Alpine activities and chef-prepared meals await at Chalet Pelerin.
show this : A dinner party table abuzz with activity under the gleam of string lights . On it , an disingenuous melange of roasted brinjal and fresh common fig , plates dappled with comestible bloom and perfectly seared escallop , each perched atop a mound of mashed knob celery beside a immature vortex of spinach velouté . Large service of process of smooth , sugary créme caramel companion the last few sip of wine-coloured . With each personally delivered course , the chef explains where the various factor were harvest , and how he cooked them just for us . candela fire dance along the edge of the bench , and in the dusk - hued skies beyond , the light source of the lilliputian Gallic village of Le Miroir make themselves visible against the Tarentaise Valley ’s shadowy slopes . The silhouette of the French Alps blow over into the darken night as the cool evening walkover musses our pilus , still damp from a pre - supper hot tubful soaking .
Or this : An frosting gamey river foams and bubbles over jutting boulder . “ All forward ! ” yells the guidebook . I lean out of the quite a little and hollow my paddle deeply into the water , timing each stroke to fit the someone in front of me . We whoop and scream as our watercraft bucks and shakes , tipping and turning with the dissipated current . dead , a large rock surfaces ahead of us and we all go flying , our bodies knocking into the stomach of the raft and erupting in paroxysm of laughter . Just as quickly , the river calm , and we exit the rapids behind to drift onward , quick to face whatever the current has in entrepot .
unlike as they may seem , both of these experience are at the core of any visit toEleven Chalet Pelerin . A luxury attribute in the Haute - Savoie region of France , the elegant hideaway draws a significant distinction between fete the out-of-doors and actuallyroughing it . “ Eleven was born from the idea that one should n’t have to sacrifice earth - socio-economic class fitting in order toskithe good terrain and fish the most remote rivers , ” explain the ship’s company ’s manage director , Ian Wick . “ Teams consist not only of top - calibre chef and lodge stave , but also some of the most knowledgeable and highly trained local scout in the industry . ”
Photo courtesy of Eleven
In other words , if you ’re into nature but opt red-hot bath and plush robe to chilly streams and quiescence bags , Chalet Pelerin has you covered .
About his oeuvre , Chalet Pelerin ’s templet coach Jean - Noël Gaidet say , “ The destination is always to take citizenry out of their comfort zone . ” Gaidet ’s house has been living in Le Miroir for more than six generations , and he ’s skilled at everything from rock climbing to backcountry skiing . He palaver guests through adventure sport with a combination of earned confidence and expert - natured temper . Ask him about the day ’s short rise , for example , and , with the straightest of faces , he ’ll take that the two - nautical mile jaunt is in spades more than five . connect him on awhite piddle rafting trip , and he ’ll explain that the next set of rapid is horrifically unsafe — but his well-off grin before long gives him away . The content , of course , is that there ’s nothing to be afraid of here , because everything is under ascendency .
In fact , that ’s the philosophical system behind all dozen or so ofEleven ’s properties , a roll that include Harbour Island’sBahama House , Patagonia’sRio Palena Lodge , and Crested Butte’sScarp Ridge Lodge , among others . “ Eleven ’s adventures give guests the opportunity to go beyond their distinctive comfort zone in a secure environment , ” says Wick . “ Some of the most meaningful traveling experience come when we push ourselves to try something new , or gainsay ourselves to delve deep into an activity that we ’re passionate about . ”
That ’s something I discover at first hand during an e - bike excursion , wheels wobbling as I ascend a unconscionable dirt rail . I ’m young to mountain biking and an inexpert cyclist at best , and — to be honest — none too certain about the considerable pearl down the side to my right . “ Am I last to be okay ? ” I ask the guide at some item , half joking .
“ I ’m not worried about you on the bike , ” he say , express mirth , and I allow out a held breath .
The climb levels out , then descends mildly through athletic field and forests before blow over through a fairytale Greenwich Village ready against a backdrop of snowy mountains . As the Alpine zephyr current over my sweaty side , I appreciatively replenish my body of water bottleful in a crystal - unclouded brook and decide there ’s no place I ’d rather be .
Photo courtesy of Eleven
There ’s rich opportunity to push yourself at Chalet Pelerin , where dangerous undertaking activities — coordinated by Gaidet — range from hiking , cycling , canyoneering , and rock climb up to glacier trekking , heli - skiing , Methedrine climb , and snowshoeing . Thewinter seasonis especially popular , as the society ’s proximity to the Alps lend itself to all kinds of snowy backcountry experiences . But there ’s something especially charming about summertime in Le Miroir , when all but the townsfolk ’s 50 - remaining year - stave resident have overturn their vacation homes , leave the narrow empty street to zig - zag between centuries - sure-enough stone house . Hikes wind past local gain hillside blueberries , and easygoing meals are often eaten al fresco .
But not everything is about getting your heart pace up . The chalet is a welcoming yet luxurious haven , the variety of place that ’ll have you padding around in socks or slippers as if in your very own family — if your household was a professionally designed mountain retreat .
There are multi - tiered terraces where you may enjoy an apéritif while gaze out over the mount , warm yourself around a fire pit , or slip into a bubble hot tub . Inside , the decor is tasteful but decidedly unfussy : plaid curtains , comfy couches , a low Browning automatic rifle area with bottomless bowls of nuts and olives . Then there ’s the indoor syndicate , sauna , steam room , and live tubful , and the gear elbow room with its row of mountaineer boot and atomic number 99 - bike , ready to outfit guests each morn .
Photo courtesy of Eleven
People come here to relax , breathe in the Alpine air , and wipe out at least two chef - prepared repast per day , sure , but Chalet Pelerin is n’t just a hotel , it ’s an experience . “ Guests should number with an clear mind-set and an appetence for adventure , ” send word Wick . “ Our squad is known for delivering an element of surprisal , whether that hire the physique of an impromptu costume party while ski above the ocean or après suffice via helicopter on top of a remote mountain . Sometimes , it ’s something unexpected that crap the misstep unfeignedly unforgettable . ”
He ’s not wrong . On one such unforgettable night , we dine on fireside fondu in an Eleven - possess backcountry hut lit only by candlelight . Afterwards , stuffed and felicitous on creamy cheese and local wine , a karaoke auto cryptically appears . Its arrival is take on with cheer of delight , follow by a endurance contest of songs belt out beside flickering flames . Our trunk might be painful from hiking and glacier trekking , but there ’s an melodic phrase of possibility in this little corner of the Alps — and there ’s always room for just one more adventure .
Photo courtesy of Eleven
Photo courtesy of Eleven
Photo courtesy of Eleven
Photo courtesy of Eleven
