Chalet Himalaya

There are ski chalets designed for groups, and then there are chalets designed for families. Chalet Himalaya is very much the latter.

Set high above Méribel, with uninterrupted views stretching across the valley and the Doron piste running past the bottom of the garden, Himalaya is an exceptional 720m² alpine home created for the kind of holiday where grandparents, parents and children can all come away together, without having to spend every moment together.

That distinction is what makes the chalet so special.

Across seven en-suite bedrooms, there is space for every generation to find their own corner. Four beautiful master suites give the adults a genuine sense of privacy, while a separate children’s den, complete with four built-in bunks and its own bathroom, gives younger guests a part of the chalet that feels entirely theirs. It means early bedtimes, late evenings and different family routines can coexist surprisingly easily.

The same thinking runs through the living spaces. The spectacular main sitting room is the natural heart of Himalaya, with double-height ceilings, huge windows framing the mountains and a central fireplace that draws everyone back together at the end of the ski day. Yet just beyond it is a second, quieter sitting room lined with bookshelves and centred around its own stone fireplace — somewhere to retreat with a book, have a drink or escape the inevitable family game taking place next door.

When everyone does come together, there is room to do it properly. The glass-walled dining room seats up to sixteen around one long table, creating the sort of setting that becomes the centrepiece of a family ski holiday: everyone back from the mountain, stories being exchanged across the table, dinner arriving from the private kitchen and the last of the daylight disappearing over Méribel outside.

And getting onto the mountain could hardly be easier. Step through the garden and onto the Doron piste and the ski day has already begun. For a multigenerational group, that simplicity matters. There is no need to organise the entire family around a morning transfer or persuade everyone to leave at precisely the same time. Skiers can head out when they are ready and return home with their boots still on.

Back at the chalet, an entire floor is dedicated to slowing down.

There is an indoor swimming pool overlooking the mountains, a hammam and steam room for tired ski legs, a gym and massage room, and an outdoor hot tub set into the terrace. Some guests might disappear downstairs for a swim after skiing; others might head straight for the fire. Later, the hot tub becomes one of the best seats in the house, with the cold mountain air overhead and the lights of the resort scattered across the valley below.

Evenings can be as sociable or as relaxed as you want them to be. Gather around the fire before dinner, open a bottle from the wine cellar, or settle into the private cinema after the table has been cleared. With eight cinema seats and its own popcorn machine, it is exactly the sort of place where three generations can begin a film together, even if not all three generations make it to the closing credits.

Throughout a catered stay, a dedicated chef and host take care of the details, from the fire being lit and champagne waiting on arrival to dinners created around the tastes of the group. In-resort chauffeur service makes Méribel Centre, around five minutes away, easy to reach whenever you want to leave the chalet behind.

But Himalaya’s real luxury isn’t any single room, facility or view.

It is space used intelligently: enough privacy for grandparents to have a quiet morning, enough independence for teenagers and children to disappear downstairs, and enough beautiful communal space to bring everybody back together when it matters.

For a family looking for one chalet capable of accommodating three generations, and making the holiday feel effortless for all of them, Chalet Himalaya is difficult to better.