Renting a catered chalet in Gstaad, properly
Oberbort is the address, sitting above the village with the views and the space; the village itself puts you on foot to Le Chesery and the Palace. Schönried is quieter again and worth knowing if the party wants the mountain more than the town.
When a chalet beats a hotel
For a family or a group of six and up, a catered chalet beats a hotel floor on both privacy and cost per head, and it puts a chef in the house rather than a restaurant booking at 8pm. Gstaad’s chalet stock is smaller than Courchevel’s and moves earlier, so the decision needs making sooner than most people expect.
Christmas, New Year and the season
Christmas and New Year in Gstaad are effectively placed a year out, and the same is true of the best chalets. If you are looking at those weeks inside three months the honest answer is usually that the good houses have gone — we will say so rather than place you somewhere that disappoints. January and March are a genuinely different proposition and much easier.