Smith tip
Verbier is one of the sunniest resorts in the Swiss Alps and lies in a cauldron-shaped valley, which intensifies the glare off the snow. Chalet Kernow provides its guests with a daily skiing kit, including the all-important sun screen. You can also book tanning treatments if you get those telltale ‘panda eyes’ – alternatively, keep your sunglasses on at all times.
Chalet Kernow
Verbier, Switzerland[view map]
Slope off for lunch
Chez Dany is a Verbier institution with a great atmosphere and superb views. Set between les Ruinettes and Verbier, their speciality is croûte au fromage – baked bread with ham and Swiss cheese topped with fried egg (+41 (0)27 771 2524).Activities
Verbier is ideal for intermediate and experienced skiers and has some of the best and most accessible off-piste skiing in the Alps. Stairway to Heaven is an outstanding off-piste run and the north face of Mont-Fort is not for the faint-hearted. The resort has over 250 miles of ski runs and there are some less challenging slopes on Les Ruinettes and Savoleyres, which are suitable for beginners. There’s a host of other activities, including paragliding, skidooing, snow shoeing, ice-skating and two 10-kilometre toboggan runs. La Fantastique offers these activities as well as ice climbing (www.lafantastique.com).
Ski services
Pre-arranged lift passes and in-chalet fittings take the hassle out of getting onto the slopes. Staff can provide a guided piste orientation on Mondays and are happy to organise ski lessons, restaurant bookings, in-house massage, Pilates and yoga tuition and special event catering for birthdays and anniversaries. If you fancy heli-skiing, husky-mushing or skidooing, the chalet staff can take care of everything. Normally everything is added to one single bill payable at the end of your stay.In the Summer months
During the summer, Verbier is popular with hikers and walkers. La Fantastique offers mountaineering, mountain biking and canyoning. You can also head for the hills on a quad bike with Quad Adventure (www.quadaventure.ch). There are over 250 miles of waymarked hiking paths across Val de Bagnes. The route via La Chaux, Col Termin and Fionnay is fantastic – you may even spot an ibex. You can buy trail maps from the Tourist Office in the main town square.Restaurants
Chalet Adrien
(+41 (0)27 771 62 00)Unusually for Verbier, the excellent, Michelin-starred L'Appartement restaurant specialises in Italian cuisine. This is a surprise considering Italy is just over the mountains.
Hôtel-Restaurant le Chalet d'Adrien, Chemin des Creux, 1936 Verbier
Bars
Le Crok Bar
(+41 (0)27 771 6934)This sophisticated but thankfully relaxed bar has great Alpine Modernist style and is ideal for some cocktails before heading for Verbier’s nightclubs.
Le Crok, Route des Creux 22, 1936 Verbier
Cafes
Offshore
(+41 (0)27 771 5444)Nowhere does better hot chocolate than this café right by the Médran lift. It’s a welcome sight at the end of a hard day’s skiing or a perfect way to start your morning on the slopes.
Offshore Café, Médran lift station, 1936 Verbier
Pubs
Pub Mont-Fort
(+41 (0)27 771 4849)A lively and friendly bar which has been a mainstay of the seasonal (particularly the British) party scene for many a winter. Steer clear if you want to be on the slopes early the next morning.
Pub Mont-Fort, Chemin de la Tinte, Case Postale, 1936 Verbier
For a full list of eating and drinking recommendations in Verbier, check out our Verbier restaurant guide
For a full list of recommended activities in Verbier, check out our Verbier destination guide