Ferme De Moudon

The hidden door. Ferme de Moudon presents to the lane as a deliberately discreet 300-year-old farmhouse façade — chocolate-box exterior, no signage, no concession to its current life as one of the most decorated chalets in the Alps. The contrast between the modest entrance and what lies behind is the property's defining experience.

Les Gets sits at the centre of the Portes du Soleil — one of the largest interconnected ski areas in the world, straddling the French-Swiss border with around 650 km of marked piste across twelve linked villages. The resort itself has held its position as an old-money family destination through the late-twentieth-century expansion of the Alpine luxury sector, keeping a relatively low-key village atmosphere where Méribel, Courchevel and Val d'Isère have become substantially more developed. The hamlet of Moudon sits on the outskirts of the village, at the end of a quiet lane just past the local chapel.

The chalet itself is a 300-year-old wooden farmhouse with four floors and 350-400 m² of restored living space, externally indistinguishable from any number of the working farmsteads still operating across Haute-Savoie. What's behind the door is what made Dobree's reputation.

The contemporary-alpine design language that has since become the sector's default — ancient timbers paired with contemporary furniture, light palettes lifting the heritage darkness, oversized windows opening the walls to mountain views, the kitchen and dining room reconceived as the social heart rather than the staff territory — was developed here first. Christian Liaigre furniture, Kohler bathrooms, Poliform fittings, Andrew Martin textiles, cashmere throws on soft leather upholstery: the named-supplier discipline that runs through every Dobree chalet since.

The five bedrooms distribute across the floors, with the master suite on the first floor opening to the panoramic mountain view and carrying a private mezzanine for two children's beds (extendable to four for larger families). Four further en-suite bedrooms run across the ground, upper ground and lower ground floors, each configurable as super-king double or twin for booking flexibility. The children's mezzanine in the eaves sleeps two or four depending on configuration. Standard capacity is 10-12 guests; maximum 14 with additional beds. Public spaces are unusually generous for the bedroom count: two large drawing rooms with open log fires, an open-plan kitchen with breakfast bar and bar area, a candlelit dining room, a TV snug with leather sofas and billiards table, a study with WiFi.

The wellness arrangement is laid out across the back terrace. An outdoor heated swimming pool with valley views; a sunken outdoor hot tub reached by candlelit steps for the after-dark approach; a Nordic-style outdoor ice-cold shower for post-sauna use; a fire pit for evenings out under the stars. Inside, a sauna and a massage treatment room with a spa therapist available on request. Bamford bathroom products in the en-suites.

 
Operating model runs to two options. Fully catered packages include a household team of four (Manager, Chef and two Hosts on rotation), with the Chef delivering daily breakfast, afternoon tea and a three-course dinner on five evenings, and a chauffeured driver service from 08:00 to 22:30 with one vehicle. Self-catered packages include linens, mid-week housekeeping, bathrobes and slippers, and transport guides; chef and driver are bookable separately. Both options run year-round — the property operates through summer (June to September) for hiking, mountain biking and outdoor pool use, with the wider Portes du Soleil network running an extensive lift-served summer programme.

Worth the journey for: travellers wanting the original Dobree chalet rather than one of the fifty that followed it, plus design-aware visitors who recognise that the contemporary-alpine sector has its founding example here. Wedding parties, anniversaries and milestone birthdays — the property carries the household team and the spatial proportion for a substantial private event. Year-round visitors wanting an Alpine base outside the winter ski calendar, with the Portes du Soleil hiking and biking infrastructure as the summer alternative. Less so for: travellers wanting full-service hotel infrastructure on the doorstep (the chalet is a private home with staff, not a hotel with reception and 24-hour service); travellers wanting walk-to-the-lift ski-in/ski-out access (the lift is a four-minute drive, not on foot); travellers prioritising restaurant variety (Les Gets village has the appropriate inventory but it's a three-minute drive away rather than out the door).