The area
Based in the spa-town and ski resort of St Gervais Les Bains, I also cater to nearby Chamonix, Megeve and Les Contamines.
St Gervais Les Bains - A pretty and quaint alpine spa town and ski resort, dating back all the way to the middle ages, St Gervais is relaxed and peaceful.
Founded in the Roman era, the town flourished during the middle ages as one of the largest market towns in the Alps, and was bringing in tourists in the 1800's. St Gervais is an alpine resort with real character and real history. The first ski lift, the famous rack and pinion railway 'The Tramway du Mont Blanc', (originally designed to go all the way to the top of Mont Blanc!) is situated just off the town centre. Installed in 1904 and still running today, it is the highest rack and pinion railway in Europe!
Chamonix - The home of European mountaineering and extreme skiing, a place of pilgrimage for countless, welcome to Chamonix Mont Blanc.
Chamonix is a resort unlinke any other, the town is apread along the valley floor, giving permanently spectacular views of the steep and high peaks all around. These include the Aiguille de Midi, and the liftof the same name built in the 1950's to a height of 3842m, the highest lift accessed skiing in the world.
Megeve- Megeve is a very French, very chic resort; a playground for the rich and famous, this is a refined and elegant town. The price tags in the windows remind you that the resort was set up by the Rothschild family and famous in the 1950's as the place to be seen,partly because Megeve is one of the prettiest resorts in the world.
An excellent golf course sits on what is the nursery ski slopes in winter, and you have great access to a great variety of walks, but mostly this is a place to relax and not do a whole lot except eat good food, wander round pretty scenery and mingle with the French aristocracy.
Les Contamines - The name roughly translates to 'the ploughable lands', and this sets the scene for this quiet farming community. 15 minutes from St Gervais, Les Contamines sits in a beautiful valley, and has that end-of-the-line peacefullness. The chalets have been kept in the traditional style, and the historical aspect of the locals lives and culture has been well respected. This is shown in the 5500 hectares of nature reserve, which forms part of the lives of this close knit mountain community.
Les Contamines has a huge amount of climbing, mountain biking and trekking possibilites, and is also a great place for an away-from-it-all holiday.