chalets and this is one of their best offerings. Kilco Penthouse is a handsome building with floor to ceiling glass windows, but let’s take a look inside.
Luxury Val d’Isere Accommodation
Enter your private key in the lift and head straight up to the penthouse. Natural materials have been used to great advantage here, with a log fire, wooden floors and walls giving a cosy ambiance.
The lounge area certainly has the wow factor with double-height windows and a spectacular pendant light inspired by the solar system. Candles and fluffy lampshades add to the hygge cosy vibe. Just perfect for relaxing with our charming fellow guests!
There are plenty of contemporary touches too like these modern artworks.
The five bedrooms can accommodate up to 10 people comfortably, with four on the central level and one on the upper gallery. Our bedroom had superb views over the valley, a king-size bed and ample storage space.
Our bathroom had been cleverly designed to maximize space and was equipped with fluffy bathrobes and slippers. It was also stocked with full sized Aesop toiletries – one of my favourite skin and body care brands from Australia.
There is a large wrap around balcony with magnificent views of the slopes on one side. In fact, the Critérium de la Première Neige or Men’s Downhill Slalom was taking place during our stay and you could watch some of the action from there if you wished.
Val d’Isere Chalet Dining
Hip Hideouts pride themselves on their cuisine and work with some of the very best chefs. One of them, Giacomo, had worked with Albert Adria and many had trained with Michelin star establishments.
Guests can experience meals cooked by a different chef each evening. They work with Hip Hideouts to check any food preferences or allergies pre-arrival and there is also a children’s menu and earlier sitting available.
Our menus were all in different styles but what they had in common was that they were all pretty healthy. Rather than heavy combinations of potatoes and cheese, we enjoyed gourmet meals that left us feeling energised for the skiing ahead.
One of our favourites was the Asian inspired menu with seared beef maki roll with truffle oil, salmon nigri, tom yum soup and Sichuan beef, followed by lychee sorbet and caramelised banana donuts. We also like the Italian inspired menu with a stunning squid ink agnolotti with gorgonzola, chanterelle mushrooms, prawns and a pear and celeriac foam.
We both loved the sea bream with sauce vierge, potatoes, pea puree, peas, courgette balls and broccoli.
Premium wines and soft drinks were included and we tasted some fantastic bottles including a fine Mercurey and an equally impressive Pouilly-Fumé Grande Réserve 2014. Nothing is too much trouble for your hosts Christian and Giacomo and the team. They prepare afternoon tea every day, with some delicious homemade cakes.
One evening, they rustled up some very drinkable cocktails for us and another night we had a champagne and canapés reception before our meal. Breakfast was another treat, with a different menu each day including cooked options like scrambled eggs.
The Spanish tapas breakfast was a great combination of tortilla, tomato bread and ham. Hip Hideouts can also give you recommendations for good restaurants on the slopes so don’t hesitate to pick their brains if you stay with them.
They even arranged access for us to the opening party at Coco Rico – a popular apres-ski haunt with locals and skiers alike.
Kilco Penthouse Amenities
There are some handy amenities like a large garage and a lift, as well as a kit room with a heated boot warmer and washing machine. When heading to the ski slopes, you can ask the chalet’s driver to drop you off in one of their 4×4 Land Rovers.
This proved very handy when getting kitted out for our ski gear at Snowberry as we didn’t have to carry anything back to the chalet. It’s just one example of the seamless service that Hip Hideouts provides to their guests.
Incidentally, we’d recommend Snowberry – they measured our height for the skis as well as our feet for the boots. All of their equipment is brand new – they sell the previous year’s kit to the army. This Val d’Isere ski shop also has a good range of luxury ski wear to keep you warm on the slopes.
What could be better after a hard day’s skiing than to relax in your very own swimming pool? Here at Chalet Kilco there’s a private pool and a Moroccan hammam to enjoy. The pool is quite small but there’s a contraflow system to swim against the current – we tried it and found it very effective.
A couple’s massage can be arranged at the chalet and we’d highly recommend it. The English speaking therapists instantly relaxed us with their expert touch. We’ve been travelling nonstop recently and this downtime was just what we were craving. Afterwards we felt like we were walking on air.
Val d’Isere Ski
Skiing in Val d’Isere really is exceptional – so much so, that this luxurious ski resort won 3 awards in the recent World Snow Awards – Ski Resort of the Year, European Resort of the Year and Après Resort of the Year. The new Solaise gondola lift can seat up to 10 people, has heated seats and even has complimentary WiFi!
We used a Val d’Isere ski pass and were given a guided tour of some of the 300 kilometres of ski slopes by New Generation. This ski school has been established in Val d’Isère since 2004 and has some of the very best French, Italian and British instructors who know the area like the back of their hand.
Our instructor, Mike, gave us pointers on how to improve our ski technique as well as showing us some highlights of the local area.
Val d’Isere Chalet Highlights
- Central location so close to the slopes and town
- Amazing service with staff really going above and beyond
- Fabulous food and wine
For more information and rates, see the Hip Hideouts website. If you’re looking for a luxury Val d’Isere chalet then this should be perfect – just remember to book early as it’s in high demand.
How to Get to Val d’Isere
The closest international airports are Chambéry and Geneva and from there it’s a scenic drive to Val d’Isère. Hip Hideouts work closely with SnowDrone, who provide a comfortable private airport transfer service from Geneva.
Our friendly driver, Paul, handed us a bottle of water and an iPad to use during the journey. There’s also complimentary WiFi available, however we slept through quite a bit of the journey and soon enough we had arrived at our destination. We’d actually managed to leave a mobile phone on the plane and Hip Hideouts worked with the transfer company to return it to us as soon as possible.
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