"Chalets
& Auberge Sur La Montagne"in Sainte
Foy can be found up in the Alps hugging the Italian border. At just
under a 5 hour drive from Nice, it is truly a remarkable find for families,
skiers and food lovers alike. Run by Sue and Andy Mac the Auberge is nestled
among the resorts of Val
d'Isère, Tignes and Les Arcs so
you have a superb variety of slopes ...all on your doorstep. Lift passes
here are also apparently the best value in the Alps ...free for under
7's and reduced for 7-12 year olds.
The write ups were
good, we had a personal recommendation and so we took our 14 month old
son, Louis, off for his first experience with snow. The Auberge itself
was busting with character, delightful wooden beams, a massive fireplace.
Our family room was full of charm with a double bed, bunk beds and a cot
and plenty of room for his Fisher Price garage we'd brought along! There
was a library of videos with a few cartoons available to watch, Free view
UK TV , a selection of toys and a sledge to borrow.
Only just walking,
Louis was too young to ski himself, so Sue had organised for a "nounou"
to come and mind and play with Louis every morning while we went off and
hit the slopes with our instructor. Having this "at home care"
was fantastic - knowing that Louis could have his morning nap in his own
cot, own toys to hand etc in a familiar environment ...meant Mum was free
to enjoy a couple of babe free hours on the slopes ... call it much needed
me time!
On day 1 our class
size was around 6 students and we played around on the beginner slope
which felt like a mountain to start with but what a fantastic way to start
the New Year ... fresh air, blue skies and exercise.
In the afternoon
we went out as a family, sledging or visiting the other resorts, playing
snowballs and also chilling out with a book or games by the fire. This
balance between childcare in the morning and family time in the afternoon
was great and we were also lucky enough to find a member of the Auberge
staff willing to baby sit for us one night so that we could enjoy a wonderfully
rustic mountain side Fondue.
Now that we are on
the subject of food, the food at L'Auberge itself was second to none ..
well I guess you could expect it as our host Andy Mac being a qualified
Cordon Vert chef! We started the day with a massive buffet breakfast which
set us up for a day of snow, and returned to a very welcoming apres-ski
tea with yummy homemade cake or biscuits. An early supper for Louis allowed
us to get on with bath and bed time before we sneaked out (baby monitor
in hand!) to have a quick dip in the outdoor hot tub (!!) soothed our
weary bones before settling down to a well deserved 3 course feast fit
for a king and wine to wash it down with! We retired back to the lounge
and bar with the other guests exchanging stories of the slopes, tips for
the next day before retiring to our warm and comfy bed for some serious
ZZZzzzzzs.
So a new dawn a new
day, time now to work off some of that food back on the slopes .. by day
2 David decided to separate the beginners from the advanced beginners
and the newly formed trio and David left to explore the slopes ...And
what fantastic slopes they are too ..
As beginners we had
perfect conditions; powder snow, blue skies and the slopes to ourselves
... although we were outside of the school holidays we rarely had to wait
for a lift, you had the impression you were the first to ski the track
even at 11a.m. ..no-one to see us fall or to collide with!!
For the advanced
skiers among you, the instructors assured us that Sainte Foy has renowned
off piste routes and a challenging 1700m vertical descent of the North
West face of Fogliettaz .. in fact legend has it that Sainte Foy is the
resort where the Instructors from Val, Tignes and Les Arcs come on their
days off... so something for everyone then!
Keep it to yourself
ssshhhhhhhhh! !
L'Auberge
sur la Montagne La Thuile, 73640 Sainte Foy Tarentaise, France |
