Get the VIP treatment at Haus Glacier, Zermatt

Haus Glacier | Zermatt, Switzerland

I have never: skied in Zermatt; stayed in a catered chalet; shared said chalet with (husband excepted) a group of strangers. All three of these firsts converge at once, in this, the very first week of the 2014/15 ski season. Fingers, toes and just about everything else are crossed for snow when in other “snow-sure” resorts haven’t even been able to muster a sprinkling of powder.

Arriving in Geneva, we hop on a glass-roofed train that ascends slowly but prettily through the mountains, and arrive in Zermatt to be met by VIP Ski resort manager Leo and our chalet host Tom. It is Tom’s first week of his first season, not that you’d know; Leo is a seasoned seasonnaire.

We are the first to arrive at Haus Glacier, a six-person apartment that couldn’t be more centrally placed on Bahnhofstrasse, not two minutes’ walk from the station and amidst the bustle of the shops and wine bars on Zermatt’s main street, although the complete quiet of the apartment belies its location. The apartment’s wraparound balcony hovers over the pretty Zermatt streets, from which the unmistakable figure of the Matterhorn can be seen looming large above the rooftops – the perfect spot for a sunset aperitif. It is ideally positioned for the ski lifts, just a five-minute walk from the Sunnegge funicular, the Gornergrat train (a novel and very beautiful way to ascend the mountain) or the free shuttle bus to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise lift.

The apartment is homely rather than sumptuous: red striped sofas and obligatory wood paneling abound. The bedrooms are nicely though not ostentatiously furnished; the bathrooms are designer though understated, with under-floor heating and Molton Brown toiletries. Plus, another first – a wardrobe housing, not the usual parsimonious three hangers (two of them inevitably broken), but actually more than enough for all my clothes! Hallelujah!

For afternoon arrivals, tea and warm raspberry and white chocolate cookies await travel-weary guests. Every day thereafter, afternoon tea is left out to greet guests’ arrival back at the chalet, with a different home-baked cake – Guinness chocolate cupcakes and tray bake being particular favourites.

On the first and last nights, champagne and canapés are served ahead of dinner. The kitchen is open to the living / dining room, and so – for better or worse – Tom cooks in full view of his guests. He copes admirably well with this, making friendly conversation (whilst dodging the absurdly low cooker hood which hangs at about chest height) as he works, and if it hampers his ability to concentrate it certainly fails to show in his food. Nightly he produces delicious, technically impressive food: stand-out starters are artichoke hearts with chorizo and new potatoes, crosiflette (a yummy Swiss cheese and ham pasta dish), and Tom’s favourite parsnip soup with a “drowning” parsnip crisp (which was gobbled up well before it had a chance to drown). For mains, think slow cooked lamb with bulgar wheat and harissa-spiced carrot salad, and sea bream with tomato and olive salsa, baked potato wedges and pea puree. And even Tom was impressed with his towering triumph of a raspberry soufflé, and his cherry cheesecake and spiced poached pear with vanilla mascarpone came in at a close second. Granted, Tom descends from a family of caterers, but still, I’m pretty sure at his age I was pleased with having successfully produced a spaghetti Bolognese. Still am, come to think of it.

The ever-obliging Tom will also tweak the menu to cater for dietary requirements or those with smaller appetites than my boorish husband who, shock horror, was actually more than sated on a daily basis.

Breakfast is continental and/or cooked according to your whim each day. Home comforts find their way onto the the morning breakfast table, Dorset Cereals and Weetabix among them, to help the Brit feel at home amongst the breads and croissants freshly delivered daily.

The VIP Ski team in Zermatt is small: Tom, Leo, Becca and Emmy (the latter is the chalet host for the sister chalet of Haus Glacier, a beautifully refurbished old barn in Zermatt’s old town with an even better view of the Matterhorn). VIP has strict criteria for the hosts it recruits, and our group comprises twenty-something post-graduates with good heads on their shoulders and can-do attitudes. On their day off (Wednesday), they will make restaurant and taxi recommendations and reservations for you. They are articulate, courteous and helpful, with an easy, friendly manner that is so vital in the intimate chalet environment.

Take advantage of the ski hosting offered by Becca, to help you get to know the pistes. It is informally run, and guests can ski with her on any day except a Wednesday. You can ski up to three full days with her, or peel off whenever you feel ready to go it alone. With a vast amount of terrain spanning two countries (you can ski over the Swiss / Italian border into Cervinia, where more snow and wide, undulating runs can be found – just don’t forget your Euros!), we could not pass up the human sat nav that is Becca, and it is a relief not to have to retrieve a soggy piste map from my pocket every five minutes. Another benefit of skiing with Becca is that she won’t let you get stuck in Italy, which is a real (and for us, almost realised) risk when the last lifts up to the border stop running. Suffice it to say it is cheaper to stay the night in Cervinia than to take a taxi back through the mountains to Zermatt. You have been warned.

A rather excellent perk of Haus Glacier is its private lift to the ski hire shop, Glacier Sport, below. Here, Basti and Norman will kit you out with the very best in equipment and will keep it cosy and warm in their storeroom each evening. No need to put any shoes on once you’ve relinquished those comfortable ski boots – just dive, sock-clad, into the lift, press the VIP button and emerge ten seconds later into the warm arms of the chalet to collapse on the sofa with a coffee and the latest tempting cake.

Not only an obliging purveyor of hired skis, Norman is also a font of knowledge for the best bars in Zermatt. On his recommendation, we check out the cosy Snow Boat (at the bottom of the Sunnegge gondola), the roaring fire in Bar 55, and the upmarket Gees, all of which ply excellent gluwein and whose staff – particularly by comparison to some resorts I could name – are delightful. Even when forced to drop a tray load of beers as a result of the casual outstretched arm of a spatially under-aware husband.

Zermatt is our new favourite resort. It is just beautiful, town and mountain alike. Granted, it is pricey (a gin and tonic can easily set you back 16 CHF – approximately £12) but somehow you don’t mind, and the price point dissuades the rowdier types who storm other resorts for two-for-one Jagerbombs and ear-splitting après. Zermatt has a mature feel about it, without losing the buzz. Call us middle-aged, but this is right up our street.

In an expensive resort, the catered chalet experience at Haus Glacier is an affordable alternative to the four- and five-star hotels dotted along Bahnhofstrasse. The VIP Ski experience really makes it: the amiable Tom and his delicious food; the ski hosting with Becca; and being thrown together with four other guests who are great company and with whom we end up skiing most days. We become a little family for a week. This little gem of a chalet in Zermatt is our new home-from-home, and it can be yours too. And what better time to visit, when Zermatt has just been voted the best ski resort in the world?

Prices start from £889 pp based on 2 sharing, including return SWISS flights from Gatwick, coach transfers, catered chalet board; complimentary ski and snowboard hosting service on 3 days. Alternatively book accommodation only. http://www.vip-chalets.com. VIP can arrange lift passes, as well as equipment hire – just ask the team when booking. For pricing information, as well as information about the resort, see www.zermatt.ch.

To book independent travel, visit http://www.swiss.com to book one of 200 weekly flights to Switzerland from London Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin. The Swiss Transfer train (the alternative to VIP’s included coach transfer) can be booked through www.swisstravelsystem.co.uk for £92 return in second class of £148 in first class.

Anneka Dalton