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Luxury Skiing
For the cash-rich/time-poor customer, deluxe specialists Descent International ( descent.co.uk ; 020 7384 3854), who count Posh 'n' Becks as clients, have set up a new short break option that offers the maximum time on the slopes from Sunday to Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday. The package includes transfers and a three and a half days of lift passes, equipment arranged for you to clip into straight away when you get to the chalet, and chef-prepared packed lunches on the days of travel. Everything is organised, so that when you get there, as Suzie Cook of Descent International says: 'Just give a little push and you're off.' Chalet Maurice in snowsure Zermatt is a new offering from Descent for this year, which dramatically has a funicular to the entrance hall of the chalet. Views are of the Matterhorn, and indoors cream and soft charcoal grey fabrics complement warm timbers, designed by Geneva-basedMagali von Tscharner. The lead-in price for a short break there is £840 per person for a weekday break, or £1,820 for a weekend break, not including flights.Hotel dse Grandes Alpes, Courchevel - Crystal Finest
Arrive at Courchevel 1850 in style by private jet or helicopeter from Chambery airport. The airport at Courchevel is the busiest in the Alps, with about 7,000 aircraft touching down per season and disgorging the wealthy, and err, very wealthy. Courchevel is a classy resort linked into hundreds of kilometres of runs in the massive Three Valleys ski area and that has impreccably-groomed pistes and thousands of ski and snowboard instructors available for one-to-one tuition. If you stay with Crystal Finest ( crystalfinest.co.uk ; 0871 971 0364) in one of hotels they offer in Courchevel 1850, you can take advantage of the free ski escorts, the sports/massage therapist, the ski hire brought to your door, and private nannies. It doesn't get much swishier in Courchevel than the five-star Hotel des Grandes Alpes, which has an award-winning gourmet restaurant, spa and indoor pool. The lead-in price for a week is £1,699 per person including flights, transfers, and seven night-half board.Aspen Lodge, Val D'Isere - VIP Chalets
From this winter VIP children as young as three can be treated to the very best tuition in Val D'Isere where Snowline and VIP have their own ski school in association with the award-winning Oxygene ski school. When the kids aren't learning the difference between 'pizza' and 'fries', they can be cared for with a flexible mix of private nannies, baby specialists and infant packs that include essentials such as nappies, formula and baby wipes. Stay at VIP's flagship Aspen Lodge ( vip-chalets.com ; 0844 557 3119), which is made up of 12 suites, each sleeping up to 10. There is a communal lounge area with a wood-burning fireplace, a concierge, Wi-fi and Molton Brown toiletries. For the kids, there's cot space in every bedroom and also organic toiletries by Little Me. A week at Aspen Lodge starts at £809 per person on a catered accommodation basis, including flights and transfers, not including childcare or lessons.The Kempinsky Grand, St Moritz - Inghams
St Moritz is where the jet-setters go, if not for the polo on ice or the old-boys club 'Cresta Run' - a head-first toboggan run on a skeleton sledge - then for the skiing. So it's no wonder there are several upper-crust hotels. But crusty the Kempinski Grand is not. Opulent, maybe, dramatically grand, but surprisingly full of young people wearing pearls and polo necks. Perhaps this is partly to do with the fact is is the newest five-star hotel in St Moritz. Or the enormous spa and award-winning restaurants, or the fire-engine red porsches that you can hire? The breakfast bar here is certainly to die for, and thank God you're going skiing to burn off all of the muesli, omlette, and waffles off. Conveniently located near the Signal cable car. The Kempinsky Grand starts at £345 per person per night half-board based on two sharing. Inghams ( inghams.co.uk ; 020 8780 4433) provide package deals.The Little Nell, aspen - Ski Dreams
The most wallet-crushingly expensive hotel in Aspen , the poshest resort in North America, The Little Nell has plenty of things to recommend it: the ski concierge, the expansive spa, the fact it offers 'luxury amenities for your pet'. In fact, at The Little Nell, your wish is their command - the staff will arrange a gift of furs, wax your skis or scoop the poop up after your hound. Either of the three bars in the hotel make for great people watching, as here you'll find the glitterati, the facelift brigade with their pooches in tow and the stinkin' rich. The skiing is spread over four areas: Highlands, Aspen Monuntain, Buttermilk and Snowmass. There's something for everyone. Ski Dream ( skidream.com ; 0845 277 3325) offer a package to stay at The Little Nell from £1,494 per person for a week's accommodation, flights and transfers.Chalet Cashmere, Megeve - Chalet Cashmere
Sometimes a chalet comes along and the design is just jaw-droppingly beautiful. Chalet Cashmere ( chalet-cashmere.com ; +33 (0)4 50 78 27 44) in Megeve is one. In fact, we could almost forgive the location just to spend time in the textured whiteness of the interior of this chalet, perked up with amusing design features, such as the chandelier lantern, the suspended bubble chair in the master bedroom and curvaceous cowskin armchairs. Geraldine Pretot is the designer behind this lush creation, and she's part of the power couple behind this creation with her husband David Pretot. The chalet offers a chef, four rooms themed by design (cashmere, velvet, wool and wool, and the master bubble chair room) and Bvulgari toiletries. Megeve itself is not one for the experts but offers indulgent cruisy skiing amid scenic views. To hire the chalet for a week costs from £8,000 to £28,000. You can get there by transfer from Chambery, Geneva or Grenoble airports.The Tschuggen Grand Hotel, Arosa - Ski Safari & Powder Byrne
The five-star (they say six-star) Tschuggen Grand is in Arosa in the Graubunden canton in the northeast of Switzerland. It cuts a striking profile, with the sail-shaped glass structures of the spa, designed by famous architect Mario Botta, lending it a futuristic air. The spa is housed on four level and offers everything from aromatherapy massages to Ayurvedic treatments and two pools. The hotel itself dates back to 1929, but was spruced up in 2005, and there are lots of little design nods that combine rustic and modern in a knowing way, such as the silk velvet patchwork headboards. There are also five restaurants to pick from. The skiing in Arosa is decent for early intermediates, beginners and families, but experts will get bored unless they go off-piste. Rooms start from £385 for a double, and Ski Safari ( skisafari.com ; 01273 224060) and Powder Byrne ( powderbyrne.com ; 020 8246 5300) put together tailored packages.Chalet Eugenia, Klosters - Elegant Resorts
Take some turns down a run in Klosters and you're probably skiing in the footsteps of the Royal family. If you fancy playing at being regal yourself, head to Chalet Eugenia, with the pedigree of being built by a baroness in the early days of the resort. If it is privacy and seclusion you are after coupled a chalet oozing old-style glamour, Chalet Eugenia is the one. Upmarket bespoke tour operator Elegant Resorts ( elegantresorts.co.uk ; 01244 897 505) will cater to your every whim, although you are already in very good hands as Chalet Eugenia is managed by Descent International, renowned for their ridiculously pampering service. There's room for the family, with eight bedrooms in total, and an enormous lounge with centerpiece wooden fireplace. Facilities include: sauna, steam room, iPod docking stations, two chauffered 4x4s, grand piano - the list goes on. All this starts at £16,800 for a week without flights or transfers.The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek - Iglu Ski
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek , Colorado takes luxury to another level - literally. The fifth floor of the hotel has a 'club' level of sumptous service, and special treatment includes five daily food 'presentations' and a private Benz. If you need more space than the average person, the Club Level is the place to be, with doubles at 450 square feet, and the big daddy Ritz-Carlton suite at 1,800 square feet. Don't be so overcome by the lavish and attentive services of the hotel staff that you 'forget' to go out skiing - there's 1,850 acres of snow out there to play in. Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch start at about £350 per night for a double room. Iglu Ski ( igluski.com ; 0208 544 7101) offer packages from £1645 for a week, on a room-only basis, including flights from Heathrow and transfers.Chalet Kernow, Verbier - Mr and Mrs Smith
You're a purist and you don't want to sacrifice skiing pleasure to stay in somewhere sublime? The answer is Chalet Kernow in Verbier , which is renowned for its extensive off-piste, steeps and bumps. There's also a throbbing bar and club scene at Powder Spirit Bar, Mont-Fort, and the Casbah for night owls that can drag themselves away from the opulent surroundings of the chalet. One of the most remarkable things about this chalet is not the pretty interior sleeping 12, but rather what lies beneath: 2,500 bottles of wine in a cellar chosen by the owners who are connoisseurs. There are also all the usual entrapments of luxury chalets: chef, chauffered gas-guzzlers, Jo Malone toiletries etc, plus a geeky state-of-the-art shound system wired into every room. Prices per week start at approx £20,000 for the chalet, bookable through Mr & Mrs Smith ( mrandmrssmith.com ; 0845 034 0700).Boxes leftside
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