Tim Henman And His Love Of Skiing

Abode2 catch up with Tim Henman to find out how The Hideaways Club enables him to indulge in his love of skiing.

If you are a keen skier and are considering buying your own patch of paradise on the piste, but worry that you’d become bored with the same runs every year, then The Hideaways Club offers a brilliant alternative. This unique shared ownership club allows members to invest in, and holiday in, exquisite luxury homes in fantastic locations around the globe. Among the club’s unique collection of properties are five hand-picked luxury chalets in great locations, accessible to some of the best skiing terrain available.

In Switzerland, The Hideaways Club owns two contemporary chalets, Chalets Etoile and Lune, overlooking the unspoilt resort of Haute-Nendaz, in the Four Valleys, Switzerland’s second largest ski region. These ski in, ski out chalets sleep eight in sumptuous surroundings, with open plan living areas and balconies giving perfect views of the mountains. In France, The Club’s Chalet Soleil in Chamonix, is hugely popular with experienced skiers, while Chalet Lumiere in Morzine, is a favourite with members taking family ski trips.

A huge benefit of Membership of The Club is the concierge service, which really comes into its own in assisting with the organisation of a skiing trip. The service can organise transfers, book ski lessons, equipment hire, ski tours and lift passes, stock the fridge before guests arrive, as well as make restaurant bookings, organise a private chef, or book a babysitter. Full catering is available in the European chalets during the ski season.

Adds The Hideaways Club, CEO Poonam Dhawan-Leach: ‘We’ve chosen the location of our ski chalets really carefully to ensure the highest standards of accommodation in a variety of great resorts providing perfect ski or summer breaks. Our members like the lower capital investment required compared with buying a second home, plus the flexibility to stay in a variety of beautifully furnished homes, each with a different character and ambience, underpinned by a great concierge service. They also have the knowledge that their investment is spread across different markets.’

My Perfect Hideaway – Tim Henman

• Why did you become a member of The Hideaways Club? 

When I stopped playing professional tennis, my wife Lucy and I were considering buying a home abroad in either Tuscany or the south of France. We love skiing and also thought about buying a chalet, but we weren’t going to buy several properties. A friend introduced me to The Hideaways Club and we realised membership of the club was the answer, as it provides access to a wide variety of beautiful properties around the world, plus potential investment growth.

• How do you use the Hideaways Club at different times of the year?

For insurance reasons I couldn’t ski while I was a professional player and skiing is something we really enjoy as a family, so we always have an annual skiing holiday with The Hideaways Club.   So far, we have stayed in the club’s chalets in Chamonix, Nendaz and Morzine. While the children were small we didn’t want the hassle of long haul flights for some winter sun, but now we are keen to explore properties further afield; in fact we are planning a post Christmas trip to one of the club’s Asian villas this year. For the last two summers we’ve stayed in two different villas in Tuscany, including a restored farmhouse near Florence.

• How long have you been skiing for and what is your level of expertise?

I skied just twice before the age of 10, but have skied every year since I retired from tennis in 2007. I would say I am an intermediate skier; I like blue and red runs and the occasional black run. My wife Lucy is a great skier having skied as a child and our girls are catching me up!

• Who do you go skiing with?

We usually go skiing with groups of friends who have children of similar ages to ours and we always have great fun. We usually ski in the morning while the kids have their lessons, then we all meet up for a long lunch with a bottle of wine on the mountain.

• What is your experience of The Hideaways Club ski chalets?

The Hideaways Club properties are of an extremely high standard. We’ve been to more than 12 properties in different locations, of which 3-4 have been ski chalets and they have all been fantastic, with the wow factor ever-present. The first chalet we visited was in Chamonix and we were so well looked after by the couple employed to look after the chalet that we’ve kept in touch ever since.

• Which of the Hideaways Club chalets is your favourite and which would you like to visit next?

Chalet Lumiere in Morzine is our favourite and we’ve been there six times. It has five comfortable double bedrooms, a play room, great fireplace and dining area and the girls love the hot tub.   We love Morzine; it’s a great resort and we’ve got to know the runs and the great restaurants, however, we’d like to stay in the Crans Montana chalet one year.

The Hideaways Club Fast Facts

• The Hideaways Club offers two funds: Classic or City. Investors in either of the funds become members of an exclusive lifestyle and destination club allowing them to holiday in properties owned by the fund.
• The Classic Collection offers 33 luxury properties, ranging from Tuscan farmhouses deep in the olive groves to tropical island villas. A further 250 homes are available by reciprocal arrangement with other holiday destinations. Entry level Lifestyle Associate membership of the Classic Collection starts at just £88,000, which is far less than the cost of purchasing a ski chalet.
• The City Collection owns seven properties in some of the world’s most vibrant and iconic cities, with a further 13 available by reciprocal arrangement. Entry level price for an Associate membership starts at £69,500.
• Visit www.thehideawaysclub.com for more info.