Chalet-Hôtel Inarpa

At the end of the Confins road, where La Clusaz stops

Inarpa stands on the Route des Confins, the road that leaves La Clusaz and climbs into the high valley below the Aravis ridge. It is the last stretch of inhabited mountain before the trails take over, a place of cross-country tracks, a small lake and the wall of limestone peaks that gives the range its outline. The chalet is built in the local manner, heavy timber and deep eaves, but with the proportions and the lighting of a recent house rather than a converted farm, and it carries a five-star classification.

Blond timber, open showers and windows onto the peaks

The rooms are lined in pale wood from floor to ceiling, with walk-in showers set behind glass, alpine murals in the bathrooms, thick robes and windows framed on the neighbouring chalet roofs and the mountains behind them. Furnishing stays deliberately quiet: white bedding, grey wool, warm recessed light. Room service is available, and the house keeps a ski room for equipment.

A jacuzzi facing the Aravis, and a fireplace that turns

The centrepiece is the large outdoor jacuzzi, positioned for the panorama rather than tucked out of sight, which is where guests end the day whether the terrace is under snow or under summer light. Indoors there is a fitness room and a rotating fireplace that serves more than one room at once, and massages can be arranged in the chalet.

La Caleche, Savoyard cooking from midday to midnight

The chalet runs its own restaurant, La Caleche, open continuously from noon until midnight and built around traditional Savoyard cooking and regional produce. Serving through the afternoon is rare in the mountains and it changes the shape of a day: coming off the trails at four still gets you a proper table rather than a sandwich.

What the family arranges around the chalet

The house is run by the Boguet family, and much of its character comes from what they organise outside it: snowmobile outings and traditional sledge runs in winter, quad excursions and helicopter flights in summer, and evenings in the trapper's cabin with regional tastings. Airport transfers and car hire can be arranged, and a golf course lies within a few kilometres for the green months.

Why it holds a place on our La Clusaz list

La Clusaz is a village resort with a busy centre, and most of its addresses sit inside that centre. Inarpa offers the other option: a five-star chalet at the end of the valley, with a hot tub facing the Aravis, a kitchen that serves late, and paths leaving from the terrace. It suits couples and small groups who came for the mountain itself and expect to be looked after when they come back down.