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 can be reached in just a few short minutes by foot from the town centre. Val d’Isère and 100 metres from the main Bellevarde and Solaise ski lifts, yet on a quiet and picturesque road.
You will know the name of this Olympic skier. Jean-Claude Killy Kilco Penthouse also belongs to the Killys. In fact the whole skiable area of Val d’Isere and Tignes is known as the Espace Killy.
Hip Hideouts and the family have teamed up to create an unforgettable 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. The penthouse is cosy and warm thanks to the use of natural materials.
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. Perfect for relaxing and chatting with our lovely fellow guests.
There are plenty of contemporary touches too like these modern artworks.
The five bedrooms comfortably accommodate 10 people, with four located on the central floor and one in the upper gallery. The bedroom was spacious, had a king size bed, and excellent views of the valley.
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.
The balcony wraps around the room and offers a magnificent view of the slopes. 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 take pride in their food, and they work with the best chefs. One of them, Giacomo, had worked with Albert Adria Many of them had received training with Michelin star establishments.
Each evening, guests can enjoy a meal prepared by a new chef. 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.
All of our menus had different styles, but they all shared one thing: they were pretty healthy. We enjoyed gourmet meals instead of heavy potato and cheese combinations that left us feeling energised.
We loved the Asian-inspired menu, which included a seared beef maki with truffle oil and salmon nigri. Tom yum, Sichuan beef and lychee and banana donuts. The Italian-inspired menu is also good, with its squid-ink agnolotti, gorgonzola and chanterelle mushroom prawns, and pear and celeriac mousse.
We both loved the sea bream with sauce vierge, potatoes, pea puree, peas, courgette balls and broccoli.
We tasted some great bottles of soft drinks and premium wines, including a fine bottle. Mercurey The same impressive Pouilly-Fumé Grande Réserve 2014. Christian, Giacomo et team will do anything to make you feel welcome. Every day they prepare delicious homemade cakes for afternoon tea.
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 a special treat with different options each day.
The Spanish breakfast tapas was a wonderful combination of tortilla bread, tomato 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
The chalet has a garage, a lift and a kit-room with a heated boot heater and a 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 Stay warm while skiing.
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 immediately relaxed us with their expert hand. We’ve been travelling nonstop recently and this downtime was just what we were craving. We felt like walking on air afterward.
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 The car can accommodate up to 10 passengers, and has heated seats as well as complimentary WiFi.
We used a Val d’Isere ski pass New Generation gave us a tour of some 300 km of slopes. 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.
Mike, our instructor, showed us the highlights of the area and gave us tips on how we can improve our skiing technique.
Val d’Isere Chalet Highlights
- The location is ideal for skiing and the town.
- The staff are amazing and go above and below to deliver the best service.
- Delicious food and wine
To find out more about the rates and information, please visit 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 nearest international airports Chambéry The following are some examples of how to get started: Geneva and from there it’s a scenic drive to Val d’Isère. SnowDrone is a partner of Hip Hideouts and provides a comfortable, private airport shuttle service from Geneva.
Paul, our driver, was friendly and gave us a water bottle and an iPad for 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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