Chalet Le Ruisseau

This beautiful mountain chalet was built in 2001. The design is contemporary, with untreated larch and stone giving the walls and floors a natural feel.

In designing the house from scratch, the owners have incorporated all the elements that make mountain living so rewarding – access directly from the piste into a mountain room for boots and climbing gear, under-floor heating, a large double height living space, sauna, and an outside plunge pool which is hot in winter and cool in summer.

There is a bubble lift in the village connecting to the main Villars ski area, with 120 km of pistes and 50 km of cross-country trails. The town of Villars is 3 km to the west of Barboleuse, and has excellent facilities. To the north the ski area joins with Les Diablarets, with an additional 180km of pistes and a glacier (3000m).

The villa is self-catered, although a cook can be sourced on request. Le Ruisseau sleeps 10 comfortably, and up to 15 if the bunk room above the garage is used too. Highlights include the spectacular galleried sitting room with its huge stone fireplace, and the sauna and plunge pool.

The chalet is run by Christophe Dubuis, who lives further down the hill. He and his team maintain Le Ruisseau and provide invaluable services from snow clearing to collection from train stations.