In today’s high-octane, always-on world, one of the greatest treats of going on holiday isn’t just being able to spend endless days with family and friends, or doing something different — it’s the chance to take a break from your blasted phone.
It’s this pleasure I muse upon as I watch a coral sky over rugged peaks, having not had a lick of phone signal for 24 hours.
I’ve woken up in Refuge les Mollettes, one of Eleven’s private mountain cabins in the French Alps, a sheepskin-lined, candlelit warm space, modelled after the traditional high mountain hiking refuges you find in this part of the world, but with a luxurious twist. We sleep in tartan-curtained bunks outfitted with the finest linens, shower in hot water, and upstairs there’s a top-of-the-range kitchen plus a dining space in which our private chef, Etienne, works his magic — although the previous night we had opted to eat alfresco under the stars.
I’m on day three of the luxury experiential travel company’s hut-to-hut hike, an adventure that also involves whitewater rafting, ebiking, climbing and canyoning. We started out at Chalet Hibou, several hundred metres down the mountain in the sleepy hamlet of Le Miroir. It’s one of Eleven’s 13 global luxury lodges, which act as base camps for any number of high-octane activities, including heliskiing, trekking, climbing and fishing.
Chalet Hibou is situated in the hamlet of Le Miroir
ELEVEN EXPERIENCE
The Ruitor room is one of seven bedrooms at Hibou
SIMON UPTON
As well as adventure sports, Eleven’s USP is its access to some of the world’s wildest locations. Its founder, Chad Pike, seeks out off-the-beaten path spots around the globe, and then offers his guests the kind of expert insight and experiences formerly only enjoyed by locals.
• The quiet alternative to the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking trail
Our main guide, Jean-No, who leads our little party of five, taking us ebiking, hiking and rappelling down slippery canyon walls, lives next door to the company’s Hibou and Pelerin chalets, and has been based in the Tarentaise Valley his whole life. He’s the one who takes us, mid-mountain biking, to taste fresh goat’s cheese in a rarely visited Alpine hamlet. He even knows the name of the donkey braying in the next-door field — Cherry.
Hibou is filled with vintage French furniture
SIMON UPTON
The chalet has a number of terraces and balconies from which you can enjoy the mountain views
SIMON UPTON
The friendly familiarity of the staff is matched with the kind of luxury not often found on hiking trips. Eleven’s chalets (typically booked by groups) are gorgeous, lovingly renovated by Twelve Interiors (the design company run by Pike’s wife, Blake). In Chalet Hibou this means the beds are clad in locally sourced wools and linens, and the living spaces are filled with vintage French furniture and handmade tiles. There’s a spa, gym and cinema room, plus an alfresco hot tub and cold plunge. The chalet hosts are on hand to plan bespoke itineraries, mix cocktails and answer any questions, while private chefs whip up restaurant-quality meals from delicious local ingredients, paired with fine wines.
• 25 of Europe’s best walking holidays for autumn
Here, time expands and relaxes. There’s no agonising over maps or itineraries or equipment — everything appears before you, like magic. Which means there really isn’t any excuse to pick up your phone, even if there is wi-fi here.
The staff might be ruthlessly efficient — you get the sense that underneath the glass-smooth surface, many pairs of feet are vigorously paddling away — but they’re also warm, welcoming and low-key. They feel almost like new friends; albeit ones who know the perfect Alpine lake to cool off in, or who will lay out a beautiful breakfast spread before you’ve even woken up.
It’s all about offering a “holistic approach” to adventure travel, explains Eleven’s Laura Haselton, who hosts our hut-to-hut trek. Guests are usually multigenerational family groups looking for a holiday that keeps everyone busy and happy, she adds, or a gang of friends, or couples who want a trip with a bit of a challenge and high-adrenaline fun. Above all, the hope is that by the time they check out guests will have made “authentic connections to the places they’ve explored and to the people they’ve met”.
• My hack for a family hiking holiday? Take the ski lifts in the Swiss Alps
When you are surrounded by the dramatic Alpine skyline, full of towering glaciers and gushing waterfalls, it’s hard not to feel that connection. Hiking from Refuge les Mollettes to Rifugio Valgrisenche, its Italian twin across the border, we clamber between dense, thorny brush and tinkling mountain streams, and find ourselves surrounded by wildflowers: oxeye daisies, anemones, bellflowers. We feast on handfuls of wild blueberries, which grow here by the thousand, and plunge into glimmering Lac Noir (although it is more teal than black) for a teeth-chattering respite from the midday heat. In the distance we see the silhouette of an ibex buck on the skyline, surveying its rugged kingdom.
The view from Chalet Pelerin
ELEVEN EXPERIENCE
Pelerin also has a hydrotherapy pool
SIMON UPTON
We cross from France to Italy at Col du Mont, a mountain pass that has been used by humans since at least Roman times, and descend to Rifugio Valgrisenche, which overlooks a pristine valley complete with tiny chapels and herds of dairy cows. The Eleven team have beaten us there, and are waiting with spritzes, showers and dinner cooked over an open fire by Etienne.
The last day of the trip is spent canyoning: abseiling, jumping, sliding and splashing our way down Italy’s Valle d’Aosta. Then it’s back over the border to Chalet Hibou, where my phone finally — regrettably — comes back to life.
The real world beckons, but for five days Eleven has given me the gift of time to myself: to savour, to explore and to push me out of my comfort zone. All while surrounded by the luxury of friendly faces, obscenely good food and some of the most beautiful views in the world.
Chalet Hibou starts at £8,690 a night, based on 14 guests. From there, a three-day, two-night hut-to-hut experience starts at £2,085 for up to eight guests when added to a four-night stay at Chalet Pelerin or Chalet Hibou (one-night options are also available, from £1,210), elevenexperience.com
Five companies offering luxury hiking holidays1. Pelorus Travel
Seeking to “transform our perspective of the world and our impact on the planet”, Pelorus’s bespoke itineraries are centred on socially responsible travel, from conservation experiences to sailing in remote parts of the world — with hikes built into the itinerary.
pelorustravel.com
2. Intrepid Travel
From Yellowstone in the US to Jordan, Intrepid Travel’s Premium trekking trips uncover some of the world’s most beautiful destinations, alongside first-class travel, five-star accommodation (including in historic mansions and eco-lodges) and exclusive cultural experiences.
intrepidtravel.com
3. The Carter Company
Twenty-five years of experience have led to the company’s unique hiking itineraries in the UK and Europe, paired with tried-and-tested hotels. Its Idyllic Italian Lakes programme takes in Como and Maggiore, all set against the dramatic backdrop of the Italian Alps.
the-carter-company.com
4. Jacada Travel
Want unique experiences alongside your mountain or back-country trails? Jacada offers access to remote teahouses, indigenous craft markets and local farmers, for a truly authentic sense of discovery while you hike.
jacadatravel.com
5. Joro Experiences
If you’ve got a big birthday coming up, or another significant family celebration, Joro Experiences offers unique ways to mark it. Its expert team plans unforgettable, one-off adventures (such as photographing polar bears in the Arctic, or harvesting nutmeg in the Spice Islands) that are designed to challenge and transform guests, with hikes built in to suit the group’s fitness levels.
joroexperiences.com