The Alpine mountain range spans Italy, France, Slovenia, Switzerland, Monaco, Austria, the Principality of Leichtenstein and Germany. The French Alps boast the highest altitude with Mont Blanc reaching for the skies at an impressive 4809 metres.
The French Alps host a large number of holiday destinations for both summer and winter activities. They can be accessed with relative ease via Geneva and Lyon airports with most resorts running shuttle buses to and from the airports. Choosing the winter resort that is best for you can be hard when you are spoilt for choice. Each resort has it's own benefits for different types of holidays, and most of them are open in summer and winter. Samoens is one such resort, but instead of being a purpose built facility Samoens has been kept in a traditional style, built round a historic and picturesque village. Unlike many modern European resorts Samoens is not a comprised of concrete blocks of flats designed to take as many holiday makers as possible over the season, but rather of an old style traditional village.
Samoens in the heart of the Haute Savoie, at the base of the Grand Massif is one if the prettiest resorts in the French Alps. Unlike some of the modern concrete jungles found spread throughout the Alps, Samoens is a traditional farming and stone cutting village dating back to the 1400s. It's picturesque landscape, sprinkling of hamlets and chapels, and market place with landmark lime tree, Le Gros Tilleul planted in 1438, in the centre provides a different kind of skiing holiday. Traditional charcuteries, boulangeries and fromageries line the main street, along with the odd supermarche for convenience.
A wide variety of activities are available in both summer and winter. For skiers and snow-boarders, the Grand Massif is one of the largest ski areas in the Alps, with a great snow record. Besides skiing the Alps offer a multitude of other activities to keep the family happy and excited about your Alpine trip. In many resorts you will find pampering spas facilities, relaxing bars and restaurants, and shops, which vary dependent on your choice of destination. For the more adventurous you can easily access ice driving, dog sledding, snowshoe walking, fishing, paragliding, ice climbing, and much more to make your pulse race. Whatever your taste, you'll find plenty to keep you occupied. During the summer months families can indulge in a variety of activities including golf, horese riding, via ferrata, hiking, white water rafting, cycling, tennis and archery. There are around 900km of hiking paths and eleven hiking huts around Samoens, ensuring intreoid adventuers have plenty to keep them occupied.
For fully catered luxury chalet holidays for groups and families, or for self catering apartments in Samoens look no further than Absolute Alpine. This small, family run business will cater for you using fresh, local ingredients where possible, and their luxury chalets, Grande Ourse and Petite Ourse sleep up to 18, and both feature a hot tub to soak away the day. The Savoyrard style fits into the landscape beautifully, with plenty of space, a modern design and convenient location for shops and the ski lifts. For something a little less grand the L'Appartement Bel Espace sleeps 4, and is situated a stone's throw from Grand Massif Express lift. Bel Espace is a self catering apartment with fully equipped kitchen and BBQ facilities. A modern, stylish and self contained home from home. Absolute Alpine's Trip Advisor and Testimonial record stands testament to their high quality chalets, apartment, and service.
