We stayed in this old world mountain village just down the Meribel Valley from the ski area. Our home for the stay was the Chalet Nikita, a renovated old house made comfortable without any loss of charm. It sits in the village of Chandon, a small gathering of ancient buildings on the hillside looking up at Meribel Village and down at Les Allues.

It was the ideal place for our group. We are a family of four, with several adult friends joining us. We took the upstairs bedroom where we watched the stars out the skylight windows over our head, and the girls took the very small bedroom with bunks and a skylight window of their own. This still left room downstairs for a couple and three of my husband’s ski buddies.

The center floor is the living space, with a large living area where we could all gather and big, informal dining room table to share our meals. The kitchen is small but well thought out, and very user-friendly. The floors are heated, so our toes were warm as we made coffee each morning.

We were delighted to not need to carry our ski equipment much, as a bus stop is immediately outside. The garage downstairs is warm, so our boots, helmets and even our gloves stayed there with our skis. There is also a workbench where my husband and his ski buddies tuned and waxed skis.

The owner was always responsive and very helpful, as was his local contact. We are on an extended trip beyond our stay at the ski area and had some extra logistics. As a result, we were a bit high maintenance, and both Alaric and Luke were always gracious.

Negatives were the main stairs are shaded, so they get a little icy. Older people or those who can’t walk well might want to enter through the downstairs bedroom using the deck stairs facing the street. Having the bus stop next door not only means not carrying your skis, but also more street noise than we expected in a small village. And, as with all older buildings, the bathrooms were a bit small.

Overall, our stay was everything we had hoped, and the Chalet Nikita was a big part of this. We would absolutely stay there again, and recommend it to others who are looking for a ski home that has character, history, and heart.