Summer Holiday in French Alps?

[nappybrain]

Hi looking for some help please. Contemplating 2 weeks in the summer in the French Alps - Annecy looks v nice or perhaps Chamonix area? Has anyone been there in summer? Is there much to do / visit - especially for toddlers? Hope to self-cater but it is proving difficult finding something suitable - would consider an apartment or chalet / gite - any recommendations?
Thanks.

Admit have never done it in summer but Snowfocus operate their winter chalet in Chatel (portes du Soleil, an hour from Geneva) as a B&B over the summer months. Very child friendly - owners have small children. Website is Snowfocus.com, sorry can't do links (red face icon thingy)

We went to Chamonix a few years ago - ds was 5 and dd about 22 months. There was a reasonable amount to do. Dry toboggan ride, playgrounds, cable cars, walks, Mer de Glace glacier by train plus there is an outdoor pool and a mini train among the amenities in the town. There was a Zoo park in Martigny just over the border into Switzerland and Geneva is reachable in around an hour. You could even go through the tunnel into Italy. If you want to do the higher altitude visits though (up the Aiguille du Midi and across the glacier by gondola) they are not recommended for young children but there are plenty of other cable car trips that would be fine for them to access mountain walks and cafes.

We went with Sun Esprit and got a bargain by booking through iglu.com late (one week in June full board was less than £150 per adult, £50 for ds and dd was free). We were all packed tight in one room, which like most of the hotel could have done with a face lift, but otherwise we were impressed with food and staff. You can then pay to use childcare on top. I wrote about it for someone else if you are interested - here If you go to the Tourist Information site you should be able to find accommodation direct, or have a look on Iglu.com at their "villas" section which also has apartments in the Alps etc, or Pierre et Vacances, Interhome etc.

hth

I really like Morzine, it is in the Portes du Soleil as sinclair mentioned, easy from airport. No particular recommendations, but the tourist office in the town are really good.

Chamonix is good. There's lots to do in the are, and the town is very lively. You can also go through the tunnel to Courmayeur for a more genteel experience.