Planes

The closest place to touch down is Sion, which can be reached directly from London’s City and Heathrow airports. There’s only one flight a week, though, so most people fly into Geneva (three hours’ drive) instead. The hotel can arrange transfers for €250 from Sion or €600 from Geneva.

Trains

If you’d rather go by rail, hop on a service to Sion at Geneva (you can catch the train from the airport station, saving the need for a trip into town). The journey takes around an hour and 45 minutes, passing plenty of mountainous scenery on the way. The hotel can arrange for a driver to collect you from Sion for €250.

Automobiles

You won’t need your own car in the village, which is easy to get around on foot. If you do want to hire at the airport, the Smith24 team can arrange it; the hotel has valet parking for CHF40 a day.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Most guests will be hitting the slopes or trails during the day, which is why the hotel have lavished particular attention on the experience at first and last light. Mornings begin with Greg Marchand’s breakfasts, which balance gourmet-quality cooking with the reality that a day in the mountains demands extra energy. On your return in the afternoon, you’ll find the bar and terrace in full swing, with guests sipping craft cocktails as they soak up the last of the day’s sun. After dark, the bar becomes a destination in itself, but night owls will find it makes a suave precursor to famous after hours spot The Farm Club, which is just downstairs.

The greatest attraction is the resort itself – Verbier is the largest village in Les 4 Vallées, which has more than 400km of groomed piste, ensuring something for skiers of all abilities. What’s more, the vast majority of runs face south, so when it’s sunny, it’ll stay that way pretty much all day. Seasoned skiers will be aware of the resort’s reputation as a free rider’s paradise – Verbier has some of the best lift-served off piste in the world, and holds the final stage of the Freeride World Tour. If you want to guaranteed fresh tracks no matter what time you get out of bed, book a heliskiing session with Adrenaline, whose team of expert guides will tailor the routes to your ability. In summer, that 400km of piste is turned over to hiking and mountain biking. Others get their kicks rock-climbing or canyoning, but for a real natural high, try skydiving or paragliding over the surrounding peaks – you won’t get a better view of Mont Blanc anywhere else.