BANG GOES THE BONUS
Even with those pesky bonus caps, surely there’s room for a little celebration. And if you’re looking for luxury, you could do worse than visiting the banker’s paradise of Zermatt in Switzerland. As well as high altitude, good snow conditions and a link to Cervinia so you can ski to Italy for a long lunch, the picture postcard village is car-free and full of designer shops. And if that doesn’t empty the wallet you can always visit the ice grotto on top of the Klein Matterhorn cable car, take a helicopter trip around the Matterhorn, stay overnight at the Igloo above Riffelberg or even go heli-skiing on the Italian side of the mountain range in the Monte Rosa.
Rated the sixth best in Europe by Conde Nast Traveller magazine, the five-star Mont Cervin hotel is in the centre of town with views of the Matterhorn. It offers the expected delights of pool and spa, plus the gourmet extra of a buffet breakfast then dinner in any one of 13 Seiler restaurants – from Japanese to traditional Swiss – dotted round the resort. A week’s half board at the five-star Hotel Mont Cervin Place with scheduled flights from Heathrow to Geneva and transfers costs from £1,969 per person with Crystal Finest (0871 971 0364; www.crystalfinest.co.uk)
Le Chardon Mountain Lodges in Val d’Isere, France, has also released special late-booking prices for its luxury chalets, which come with all the home comforts and a chauffeur at your beck and call. Chalets Bergerie and Mistral are available from April 4-25 at special discounted prices ranging from £1,150-26,530 for exclusive hire of the lodge. You can view the chalets at http://paradizo.com/partner-listings/le-chardon-mountain-lodges-val-disere_1