Ferme de Montagne

Lots of Service with a capital S, from the James-Bond type chaps who pick you up from the airport and take you on the blessedly short transfer in your luxury vehicle, to the lovely British and Antipodean chalet staff and ski hosts. When we were there the staff outnumbered the guests. The owners Suzanne and Henry are also on hand at all times to offer guidance and advice and just make sure things are running smoothly. The chalet is run more like a five star boutique hotel, with lovely comfy beds, Jo Malone in the bathrooms and super fluffy robes. Meals are served at your own table rather than en masse. The food is divine, they are aiming for a Michelin star so it's certainly not your average hearty chalet food but all rather delicate and delicious (creme brulee porridge for breakfast etc, oysters for starters one night, and plenty of fois gras if that's your thing). We don't eat meat and were ably catered for. The only thing not included that usually is on a chalet holiday, is drinks, and the cocktails and wine list on offer, though delicious and extensive, are offered at London prices so you might want to budget for that. Afternoon teas are fab and the children were given healthy and scrummy children's teas at six - in between their bouts in the outdoor hot tub which proved very popular. There's also an in house mini spa, offering a range of beauty treatments and massages and a small sauna - all most welcome. We used the free ski guiding every day - one of the guides took out the children who could ski and they had a ball - and met up for lunches. The nearest lift is about 25 meters away and when we were there you could literally ski to the door. We went pre Xmas and quite a few of the lifts were closed but there's tons of skiing in the area and the ski hosts will happily take you to nearby Morzine or Avoriaz if you want to explore further. The Les Gets childcare centre wasn't open either, so we were unable to try that out (thank God for Grandma) though we did meet people who had been before and said both the French and English nursery provision was excellent and Suzanne would be happy to sort this for you I'm sure. The only glitch is the price. Unless you are pretty well off this is definitely a special occasion place - but we went for a special occasion and had a great time. Just saving up for the next special occasion.