Whether your ski preference is for the heart-stopping, ski-juddering moments when you wonder if you’re going to make that turn, or for carving out those long lazy arcs across a well-groomed piste, this is the perfect winter escape.

But it is not all high-adrenaline play and no rest. Your chalet provides your own intensely private retreat where you can simply choose to listen to the silence of snow falling on snow, punctuated by the crack of logs in the fireplace, while sipping a glass of local Pinot Noir.

You might prefer the more leisurely speed of a horse-drawn sleigh to whisk you through the brisk mountain air to the local patisseries with their all-too-tempting pastries after a little shopping in the designer boutiques. Although you are in one of the most sought-after locations in the Alps, you are only a short glide from stunning mountain villages where the locals are still genuinely down-to-earth and eager to welcome visitors.

That astonishing place you have heard about with the celebrated chef, impeccable service and the highest of haute cuisine – that is just ‘le restaurant’ around here.  There is a lively après ski scene here, from jazz clubs to the latest bars, all with that eclectic mix of people from all over the globe.