Zinal holiday ski chalet rental with walking, log fire, balcony/terrace, rural retreat, TV, DVD

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Chalet Esprit des Alpes (chalet)

Home description

The three bedroomed traditional wood roof tiled chalet Esprit des Alpes is brand new for 2008. Set on it's own private grounds, the superbly situated chalet has stunning uninterrupted views of the spectacular mountains. The chalet is conveniently located near the centre of Zinal, on the edge of the old village, close to Piste d'Aigle - you can ski to within 50m of the chalet. Within a flat 5 minutes walk or thereabouts of the chalet is the cable car, nine restaurants, two supermarkets, boulangerie, newsagent, sports shops, ski school, mountain guides office, tourist office, post office, ATM, swimming pool, ice rink, a 19 Km cross country ski track (some of the track is flood lit), tennis courts and the bus station.

The 120m2, 5m high vaulted ceilinged chalet is furnished to a high standard and includes three bedrooms, (sleeps up to eight, 6+2 beds), two bathrooms, an open plan living room, dining room and well equipped kitchen, as well as a hanging balcony/mezzanine and a ski depot/utility room (with washer/dryer). The chalet has a log burning stove and environmentally friendly geothermal under floor and hot water heating. A satelite television, DVD player, music centre, fully equipped kitchen and ski storage is also provided.

West side with Point de la Vache on right that is considered one of Valais's best day walks.	Sunny Alpine meadows and South facing chalet Esprit des Alpes.
Sun soaked South facing with the heart of the village directly behind.	Sun Soaked Uniterupted views South, including Mt Besso.Surrounded by The Imperial Crown 4000m+ peaks

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/52204

The Swiss Alps / Valais/Swiss Alps region

Val d’Anniviers is described as “Europe’s best kept secret: Five charming unspoiled villages beneath high, snow-sure slopes with spectacular scenery” by the Where to Ski and Snowboard 2008 guide. Fall-line Skiing magazine (spring 2007) describes Zinal as “One of the last great undiscovered ski spots, tiny in size but enormous in stature.”

Snowmagazine’s October 2007 review described the Val d’Anniviers as “For the ‘I’ve died and gone to heaven bit’ – where to start? The views impress at first sight and forever after” and “If you’re after a winter holiday that looks like a Christmas card with kids towed on sledges through village streets you’ve found it. If you want to ditch the kids and ski your boots off, you’ve found it too.”

Cicerone's guide book 'Walking in the Valais' states "The Val d'Anniviers has been hailed as the grandest or greatest of all the Swiss valleys of the Pennine Alps - and who could dispute that claim?" Also "The Val d'Anniviers is a magical district. As you enter from the broad, vine-clad Rhone, swinging in tight hairpins to gain sufficient height in order to get onto the eastern shelf above its protective gorge, there's more than a hint of grandeur about the long groove of a valley stretching ahead. At first it is green, with the hillsides dense with forest and shrub, and the river scouring a deep bed below. Summer warmth draws a seething of insects from the lush vegetation, but a gleam of ice and snow in the south promises even better things, and as you draw closer, so that promise becomes reality. Up there at the very head of the valley, is some of the loveliest mountain scenery imaginable." - This is where Zinal sits at the end of the valley road with Chalet Esprit des Alpes having an uninterrupted view South onto this scenery.

Zinal area

Zinal offers everything you could want from an alpine resort, taking the best parts of larger resorts such as neighbouring Zermatt, Verbier and Crans Montanna and leaving the crowds and expense behind. Transport is an easy two hour ride from Geneva airport.

Zinal at 1670m, is your archetypical charming family Swiss chocolate box village in an idyllic setting, well away from the crowds, nestled high up in the French speaking south part of Switzerland. With most of the 220Kms of pisted slopes being in the 2000-3000m range, Zinal has a superb snow record and an excellent Swiss reputation for skiing. All of Zinal’s slopes were open by mid November this season. Zinal has good nursery slopes and is very family friendly. For the more adventurous there are almost limitless off-piste fresh tracks to explore.

Zinal is the gateway to the 'Imperial Crown', a line of permanently snow covered 4000m plus mountains that include the Weisshorn, which at 4505m, is the fourth highest mountain in the Alps. The Matterhorn is visible, sitting just beyond the Imperial Crown.

How to get there

You can be in Zinal in under two hours’ drive from Geneva airport, or three hours by train and bus via Sierre. Flights are available from most UK airports direct to Geneva with BMi Baby, British Airways, Easyjet, FlyBE and Jet 2 to name but a few. Flights are also normally available to Sion from London’s City Airport, Stansted, Gatwick and Edinburgh to Sion that is only 15 miles away as the crow flies, in the ski season. Cars can be hired in Geneva, Sion or Sierre and there is parking for several cars available directly outside the chalet. The chalet is about 570 miles from Calais.

DRIVING FROM GENEVA AIRPORT
Easy: It is motorway, all the way to the bottom of the valley. From the airport follow the signs for Lausanne and then Simplon. When you get to the end of the Motorway at Sierre Est there is a new turn off for the Val d’Anniviers. Zinal is at the end of this valley, 14 miles (22kms) away.

TRAIN AND BUS FROM GENEVA AIRPORT
This is also straightforward. Tickets can be bought on-line at www.sbb.ch/en/rail.ch. (From: Geneva Airport, To: Zinal Poste for a ticket that covers the direct train and bus journey). From the bus stop in Zinal it is a 350m walk to the chalet.

TAXI FROM GENEVA
Taxi transfer to from Geneva airport or Sion airport can be arranged on request. A minibus for up to 8 people from Geneva Airport costs about £480 for the return trip.

Alternative airports are Zurich, Basle Mulhouse, Milan and Turin but Sion and Geneva are the easiest.

Activities near Zinal

Facilities

Further details indoors:
There is environmentally friendly under floor geothermal heating throughout the chalet providing warm floors throughout. A log burning stove provides a focal point for the living room and dining room but has to compete with the views!

Traditional pine clad, sunny chalet finished to a very high standard throughout.

Plenty of built in storage space.

Sky tv.

Further details outdoors:
Garden providing uniterrupted views South across the meadows onto Mt. Besso (3668m), Zinal village is surrounded by the Imperial Crown that consists of several 4000m plus moutains including the Weisshorn, at 4506m, the fourth highest in the Alps. An ideal place for lazy summer lunches looking across flower covered alpine meadows towards the snow capped mountains or winter snowman building!

Parking space for several cars.

Conditions

Sorry no animals.

Strictly no smoking, except outside.

For seventh and eighth guests only there is an additional £75 per week charge per person (max £150).

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Ski Fresh Tracks 2008	7 Nov 08	1 Dec 08	650£ 650	150150	160160	3 Nights
Pre Christmas Ski 2008	1 Dec 08	21 Dec 08	850£ 850	0-	0-	1 Week
Christmas and New Year	21 Dec 08	4 Jan 09	2200£ 2,200	0-	0-	1 Week
January 2009 Ski	4 Jan 09	2 Feb 09	1100£ 1,100	0-	0-	1 Week
February 2009 Ski	2 Feb 09	15 Feb 09	1250£ 1,250	0-	0-	1 Week
February 1/2 Term Ski '09	15 Feb 09	1 Mar 09	1400£ 1,400	0-	0-	1 Week
Marchl 2009 Ski	1 Mar 09	5 Apr 09	1250£ 1,250	0-	0-	1 Week
Easter Ski 2009	5 Apr 09	19 Apr 09	1450£ 1,450	0-	0-	1 Week
Ski Touring Season	19 Apr 09	1 Jun 09	600£ 600	150150	160160	3 Nights
Summer Season 2009	1 Jun 09	5 Jul 09	700£ 700	160160	175175	4 Nights
High Summer Season 2009	5 Jul 09	7 Sep 09	750£ 750	0-	0-	1 Week
Autumn Colours 2009	7 Sep 09	2 Nov 09	650£ 650	160160	175175	3 Nights
Ski Fresh Tracks 2009	2 Nov 09	7 Dec 09	650£ 650	150150	160160	3 Nights
Pre Christmas Ski 2009	7 Dec 09	21 Dec 09	950£ 950	0-	0-	1 Week
Christmas 2009	21 Dec 09	4 Jan 10	2200£ 2,200	0-	0-	1 Week

The owner's weekend rates apply to: Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the owner's discretion.

Please note weekly bookings in the ski season, unless agreed otherwise, are Sunday to Sunday to avoid the chaos of Geneva airport on the normal Saturday change over day.

A quarter payment is required to reserve Chalet Esprit des Alpes. The outstanding amount plus a security deposit of £300 is payable eight weeks before the start of your holiday. The security deposit will be returned after your holiday as long as everything is in order.

Guestbook

“The village and your place are simply ‘out of this world.’” – Rob, January 2008.

“Enjoyed a superb weeks skiing – sunny every day – and we were impressed by the charm of Zinal and the friendliness of those we encounted. Wonderful chalet and what views! – My wife now wants one (thanks Dave!!) Ski school was excellent for kids and very well equipped. Would love to visit again.” – Pete, Julie and Thomas, February 2008.

“Fabulous skiing and an awesome chalet with the views actually looking better than the pictures. Chalet Esprit des Alpes actually describes it perfectly.” – Karim, March 2008.

“Got to know Zinal a little more – with its wonderfully friendly people. Chalet is top notch with amazing Southern views!” The Woodroffe’s, June 2008.

“Quite stunned by the beauty of the Swiss Alps” and “Chalet Esprit des Alpes was more than you described and a real home from home. Despite being a regular mountain visitor during summer months, neither Claire nor I have skied in the past but Zinal looked so amazing we are now considering a winter holiday and will be sure to approach you for Chalet Esprit if we can get a few together. Otherwise we will certainly be recommending to friends. ” Also “Had a wonderful week at your chalet, a real home from home! Fantastic walks and superb views. Great cycling territory! We’ve had a very chilled honeymoon here.” Claire, Steven and Alexander. July 2008.

Availability

See below for next 6 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Contact owner

To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/52204

Contact details for home 52204 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	David Kilborn
Mobile:	+44 (0)7768 778 758
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Advertiser joined: 20 Mar 2008 This property added: 20 Mar 2008

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