Chalet Marmotte is a 5 bed family-friendly ski chalet with an exceptionally large garden and a cinema/playroom in a stunning setting in Saint Gervais Les Bains. It's a traditional Savoyard chalet but with modern British-style comforts for all ages: king-size beds with memory foam mattresses & Egyptian cotton linen, fully equipped kitchen (everything from a teapot to champagne glasses as well as es
sentials like a dishwasher and microwave), WIFI and wireless music speakers, cinema room with large HD curved TV, English channels, DVD player & Playstation 3, a trampoline in the garden and lots of Lego and other toys. The chalet is over 3 floors. The main floor, accessed by steps from the outside, has a good sized fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, a large living and dining room with windows on 3 sides and access to a full length balcony/terrace, a large bathroom with a bath is also on this floor, plus space in the large hallway for coats and shoes. The top floor has two large, almost identical, double bedrooms with kingsize beds and balconies, plus two further rooms each containing a set of bunk beds. There is a bathroom with toilet and shower on this floor too. On the lower level there is a garden entrance for coming in from the slopes and a large seating area for putting on ski boots. Beyond this is a large cinema/playroom room with seating for 10 or more and games to keep the younger guests amused. The fifth bedroom and 3rd bath room are on this floor. This double room is smaller than those upstairs but has the advantage of its own bathroom. For the children:
The chalet is fully equipped for babies and toddlers - stairgates, steriliser, baby weaning equipment, high chairs, changing mat, a cot bed with bedding and grobags, car seats and baby backpacks are all available. Please ask if there is anything in particular you want as I am sure we have it somewhere. We can recommend various childcare options - local British nannies or the French slopeside nursery which our children have been to. The chalet is also suitable for school-aged children with ample games, a Playstation with some games and one controller, cinema room with a large DVD collection and a trampoline in the garden. There is lots to explore in the garden including a small, shallow stream to play in (which is fenced off but can be accessed through a gate). For the grown-ups:
You can expect to sleep as well or better than you do at home on the incredibly comfortable Tempur memory foam king size mattresses and 3000 thread count Egyptian cotton bed linen. The chalet is set up use your own devices: WIFI and wireless speakers provided. If you like cooking, the kitchen is fully equipped with everything from woks and chop sticks, to cake trays and biscuit cutters, to fondues and cheese boards, but if you'd rather not cook, we can recommend a local British chef and lots of local restaurants. About the skiing:
Chalet Marmotte has easy access to the Evasion ski area (third largest ski area in France) – it’s a 10 minute drive to the free carpark at the Bettex gondola in Saint Gervais, or there is a ski bus stop outside the house. You can also drive to the top of the Bettex gondola, though parking there can be limited. The skiing is suitable for all levels and there are numerous restaurants on the mountain accessible for all abilities, and some at the top of the gondola for non-skiers. Les Contamines, can also be reached in 20 minutes and is covered by the same area lift pass. Chamonix is only a 25 minute drive away and other resorts like Flaine, Morzine and Courmayeur are nearby for day trips. ESF ski lessons are available morning or afternoons for children and you can also extend your time on the slopes by booking them into the garderie (nursery) for the lunch time period. Ski and snowboard lessons are also available for adults. You can buy a ski pass for the entire Evasion area, including Les Contamines and Megeve, or for smaller areas such as St Gervias. There are also splits for number of weeks or days. About the cycling:
Chalet Marmotte is in the Haute Alpes and is a great base for both road biking and mountain biking. There is ample storage in the chalet for bikes and mountain bikes can be rented in Les Contamines There is a bike shop in Le Fayet (mainly mountain bikes) and a bigger cycle shop in Sallanches. There is excellent road cycling straight from the chalet. The Bettex climb featured in the 2015 Dauphines (sp?) and a short cycle to Megeve leads to numerous well known (and less familiar) routes. The Col de Aravis and Col de Les Saises are about an hour from the chalet. Beyond these are climbs such as the tour regular Col de Colombiere and onwards towards Annecy. Heading down to the valley floor you can climb towards Passey and the ski resorts around Flaine. You can also head towards Morzine and the south side of Lake Geneva. Most of these routes are well signposted and have cafes on the way. Many of the ski resorts have restaurants at the top which can be a welcome relief. There is mountain biking of all standards in the area, from gentle tracks along the Chamonix valley floor to very serious downhill biking through forests around a number of towns from St Gervais to Morzine and Les Gets (about 40 mins drive away) to Chamonix itself.