Chez Nous Zermatt - L'Etoile
Angus Potter and Lizzie Orange set up Chez Nous Zermatt to offer our guests a luxury holiday rental experience that feels more personal – more like staying with a friend than in a “vacation home”.
L'Etoile is the newest addition to the Chez Nous Zermatt group. Named after a pretty little peak to the west of Zermatt, this is a truly pretty one bedroom apartment (and can sleep 3 people if you use the sofa bed) with stunning Matterhorn views.
Great care has been taken to create a truly welcoming atmosphere: the apartment has a bright and sunny kitchen/living room and the generous balcony that wraps around the building (with access from the bedroom and the living room) adds to the feeling of space as you look out at the view. There is one double bedroom (with a superking-sized bed) and the sofa in the living room can also be used a sofa bed. The 55" home cinema system is complete with all UK channels and Apple TV and the dining area comfortably seats 6 people so you can enjoy meals at home and then in the evenings (or on bad weather days) you can get cosy watching a film or reading your book and when it is time to sleep the beds are super-comfortable. We also make sure that "the basics" are in stock so that you can make tea/coffee and have a glass of wine without having to go shopping straight away!
If you are part of a larger group of family and friends then combining L'Etoile with one of our other apartments can allow you all to be together in the same building but free to retreat to your own space when needed. See our other listings for Le Corbassiere (sleeps 6), The Mischabel (sleeps 6-8) and Le Petit (sleeps 4).
All the Chez Nous apartments have 180 degree views straight out on to The Matterhorn, over towards Gornergrat and up the Trift valley . One of the only remaining fields in the village is just in front of us which gives a welcome feeling of space despite being so close to all the restaurants, the church bridge and the lift stations/bus.
The only practical point to bear in mind is that direct access to our building from street level (when you arrive and leave) is down 3 flights of stairs. However once your luggage is installed most guests then use the shortcut to the village via a path across the field in front of the house.
Your apartment is your home for the week - there is also a ski room on the ground floor and laundry in the basement (both of these are communal rooms for the whole building so we ask Chez Nous guests to keep them in good order)
Lizzie and Angus have lived in Zermatt for the last 10 years (and Angus has skied here since he was 9 years old). We will help you get as much as possible organised before you arrive (ski schools, restaurant reservations, lift passes, help with child care etc) so that you are free to enjoy your holiday. Once you get here you will be met at the station and brought up to your apartment by electro-taxi by our on-the-ground concierge who will help you settle in and will be on hand to help with any questions throughout your stay.
Zermatt deserves its reputation as one of the world's best mountain resorts - there is a magical quality to it all year round.
The Klein Matterhorn cable car is the highest cable car in Europe (3,883m at the summit) and on a clear day gives you simply breathtaking views out towards Mont Blanc and its surrounding peaks. Alternatively start your day on the Gornergrat railway which originally opened in 1898 and is the second highest railway in Europe (after the Jungfrau) - a great feat of Swiss engineering. From the top of Gornergrat you get a sweeping panorama of 29 'four thousanders' (mountains over 4,000m) including the Monte Rosa which is the highest mountain in Switzerland.
In the winter your lift pass covers the Zermatt and Cervinia and includes some 360km of marked runs but if that isn't enough you can also ice skate, sledge, hike, snow shoe, try curling or simply swim and relax in one of the village hotel's wonderful wellness areas.
In the summer there is glorious hiking, climbing, a fun park for the children, cycling, tennis, squash, paragliding and plenty of places to have a picnic by a lake.
At any time of year Zermatt has something to offer and its mountain restaurants are second to none in the Alps so the gourmet will not be disappointed either.
Don't forget that Zermatt is a car free resort so you will arrive here by train in to Zermatt station (if you plan on driving to Switzerland then you drive as far as Tasch and then take the 20 minute shuttle train up to Zermatt).
We will meet you at the station and bring you up to the apartment by electro-taxi. once you are installed, Chez Nous is 5 minutes' walk from the centre of the village and about 10 minutes' walk to the nearest ski lift. You can also pick up the ski shuttle bus that runs along the river between the 3 main ski lifts up the mountain (and once you are up on the hill there are linking lifts to access the whole ski area).
Waterfront Area, Zermatt, Switzerland