Les Gets is a real village rather than a purpose-built ski resort, with mainly chalet-style buildings and not a 70s high-rise in sight. Traditional charcuteries and boulangeries line the streets along with the bars, restaurants and ski shops, and a cute little road train circulates to link it all together. There are 69 ski runs in the Les Gets/Morzine area which is plenty for beginners, but it’s also part of the Portes du Soleil area which links 12 resorts via 300 runs – so there’s masses to keep experts busy too. It’s just over an hour’s drive from Geneva Airport, so transfer times are nice and short.
Who’s it good for?
Anyone. Families with small children will love the three “magic carpets” for tiny skiers in a protected area and the weekly gouter (afternoon fun session with hot chocolate, cakes and games) run by Milka. Older kids and experienced skiers will love the chance to explore the 650 km of pistes – you can even ski into Switzerland. They’ll also enjoy the new Videopark where they can time and film themselves skiing a slalom course and share the video on social media – free of charge.
Activities
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Obviously the main reason to go is to ski or snowboard, but there are plenty of other things to keep you occupied. For bad weather days there’s a large museum of mechanical music, a cinema and chocolate workshops for both adults and children at the Chalet du Chocolat. Geocaching in the snow has been introduced this winter and other options include an outdoor ice rink ski-joering and lantern-lit snowshoeing. Special events happen throughout the season – over Christmas and New Year there’s a magical Santa’s Grotto in the woods accessed by a specially-decorated bus with elves to lead the way, and in March SkiColor sees skiers in protective white suits bombarded with eco-friendly coloured powder.
Where to stay
We travelled with Crystal Ski and stayed in Les Fermes Emiguy self-catering apartments a few minutes’ walk from the shops, lifts and pistes. Various sizes are available – ours was a very spacious duplex with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a living room/kitchen/diner with a double-height ceiling and a balcony. Best of all, the building had an indoor pool and huge jacuzzi, plus a sauna, steam room and spa treatments available.
Find out more: crystalski.co.uk/les-gets
Best time to go: The season runs from mid-December to mid-April. French February school holidays are the busiest time. Travel time: A flight from London to Geneva takes around one and a half hours, plus approximately one hour and ten minutes’ drive to the resort. Travel tip: Download Crystal’s free Ski Explorer App on iPhone or Android for snow reports, recommended ski routes, restaurants and bars – you can also track how far you’ve been in a day and how fast etc. Great fun and very useful. How to get there: Crystal Ski Holidays (020 8939 0726) offers a week’s self-catering at Les Fermes Emiguy apartments in Les Gets from £1490 for a family of four including flights from Gatwick and transfers departing on 19 March 2016. Departures from all major UK airports available (supplements start from £25).The lowdown
About the author
Follow Catherine Cooper on Twitter @catherinecooper or visit catherinecooper.net
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