10 Over-the-Top Chalets You Can Sleep In

Art Chalet

Location: Courchevel 1850, France

The Art Chalet is seven floors of aesthetic heaven. Glass elevators whisk you from one flamboyant level to the next in a chalet whose outrageous features will satisfy even the most eccentric of guests.

What We Love: Only in an Alps ski town with as much savoir faire as Courchevel 1850 could you pull off a ski-in, ski-out chalet decked to the nines with Picassos and Warhols. Everything around you is artfully styled: the light installations, the grand piano's red interior, even the Japanese toilets.

The Experience: You can order a drink at the indoor pool's swim-up bar, get a massage in the spa, or play roulette in the casino-style room. No need to go looking for nightlife: This chalet has its own nightclub with DJ equipment, a dance floor, and killer lighting and sound systems. Give your chauffeur and the Mercedes 4x4 the night off.

Rates: From €165,000 ($219,800) per week for up to 16 guests

Casa Nova

Location: Deer Valley, Utah

A 13,000-square-foot, ski-in, ski-out residence in one of Deer Valley's most exclusive communities, the Casa Nova chalet charms effortlessly on a grand scale.

What We Love: This suave chalet has everything you'd expect from a Casanova's lair: tech-savvy touchscreen controls in every room, a billiards table, a dance floor, and a bar. A private chef is even available to deliver gourmet meals to your gorgeous dining-room table under a domed ceiling. The baby grand piano and the private cinema with tiered seating for 15 are proof that this playboy spares no expense to impress.

The Experience: Come in from a day on the slopes and hit the Casa Nova spa's steam room or sauna before the massage therapist goes to work on you. Get the party started in the outdoor hot tub or around the firepit with sweeping mountain views in every direction.

Rates: $25,000 to $125,000 per week for up to 14 guests

The Lodge

Location: Verbier, Switzerland

In the uber-exclusive Swiss Alps ski-resort town of Verbier, The Lodge, Sir Richard Branson's personal mountain chalet, redefines luxury on his own clever terms, designer rubber duckies and all.

What We Love: We love that the things worth raving about at other luxury chalets—an acclaimed chef, a spa treatment room, a cinema, and a stylish indoor pool—are a given here. We love that there's a private ice rink and that you can go curling on it. We love that there are no less than 13 staff members in the 10-bedroom chalet. We love that Sir Richard has a chalet dog here and it is, of course, gorgeous.

The Experience: Let the activities coordinator, spa therapist, and Raymond Blanc-trained chef pamper you while the children become official Lodge Rangers at the chalet's staff-run Kids Club.

Rates: 82,500 to 149,700 CHF ($88,500 to 160,500) per week

Triple Creek Ranch's Ponderosa Cabin

Location: Darby, Montana

This all-inclusive luxury dude ranch set among towering pines in the Montana Rockies claimed the #2 spot on Travel + Leisure's World's Best Hotels list in 2012.

What We Love: Triple Creek Ranch's Ponderosa Cabin, a three-bedroom log cabin, is a posh adults-only hideaway that has terrific mountain views along with rustic luxuries that capture the spirit of the Wild West: a two-story stone fireplace, huge log-post beds, and a rotating selection of original, regional art from the owner's collection.

The Experience: In winter, spend the day with Iditarod racer Jessie Royer, the resident dogsledder at the ranch. Cooking school on weekends, helicopter tours of Yellowstone, and snowshoeing are also popular. Return to fresh-baked cookies and homemade trail mix in your cabin each afternoon.

Rates: $2,650 per couple per night

Chalet One Oak

Location: Combloux, France

This French chalet is the epitome of Alpine cool. The owner's retired Harley-Davidson displayed just inside the entrance sets a sleek black-leather-jacket tone that pairs stylishly with the traditional timber craftsmanship.

What We Love: Large windows in every room at Chalet One Oak give you the impression you're outside, and it's impossible to wake up on the wrong side of the bed with Mont Blanc in view. This master suite's got mojo: a private balcony, a fireplace, a black-granite rainshower, and a 1930s chandelier that used to hang in India's Jaipur Palace.

The Experience: The open-concept kitchen/dining room/living room that surrounds a contemporary fireplace is the home's apres-ski hub. Head outside for mountain views from the hot tub, terrace seating areas, or balconies.

Rates: $12,700 to $45,000 per week for up to 12 guests

Chalet Trois Couronnes

Location: Verbier, Switzerland

The beauty of Chalet Trois Couronnes lies in the effortless way it blends modern luxury and reclaimed architectural elements. The effect is jaw-dropping castle chic.

What We Love: It feels timeless, this three-building masterpiece. Constructed using historical techniques, Chalet Trois Couronnes brings together gorgeous salvaged pieces collected from all over Europe: natural-stone fountains, gothic fireplaces, antique furniture, and wooden ceilings that were carved in the 1700s and 1800s. The fact that solar and geothermal energy heat the massive property is equally impressive.

The Experience: Browse the vaulted art gallery or relax in the cinema room. The wine cellar has an area where you can socialize and snack with family and friends. Take in views of the surrounding mountains from the steam room, sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi, or indoor pool, which has an intricate mosaic design and a daybed suspended above it.

Rates: $47,600 to $80,600 per week for up to 16 guests

Ultima Thule Lodge

Location: 100 miles from Chitina, Alaska

Ultima Thule Lodge, surrounded by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve's 13-million-acre wilderness (bigger than Switzerland), is the ultimate all-inclusive escape for the been-there-done-that thrill seeker.

What We Love: Since it's 100 miles from the nearest road, there's only one way in and one way out: a lodge-owned bush plane with skis strapped to its landing gear. Ultima's adorable two-bedroom log cabins include sentimental furnishings that were either handcrafted on-site or flown in by the family that runs the lodge.

The Experience: In James Bond style, the lodge's bush pilots double as your ski guides and mountaineers. They take you to places where few humans have been, landing on an isolated glacier for a walk or in a forest clearing for bear watching. In March, you can follow the Iditarod by air and ski fresh powder wherever your pilot decides to land.

Rates: $1,700 per person per night

Chalet Pelerin

Location: Le Miroir, France

A new property opening in February in the Alps' Savoie region, Chalet Pelerin is a fresh take on old-style French country luxury. Rough-hewn beams, carefully curated French furnishings, and a majestic stone fireplace blend beautifully in understated grandeur.

What We Love: For Chalet Pelerin, custom-ski-maker Wagner created skis suited to the surrounding terrain, and they're free for guest use. Heliskiers can get front-door pickup service, ski and lunch in Italy, and be back in France for dinner. Thanks to the chalet's oxygen system with individual room controls, skiers will keep altitude headaches at bay.

The Experience: The traditional country style immediately puts you at ease here. As you might expect in France, the chalet's sommelier and private chef pair wines with gourmet meals around a large family-style table. Getting back out on the slopes comes easily after downtime in the indoor saltwater pool, Finnish sauna, steam room, or outdoor whirlpool.

Rates: $12,500 per night for up to 10 guests

Belmont Estate

Location: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

One of Whistler's most extraordinary homes, the sprawling Belmont Estate sits high above the resort village on seven acres—and comes with its own helipad.

What We Love: Heliskiers can brag about the good life in this ultra-private "heliski-in, heliski-out" chalet. For the rest of us, the ski lifts are only a five-minute drive from the five-bedroom property, which comes with both a driver and a concierge. Spending the week with your mother-in-law? The Belmont Estate's guesthouse is a relationship saver.

The Experience: Don't pass up the chance to roll in the snow then plunge into the heated outdoor pool or the hot tub with room for 12. The stylish seating areas around the outdoor firepits are reminiscent of a design-magazine cover shot. Inside, the steam room, gym, billiards table, and private cinema room will keep you entertained.

Rates: $70,000 to $120,000 CAD ($70,500 to $120,800) per week for up to 16 guests

Chalet Zermatt Peak

Location: Zermatt, Switzerland

In a storybook Swiss Alps village synonymous with skiing, Chalet Zermatt Peak is a modern tale of slick, shimmering design and every-wish-granted service.

What We Love: Massive floor-to-ceiling windows dominate the hip mountainside property, playing up the incredible views of the fabled Matterhorn and the houses below. Glass divides the indoor/outdoor pool with a Murano crystal chandelier above. The master bedrooms are glass roofed so you can stargaze in bed.

The Experience: Here you'll eat like royalty. Chalet Zermatt Peak's chef has a higher rating than any other in Zermatt. Leave your gear at home: The chalet has a selection of high-end skis and hiking boots on hand for guests to use. The sauna, steam room, and massage services come in handy when you overdo it on the slopes.

Rates: 60,000 to 135,000 CHF ($64,400 to $144,800) per week for up to 13 guests

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