We have busy lives and time is so very precious. Deciding what to do with this time – how we work, rest and play is becoming ever more complex. Do you ski, take a city break or hit the beach? Or is it possible to do all three and if so, can I afford it?
There’s no wonder that people are looking to maximise their leisure opportunities and look to get away as much as possible. Shorter and more frequent breaks are now becoming the norm, budget airlines entice us with cheap offers and it’s easy to book your own accommodation in an instant – we are becoming a nation of independent travellers.
Transfer Time is Precious Time
One of the main concerns of taking a short break is the ease of transferring to your destination. If time is at a premium you need a short transfer time and you need to be flexible on your travel days. Particularly as a skier. High season Saturday snarl ups in Geneva airport after a precarious four-hour transfer down a mountain makes you question why you bothered in the first place and the memory of that blue sky ski day recedes very quickly. And this is where the Haute Savoie Mont Blanc region steps up a gear and provides the perfect answer. It’s one of the quickest and easiest ski regions to get to and home to plenty of world class ski destinations – a win win.
(image © T. Shu – Le Grand-Bornand Tourisme)
Decisions, Decisions…
There are just so many options for any skier, whether you’re looking to hit the slopes in the quickest time possible or take your time visiting the area with the whole family there is definitely something to suit all needs. Many of us will have got straight on the transfer bus and headed for the resort only thinking of getting there and not giving the lakeside town of Annecy a second glance as the bus weaves its way through the traffic, however stopping here is an excellent way to kick start or end your holiday.
The town is a truly beautiful gem full of ancient streets alongside narrow waterways, a mini Venice or Bruges that delights in day or night. If you arrive over the Christmas season the Christmas market alongside the lake add to the atmosphere and you can easily kick start your holiday cheese intake at the many specialist regional restaurants, of particular note is Le Freti, a favourite of the locals serving amazing tartiflette, raclette and fondue from specialist local cheesemakers and a wine selection to match.
(Lake Annecy credit Monica Dalmasso)
There’s Always time For Christmastime
If you are obsessed with Christmas or are travelling with children making time for the ‘Hameau du Père Noël’ at the Parc Andilly, a surreal yet must see experience just minutes from the Swiss border. Beginning life as a social enterprise to create much needed work for local people it has blossomed into one of the top ten most visited tourist parks to visit in France. If that wasn’t enough, all profits are either invested in the business or donated to specific charities, raising may thousands over the years to charities. A complete Christmas themed village with walk through characterful buildings themed on different aspects of Santa and his industrious elves day-to-day lives leaves you marvelling at the attention to detail in every setting. Most charming were the elves sleeping quarters and kitchen, alongside Santa’s own bedroom, outside there are carousels and other rides, along with firepits and refreshment points.
As you’re admiring the donkeys and reindeer however, just be aware of Pere Fouettard, Saint Nick’s sidekick, a traditional character who punishes those on the naughty list with a whip… this was the most sinister and strange building to visit that left many of my party scratching their head and just wondering at the ‘dark side’ of folklore.
Transfer Heaven
The joy of travelling independently to resorts such as Megève or Saint Gervais from Geneva is not only the speed of the transfer but the journey itself. As you travel alongside Lake Annecy and into the mountains you have ample time to stop off at one of the many roadside Boulangerie or Fromargerie en route to stock up on high quality local produce and to indulge yourself with irresistible patisserie. Add to this the vinters selling their wares and you have all you need to start your quick break with style.
(image © Guillaume Borga)
The road journey to Megève or Saunt Gervais is a pleasant one, taking only about an hour, less if you’re lucky with traffic. Driving isn’t the only way to travel there either, this season has seen the inauguration of a new gondola up from the Saint Gervais Le Fayet train station (pictured above, image credit Guillaume Borga) that will whisk you straight up to the slopes. This makes it possible to arrive by train then up to the slopes seamlessly and providing you with wider accommodation options other than staying in Saint Gervais itself.
Le Grand Bornand’s Brilliant Biathlon
Biathlon is a sport that if you don’t know, you should, it’s one of the most exciting there is. For the uninitiated, essentially cross country skiers race around a course a couple of miles long carrying air rifles on their backs. Every few kilometres they make it back to a shooting range where they aim to hit five tiny targets, sometimes lying in the ‘prone’ position, sometimes standing. The thing is that the harder they race on their skis to get a head, the harder it is for the racers to hold the rifle straight enough to hit the targets and missing a target leads to a time penalty or trips around a penalty loop, adding to the length of your race. It’s an art form to ski and shoot fast enough, with as few misses as possible to win the race.
(Image credit: C. Hudry-Le Grand-Bornand Tourisme)
The French are one of the nations that excel at Biathlon and the sport’s French HQ is right in the Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc region at Le Grand Bornand. It’s an unassuming mountain village that just happens to have bred more French Winter Olympians than any other. Time your visit for when the World Cup is in town, usually in December a week or two before Christmas and you can join 50,000 biathlon fans filling the stadium and lining the course to cheer on the world’s best as millions more watch on TV. But visit any other time and you’ll find a much quieter ski resort with wonderful slopes and also the option for you to try a ‘biathlon sampler’ of your own and find out just how hard it is!
Marvellous Megève
Megève is a cosmopolitan and stylish skiing town with plenty of high quality shops to satisfy those most ardent shopper. Horse drawn carriage rides can be found in the town square that offer a scenic tour of the older town and accommodation is plentiful.
(Credit: Gabriel Zacharski Sapin Drone)
Yet again local specialities abound with more opportunity to top up your cheese levels in a variety of restaurants and with careful planning you should be able to book your hotel with such a restaurant on site such as the elegant and luxurious Les Grands Crus de Fondue de Megève de l’hôtel M de Megève, a locally owned family hotel in the heart of the town.
Gorgeous St Gervais
From Megève you can ski into Saint Gervais and towards Mont Blanc. On a clear day you will be presented with some of the best views of the mountain that you’ll find in the whole area. It looms invitingly above the resorts with its large white dome seemingly benign under winter sunshine, personally I would admire it from afar and let the more intrepid venture up its slopes.
(St Gervais image credit: Boris Molinier)
Skiing in St Gervais is joyous and with the freedom that the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski pass gives you, you will never become bored of the terrain that is offered. For the beginner and family there are many tree lined slopes to enjoy, those who wish to explore further can head towards Mont Blanc and travel on to other linked ski areas to challenge themselves further.
Spa-time
Taking an afternoon off from the slopes can be very rewarding in St Gervais-Les-Bains, the clue is in the name – it is a thermal spa town and there is a magnificent thermal spa to while away the time and sooth those aching legs. Set in a narrow gorge on the town outskirts you will find the modern building with a host of varying indoor and outdoor thermal treatments. There has been a spa here from the early-1800s, discovered when farmers recognised more lush pasture in certain places that their animals would head to and finding that the reason for this verdant fodder came from the hot, mineral rich springs bubbling up through the earth’s crust.
(Image credit: Christophe Daguet)
Taking the water in St Gervais-les-Bains soon became a fashionable destination in its own right and a hotel, pump room and even a small church were constructed on site. Sadly much of this was swept away in 1892 in a large, devastating mudslide, remnants of this can be seen outside the baths in the form of huge boulders and parts of the pumproom and attached small church behind the more recent incarnation of the thermal baths that was newly renovated in 2018. The whole experience of moving to various tranquil areas within the spa complex is invigorating, relaxing and soothing all in one. You can take in the waters in the outdoor spa pools or use the various saunas, steam or salt rooms – even experience a being under a forest canopy with the mist jets refreshing you until you reach the warmth of the sauna at the end. The whole spa is geared towards health -giving properties and is also a medical centre for respiritory and some skin ailments, indeed you can even be prescribed treatments and many visitors book these ahead of time.
The Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc area certainly delivers variety and quality leisure time for all travellers. It’s an area you’ll want to return to many times to explore and whether you just want to relax and explore the towns and villages or hit the slopes hard one thing’s for sure, you’ll never be bored and will always have plenty of cheese to eat!
(Chalets vallée du Bouchet © T. Vattard-Le Grand-Bornand Tourisme)
More Info
Recommended Hotels:
Hôtel Marriott, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois.
Sally Brookes was a guest of Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc. Image top © T. Shu – Le Grand-Bornand Tourisme.
For more on Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc see @hautesavoiedestination on Insta or search #hautesavoie #montblanc #hsmb
