The French Alps offers many tangible advantages for families looking for an ideal summer holiday ……. Magnificent scenery, a wide range of activities, a great climate with lots of sunshine, and comfortable average temperatures ranging between 24 – 27 degrees from June to September, shopping, restaurants ……. and last but not least, just a general sense of well being from all that fresh mountain air.

Most of our summer chalets are in the mountain town of Chamonix, its surrounding area dominated by the majestic Mont Blanc. The town, with its pedestrianised cobbled streets, offers an excellent choice of quality shops, boutiques, cafes, bars, restaurants and a weekly market. The Chamonix Valley is rated as one of the top ten ski areas in the world and caters for every taste and ability. However, Chamonix is not only about skiing. During the summer months, it is a paradise for holidaymakers in search of spectacular scenery and offers an enormous choice of sporting activities. With lifts still operational, and over 350 kms of marked hiking trails and 40 kms of mountain bike tracks, visitors can be transported right up into the heart of the Mont Blanc Massif, to enjoy hiking, biking, climbing, white water rafting, hot air ballooning and paragliding.

Close to the town, is the superb 18-hole championship Chamonix Golf Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, in a great position enabling visitors to play a round of golf whilst enjoying the fantastic views of the mountain ranges that surround the valley. The sports centre with its swimming pools and water toboggan will delight all ages and, on a wet day, there is also the indoor climbing wall, fitness centre and spa, an olympic sized ice-rink and a cinema complex. Near the sports centre is a tennis club with 14 outdoor courts and 2 indoor courts, and a restaurant.

Outdoor activities for young children include a superb adventure park with tree acrobatics, summer toboggan, tennis lessons, pony trekking or hiking with donkeys. A number of companies around Chamonix offer children's adventure clubs available either daily or on a weekly basis these clubs take children through a number of different activities from climbing, mountain biking to rafting. Daily child care and evening babysitting can be arranged on request. The lively, cosmopolitan town has a rich and interesting history, reflected in its architecture, which can be explored in the excellent alpine museum and exhibition centre.

40 minutes away is the picture postcard Alpine village of Megève, home to our beautiful chalet, Chalet de Près. An enchanting town, Megève has retained its old rustic charm with a beautifully preserved medieval centre with narrow cobbled streets, fountains, a pretty church, horse-drawn sleighs, and a market on Friday mornings. The mountain is accessible by cable car, and as you would expect, the views are wonderful.

As Chamonix, summer activities include hiking, mountain biking, summer sledging, climbing, canyoning, rafting, horse riding and paragliding. The Mont d’Arbois 18 hole golf course is on the outskirts of the town, and there are several other golf courses within an easy drive. The Sports Centre offers indoor and outdoor pools, a climbing wall, a tennis club with 10 outdoor courts and one indoor court and an Olympic-size ice rink. Again, there are children’s clubs available for young children offering a range of activities, and numerous bars, restaurants, boutiques, beauty salons and a spa.

Further information can be found on the tourist office websites, www.chamonix.com and www.megeve.com.

Flights from main UK airports to Geneva take around 1 hour and 15 minutes, then 1 hour’s drive from Geneva to either Chamonix or Megève.