Winter escapes: rent a holiday home with deals for Christmas and New Year, from ski chalets to wine regions and city breaks
The Christmas countdown has begun and if thoughts of wrapping paper, mince pies and catering in multiples is overwhelming, head to another land. There’s still time to rent a holiday home where you can celebrate the season and say farewell to 2018 in style. Here are our insider tips.
SKI CHOICES
In St Christoph, Arlberg, Austria, an apartment sleeping eight in three bedrooms. Arlberg Rentals is offering Homes & Property readers a 15 per cent reduction on rates to £1,180 a night in Christmas week and £1,480 a night over New Year.
The convenience of ski-in-and-out accommodation alongside Alpine log fires and atmospheric village charm are found in St Christoph, a high, snow-sure village between super-chic Lech and St Anton, 90 minutes from Innsbruck.
The New Year price includes an invitation to the New Year’s Eve party at the much-loved Hospiz Alms, where the 600-year wine cellar could provide a joyous way to welcome in 2019.
Méribel chalet: Meriski is offering 25 per cent off Christmas week prices for their five remaining chalets, a saving of up to £5,000 on published prices. Chalet Bellevue sleeps up to 12 in six bedrooms. Christmas week is down from £19,100 to £14,320, fully catered.
Méribel is at the centre of the Three Valleys in France, the largest linked ski area in the Alps and a hot favourite with British families looking for a smart chalet holiday. Chalet Bellevue, 10 minutes’ walk from the village centre, provides space to be together and plenty of options for solitude. There’s a well-stocked games room, a hot tub on the terrace and a new wellbeing room for a post-ski massage or a pre-ski warm-up on the cross trainer.
FRENCH WINE AREAS
Mas de la Poulinette, St Remy, Provence: a one-bedroom house sleeping two to four, available over Christmas from £106 a night. Through Airbnb.
Two minutes from the centre of picture-perfect St Remy in Provence, this renovated and cosy one-bedroom house is in typically tasteful style. The host has Airbnb’s highest rating so expect a warm welcome that includes a bottle of local fizz. Spend lazy days cycling through the vineyards on e-bikes, head to St Remy for a pastis or two or play pétanque outside your front door.
St Emilion: sleeps 10 in five bedrooms. Available Christmas week for £5,699. Through The Wow House Company.
This five-bedroom house has stone walls, exposed beams and, for hardy types, a saltwater swimming pool overlooking some of south-west France’s most famous vineyards in the mighty Bordeaux region. The restaurants, bars and Christmas market of St Emilion are within 10 minutes, while Bordeaux airport is one hour away.
CITY CHOICES
Parisian apartment: sleeps six in four bedrooms, priced £870 a night for a minimum four-night stay between December 23 and January 5. Through One Fine Stay.
Experience grand Parisian living in Parc Monceau in the shadow of Montmartre, with traditional features including panelled walls and parquet floors, mixed with arty, unstuffy interiors. This is the historic heart of Paris but also fabulously convenient. The Gare du Nord is 10 minutes away so it’s ideal for the Eurostar, and the nearest Metro station is within two minutes.
Venetian apartment, La Baruffa, Dorsoduro: sleeping five in three bedrooms, available over New Year from £380 per night for a minimum five-night stay. Through Views on Venice.
Cross the Grand Canal at Academia Bridge and you leave San Marco to arrive in Dorsoduro, an area of Venice crammed with museums and galleries but with far fewer tourists. This three-bedroom apartment between the Guggenheim Museum and the promenade of Zattere has an oh-so-rare private garden, making it a total charmer.
Palazzo Vendramin, Venice: sleeping two in a one-bedroom apartment, available over Christmas for £240 a night for a minimum three-night stay.
Imagine waking up on Christmas morning in “La Serenissima”, Italy’s watery city. This apartment is one of eight in a 15th-century palazzo that’s directly on a Venetian canal and has undergone a three-year renovation to provide all modern comforts. Palazzo Vendramin is in Cannaregio, the least touristy part of Venice, yet still only 15 minutes on foot from San Marco Square.