Top 5 luxury chalets to rent in France if you’re not a millionaire

We take a look at some seriously attractive luxury ski chalets with price tags that won’t break the bank but will elevate you to millionaire status for the seven precious days that you are there. Skiing is definitely not a poor man’s pastime – everybody knows that – it’s pretty much a case of supply and demand. The ski season in Europe is relatively short and the ski resorts, although in plentiful supply, especially around the Alps, draw huge numbers from around the world, it’s like trying to squeeze a gallon into a pint pot, consequently driving the price of accommodation ever skyward. Then there’s the flights, ski hire, lift passes, transfers and a long list of incidentals to contend with. Factor in the Christmas and New Year periods when a hell of a lot of people want to experience a Winter wonderland festive season, causing a further hike in the price of everything, costs can quickly spiral and before you know where you are you’re re-mortgaging your house. So here are our top 5 luxury chalets to rent in France if you’re not a millionaire… Yellowstone Lodge, St Foy, France The biggest expense will undoubtedly be the accommodation, chalets don’t come cheap, luxury ski chalets are someway north of cheap. Don’t despair though, you can live like a millionaire and rub shoulders with billionaires in the five chalets I have selected from our portfolio of stunning properties. First up, the Yellowstone Ski Lodge in St Foy, St Where? I hear you ask. Not the most famous ski resort I’ll grant you but nevertheless an idyllic village tucked away in the Taranetaise, just down the road from Val d’Isere and slap bang in the middle some magnificent skiing and a perfect location for skiing the big resorts of Vald’Isere, Les Arc and Le Roseirre with some amazing off piste in St Foy. The chalet is ski-in ski-out, very spacious and superbly furnished and finished. The out door hot tub has fantastic views out over the valley below. A week here will leave you feeling like you just won the lottery. Chalet La Tene, Val d’Isere, France Chalet La Tene in Val d’Isere allows you to dream big. You can swan around the place pretending to be Nelson Rockefeller. This stupendous chalet is the last word in Alpine chic. Designed by the Oliver Thornton Architects of Stockholm, the chalet oozes class and sophistication. Of course it goes without saying that the property is ski -in ski-out, a premium luxury that always nudges the price a little higher. You most certainly don’t have to be a billionaire to hire this property but if you were you wouldn’t feel short changed. Cragganmore, Chamonix, France Somewhere in Movie Land they’re currently casting for the next James Bond, they despatch the location scout to find a place to film the ski scenes where our intrepid hero out-ski’s and out-thinks the naughty men who want to snuff him out like a christmas candle. A high tech, ultra modern, high end chalet, with a feel of unfettered wealth is called for. Cue screeching brakes, as Fred Finder drives past he is immediately on the blower to Derek Director, “got it boss, the perfect place.” And that place is Chalet Cragganmore in Chamonix. It has all the above attributes and more. As he drives away Fred Finder makes mental notes about the champagne scenes in the hot tub where Faye Fabulous seduces our hero with her ample charms. iGloo, Morzine, France Chalet iGloo in Morzine is a one off and another ski-in ski-out luxury ski chalet. Standing proudly in its own plot, iGloo benefits from a cutesy little cinema complete with red velvet seats and 3D screen. The staff will treat you like royalty and pander to your every whim, they may even peel you a grape or two. You can buy a millionaires lifestyle here for a week with a relatively modest budget. Aster, Courchevel 1650, France Chalet Aster in Courchevel 1650 is very spacious and has room to swing several cats all at once. Just down the mountain from arguably the most expensive and exclusive resort in Europe, Courchevel 1850, you’re handily placed to hob knob with the incredibly rich and incredibly famous. Rubber necking is unavoidable here, was that George Clooney I just saw walking into Super U? and hold on isn’t that what’s her face from Downton Abbey? Yep, it’s a celeb spotters paradise. You may well not be impressed at all with all that palaver but you are somehow implicated because you are staying in a chalet fit for a Prince but without the price tag to match. Rebecca Taylor is Director at SkiBoutique. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.