Summer activity holidays in French Alps. Chalet in Haute Savoie Grand Massif Morillon Samoens Verchaix French Alps France.
Chalet to rent. Summer family holiday rental self catered Chalet for walking, hiking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, paragliding, swimming, white water rafting, zip wire, golf, mini golf, horseriding, tennis activity holidays.
Summer Holiday Chalet in Morillon Verchaix Samoens Grand Massif Giffre Valley Haute Savoie French Alps France. Information on things to do from our Summer family accommodation in self catering holiday Chalet to rent in French Alps. Summer activities; sightseeing, paragliding, hang-gliding, white water rafting, mountain biking, walking, kayaking, canyoning, horse riding, pony and donkey trekking, roller boarding, mountain climbing, potholing, hiking, swimming, zip wire, tennis, golf, mini golf, archery and other family activity holidays.
Sleeps 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 people
email: sally@chaletlavalentine.com
Tel/ Fax 00 44 (0) 13 25 37 83 19
Chalet la Valentine is located on the sunny south facing side of the Giffre valley, at the base of Verchaix village in the Haute Savoie region of the French alps, 80 meters from the river. The chalet offers accommodation in an ideal location for a wide range of summer activities in a self catering chalet in the Alps. During July and August the proximity of the Chalet to the road to all the local attractions means it is not a chalet to sit in the garden to get away from it all. The surrounding area is just too busy. The chalet is best for activity holidays and getting out and about. In June and September, it is a lot quieter, but the weather is usually still warm and sunny.
Lac Bleu is a leisure lake 250m from the chalet with beach and summer swimming. Next to the lake is a tree top climbing adventure park (Zip Wire).www.les-aventuriers-du-lac.com The climbing is closely supervised and available for all ages every day during July and August. Out of season they are open at weekends and English half term (check their website). They will open during the week out of season for large parties on individual requests.
You can play tennis or volley ball. The courts can be hired from Verchaix (04 50 90 10 08) or Morillon Tourist Office (04 50 90 15 76) for 8€ an hour (2008 prices) from the beginning of May to the end of November. There are another 2 courts and “walls” (if you cannot find a tennis partner) for hire from Verchaix Tourist Office. new for 2008 is a day of tennis for children 8 - 14 years old, with lessons in the morning and fun in the afternoon on the courts of Verchaix and Morillon tennis clubs. Contact : Tennis Passion, Maison du tennis 74340 Samoens. Tel 04 50 34 94 36, mobile 06 61 19 91 25. info@tennispassion.fr
The minigolf is just 100 metres from the chalet. It is open every afternoon in high season. Out of season there are a couple of putters and golf balls in the chalet.
The park’s cafe offers ice creams, a bar and restaurant service. White water rafting is available across the road from the park.
It is easy to hire ponies from the park both for a short 15 minute ride for a little one or treks into the woods and mountains for the experienced rider. Contact Cheval “Rando” 04 50 90 05 04 or 06 80 68 69 65. Prices for 2008 : 5 mornings of 2 hour pony lessons for 125€. horse riding for the day for 70€, half a day 43€, 10 days 135€.
See www.ot-morillon.fr for more details of activities around Lac Bleu.
You can also go horse riding at Samoens : contact Ferme Equestre des Sages, Samoëns 74340. Tel 04 50 34 18 74. Or at the Cirque Fer à Cheval, see www.sixtferacheval.com For riding in a carriage, horseriding and trekking with ponies see www.lionelsport.com/hippo.htm. Walking with pack donkeys is popular around 25€ for adults and 18€ for children (2008 prices) www.anesduhautgiffre.com.
For more on riding around Mont Blanc and some stables in Bonneville providing trekking in July and August click on the links highlighted.
More outdoor swimming is available at a fantastic complex of pools with a picnic area in Samoëns open all summer until the beginning of September : a good family day out. The swimming pools close early September to prepare them for winter. Archery, tennis, and a golf driving range are available near the pools in Samoens. There is a large Indiana Park next to the lake in Samoens only 1 km from the chalet for more Zip Wire, Paint Balling etc. www.indianaventures.com
Tel 04 50 74 01 88.
There is an indoor aquaparc 15 minutes from Evian with swimming pools with waves, giant water slides and outside beach with access to the lake and more. www.aquaparc.ch
There are 900kms of marked walking tracks across the Grand Massif. For photographs and details look at the following blogs and websites. When looking at the following websites be aware that the French versions often have more information on than the English versions).
http://www.grand-massif.com/ete/?lang=fr
www.altituderando.com/Lac-de-la-Vogealle-2001-m
www.altituderando.com/Les-Cretes-de-Flaine-et-la-Tete-de
For other walks www.altituderando.com and http://randos.en-savoie.fr and www.haute-savoie.info
New from 2007, take a guided nature walk, to find local fauna, flora and what is edible from summer to winter with Suivez la trace. La Falconnière. 74340 Samoëns. Mobile 06 18 63 67 08 or 06 80 87 52 79.
www.suivez-la-trace.com or contact lafalconiere@free.fr
There are 600km of mountain bike trails. Bike hire is available in Morillon and Samoens.
http://www.grand-massif.com/ete/index.php?lang=fr
www.grand-massif.com/ete/index.php?lang=fr
www.ot-morillon.fr and www.savoiehautesavoie.com/index.php?Rub=1
For summer webcams see http://www.grand-massif.com/ete/webcams.php
There is roller boarding at Morillon Les Esserts. You can hire all equipment.
Mountain climbing activities include a Via Ferrata (metal cables), and a climbing wall for beginners as well as difficult challenges for experienced climbers. All climbing activities can be done through the Bureau des Guides who provide experienced guides and all the equipment needed.
www.icicle-mountaineering.ltd.uk
For mountain activities and climbing throughout the haute savoie and savoie see the following link:
www.prazsurarly.com/en/guide_decouverte/guide_escalade.php
Potholing is also available with some of France’s and indeed the world’s deepest caves. The Jean Bernard hole (currently the 5th deepest in the world) is 1602m deep, and is located just above the Refuge de Foly; the Mirolda hole which is a little deeper is above the Criou chalets. The deeper caves may be flooded in summer due to glacier melt water and are more accessible at colder times of the year.
http://www.yssuk.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54&Itemid=98
Paragliding. You can learn to fly at one of the schools in the valley, take a tandem flight or if you are a qualified pilot just enjoy yourself. Discover the valley with a tandem flight with a certified instructor.Pegase Air Samoens paragliding www.parapente-samoens.com
Profeel in Morillon www.parapente-morillon.com www.neige-montagne.com
Hot Air Ballooning see www.lescarroz.com
Indiana Rafting www.indiana-rafting.com
Haut-Savoie Nature-Adventure (opposite adventure park just 5 minutes from the chalet)
To see how someone enjoyed themselves in the area in June 2009 see the photos in the following blog: activities in morillon and samoens.
Just up the road is Samoens (2km) which is a beautiful “Village Historique” with narrow streets, medieval houses and summer chalets dripping with geraniums. Visit on market day and then have lunch in the sun in the square and watch life go by. The 16th century church and renowned Botanical gardens, La Jaysinia, are well worth a visit. The gardens are accessed just off the square and were planted on a steep slope at the turn of the last century (1906) with a variety of trees and plants gathered from all around the globe. For more to see and do in Samoens see www.samoens.com
Other gardens in the area are
The Jardin Secret http://www.jardins-secrets.com
Jardins de l’eau http://www.precurieux.com
Jardins des cinq sens http://www.jardin5sens.net
There are many restaurants in Verchaix, Morillon and Samoens where you can sit out in the sun and admire the surrounding mountains both for lunch and in the evening. There are no mosquitos to disturb your evening out.
Photo taken from the patio of the Lousianna Pizzeria in Samoens on a warm evening in August 2008
