The Grand Massif

Morillon and its Nearest Neighbours

Forget the daily stress and change your pace of life with a new environment for a week. The beautiful Vallée du Giffre is noted in the French blue guide as "une des plus ravissantes des Alpes" - "one of the most ravishing and beautiful of the Alps". It is truly a hidden treasure, generally unknown to the English as there are no tour operators, so it remains quite and peaceful. We are sure that it will remain this way as much of the valley is classified as "Parc Naturel" and the Haut-Savoyard residents are very proud of its beauty.

Morillon, a picturesque village of 500 inhabitants is situated alongside the River Giffre. It is a beautiful, truly authentic French alpine village that has maintained its traditional Savoyard atmosphere while offering a varied selection of shops, bars and restaurants. The village comprises traditional houses teeming with flowers and small chalet-style residences. It is divided into hamlets, which are all located in a valley close to the Telecabine, Le Lac Bleu and the River Giffre where the rhythm of life is truly relaxing. Local farmers, artisans and butchers run the village market on Wednesdays in winter and Fridays in summertime - both are well worth a visit.

An alpine jewel, Samoëns has been awarded the "Coq D' Or" (golden cockerel) for being one of the prettiest villages in France. It is also a "Bourg Historique" - historic market town -- and still is a farming village founded in the 13th century. There are some lovely quaint shops and many activities throughout the year such as festivals, open-air concerts and craft fairs. A mountain market is held on Wednesday mornings and a good place to have an aperitif or a social evening is Bar Aspen - Patrick will welcome you with a friendly smile and a cool beer!

Flaine is a serious skier's paradise situated in a perfect bowl directly northwest of Mont-Blanc with a great snow record. Purpose built for skiers, Flaine is known as the "Désert Blanc". Flaine, and the domain of De Gers, offers some of the finest skiing for all abilities on and off-piste in the Alps. The modern architecture in Flaine looks geometrically fantastic when lit at night.

The village of Sixt at the end of the cul-de-sac valley is named as one of the most beautiful villages in France - a "site classé". The views at the Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval are stunning; this is a wild area of peaks, valleys, glaciers and waterfalls. It was here in 1834 that the conqueror of Mont Blanc, Jacques Balmat, disappeared mysteriously at the age of 72 while prospecting for gold. The abbey at Sixt dates back to 1167 and there are many other buildings of historic and cultural interest to discover.

Perched on a plateau at 1140 metres, high above the valley below, the village resort of Les Carroz offers a huge range of activities to lovers of the great outdoors - both winter and summer. The origins of the resort go back as far as 1936. The first draglift was opened on 29th January 1939, and at the time was the longest in Europe! Les Carroz's beautiful surroundings make it very popular with artists, and there are 2 "Galéries des Arts" that hold regular exhibitions. Painting and drawing courses are also available.