Best Luxury Chalets for Families

Almost every chalet says it welcomes families. Far fewer are designed for them. After twenty years of placing families in the Alps, these are the things that consistently matter.

Bedroom geography

Where the children sleep in relation to the adults determines how the evenings feel. The best family houses cluster children's rooms together with a shared bathroom and put the adults far enough away for dinner to be uninterrupted, but close enough for a two-in-the-morning nightmare.

A team that likes children

High tea at five thirty, a chef who will make a fourth version of the pasta, a host who learns names on day one. None of this appears in a specification list and all of it decides the week.

Somewhere to be wet and loud

A playroom, a games room, a pool or simply a snug with a door. Families need a second living space more than they need a second sitting room.

Our picks this season

Chalet Forêt Douce in Méribel and Chalet Alpenrose in Lech are the two houses we recommend most often to families travelling with children under twelve.