Why the smart set is still drawn to the luxury French ski resort of Val d’Isere

They say Chalet Inoko is the highest in Val d’Isere, and the view from the wraparound glass walls certainly suggests so. The glacier-capped mountains opposite, the charming scene of wooden houses, swirls of smoke rising from streaks of snow and pines.

Step outside onto the wooden deck and take in the buds from the hot tub.

Chalet Inoko houses lawyers, bankers and expats who crave crystal cold ice and snow. A main guest often treats 14 family members and friends – and you can see why.

Inside is a picture of cozy luxury, with warm cedar cladding the walls and underfloor heating. A barn-sized living space is stylishly decorated – lights hang from the ceiling like sculpted clouds and a giant life-sized fashion photograph by Vivienne Westwood overlooks the dining space.

There are sofas to lounge on and books to browse, plus a welcome bar stocked with champagne. Flowers adorn every room, slippers are laid out for each guest, and rugs drape over chairs next to the fire pit.

When you see the ribbed headboards and lampshades in the bedrooms, plus fluffy hides on the lounge chairs in the spa, it’s no surprise that the design-conscious owners are a young French couple.

For anyone who enjoys swimming, the appeal of the indoor pool will have you jumping out of bed first and returning after a day on the slopes. Throw in the sauna and ceiling-to-floor mountain views from the pool or lounge chairs, and you’ll make memories without even trying.

It is also pure pleasure to drink the crystal clear water that flows straight from the tap, while bathing really softens the skin.

There are six bedrooms to choose from – two open into family suites and one has bunk beds. The master suite is cozy, though we envy our daughter’s wraparound balcony.

Breakfast is a daily fanfare of fruit, charcuterie, juices, smoothies, pastries and a hot choice – pancakes one day, scrambled eggs the next – and served on the long wooden table lit by candles for the evening’s delights offered by our charming young French chef, Hugo Attou.

He is one to watch, having previously worked in Michelin starred kitchens, so each of his creations is a true gastronomic treat.

Standout dishes – apart from its handmade sushi – include agnolotti filled with truffle and squid ink, served with parmesan cheese, chives and garlic, or the slow roast chicken with mashed potatoes and artichoke.

The nightly ritual of nibbles followed by a four-course dinner is enough to swell your salopettes, but also make you ski that little bit harder the next day. And all that food comes after freshly baked afternoon cake to enjoy with tea.

We ask our chef if he gets any requests. Apparently only once for apple crumble.

Guests coming from Lyon or Geneva can expect a three-hour journey to the resort.

In our case, we are picked up in Geneva, but as Swiss law prohibits drinking in vehicles, we are not allowed to pop the Veuve Clicquot champagne in the basket Hugo packed for us until we cross the border.

Once opened, it is washed down with delicious cheese and ham sandwiches and chocolate brownies.

It’s February, but twinkling lights in Val d’Isere give the pretty town a Christmas feel. A steep, snowy road ascends to the beautiful three-story home flanked by pine trees above “Petit Alaska,” as the area is known. Chalet Inoko is stunning – the kind of place where Hollywood stars are photographed for glossy magazines, lying on fur rugs next to a roaring fire, dressed in white cashmere.

We had traveled with Purple Ski, a British boutique operator offering catered luxury ski chalet holidays in Courchevel, Meribel and Val d’Isere. It’s a slick operation, so before we’d even left home we were able to get ski gear, restaurants and even book a massage in the chalet’s dedicated massage room.

Ski fittings are usually arranged at the chalet, but we arrive late so have to wait until the next day to enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the young team who equip us at the Oxygene shop. A boy from Australia had grown up on ski trips to Japan. Great dry snow, he said, but none of this, nodding to the clear, cornflower-blue sky.

Perhaps more than any other vacation, skiing involves compromise, due to the varying levels of skill and enthusiasm found in the group.

If you live to ski, it might seem fun to mess around with heavy equipment and limited closet space in the trunks of budget hotels. But if you’d rather spend more to ensure a less hectic experience, then Chalet Inoko makes perfect sense – especially if you want every member of the family to have a stress-free holiday.

Everything has been made as simple as possible so that guests only have to relax. You’ll be whisked to the slopes in four minutes by minibus with a driver – and the driver on duty will be waiting for you when you’re done.

Val d’Isère is not cheap, so we make it unforgettable. A margarita pizza lunch at Gigi’s, halfway up the Solaise mountain, with coffee and water costs €40. But we relax in sun loungers, facing the sun, listening to skis whizzing down the slopes ahead. This is life.

Who is skiing at the resort now? Not the Sloane Rangers of my childhood sinking Steiners and wearing bandanas, the girls all pink marble lipstick and pearls. Rising costs have made the resort more international and less Anglo-centric than before the lockdown, when the British outnumbered the native French.

In many ways, Val d’Isere has become a more refined version of its former self.

On the chef’s night off, we settle into the Fondue Factory, an institution in the city and much more glamorous than it sounds. There is an open kitchen, a good wine list and cozy tables with plenty of space between them. The fondue is more, whether you want to go heavy on the cheeses or meats, or both.

Take the time to explore the prosperous city. A little jewel is the church, built on the site of an 11th century chapel, with flickering lanterns, candles and shrines displaying the faded pictures of cheerful young faces full of hope lost in the mountains. It’s a searing reminder of how snow and ice should be respected.

On a sunny afternoon, from the comfort of the covered terraces of the Yule Hotel, at the foot of the slopes, we join other Aperol-fuelled apres-skiers to watch experts slalom Le Face – Val’s iconic black run d’Isere. I marvel at such power.

The next morning, my heart throbs in my mouth as my young daughter impressively whizzes down hard green and then soft blue runs, her pink snow suit vibrating as she descends the slope.

The benefits of a ski school are clear and well worth the investment.

You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, as green runs remain my comfort zone. But on the last run on the last day, film me, I say.

When played, though I felt like I was zooming to the brink of danger, weaving at a speed that took my breath away, it turns out that the snowsuit-clad white figure is moving no faster than a sack of flour on a supermarket assembly line. There’s always next year…

• For more information about staying at Chalet Inoko, visit purpleski.com.