While La Ferme du Soleil is brilliantly situated for skiing and other sports in the resort, being cut off by snow does raise some logistical considerations. The most important thing to get right is that the flights to and from the resort are arranged at the right times. Guests should book flights so that they arrive in Geneva no later than 12pm. From the airport get a taxi to Le Chinaillon and ask to be dropped off at a ski hire shop called 'Ski Service'. This trip takes around 1 hour 20 minuites.
Once at 'Ski Service' you can load your luggage into our black Land Rover Discovery. The staff in the shop will give you the keys to open the car and lock it. All of your ski rental equipment is available at the shop and your ski pass at the ticket office 50m down the road. In addition to the normal weekly ski pass, starting the next day, you will also need to purchase a 'single trip' pass to come up to the chalet (cost around 9 euros). You will need your ski's to go up the lift so remember to pack your warm ski clothing on the top of your suitcases.
Lou and Rob, the chalet managers, will come down and meet you at 4pm and bring you up to the chalet on the lift, Le Charmeiux, that starts right next to the ski shop and takes you 700m from the front door! You just need to ski down the green piste, La Serpentine.
Your luggage will be brought up to the chalet by Lou or Rob, later, at around 5.30pm.
No problem. Instead of going all the way to Chinaillon in the taxi, ask to be dropped off at 'Telecabine Rosay' in Le Grand Bornand but leave your luggage in the taxi to go up with the skiers. Rosay is a pedestrian bubble lift. Go up in the lift (cost under 10 euros) and when you get to the top, it's about a 5-10 minute uphill walk to the chalet. If you want to arrive this way, please let us know in advance and we will talk you through the details.
We ask our guests to leave the chalet no earlier than 8am and no later than 9am. Please keep this in mind when booking flights. All the baggage will be taken down the mountain in the morning by 9am.
We recommend return flights to be booked at around midday.
We recommend Aravis Transfers or Allo Taxi. They are both reliable and competitively priced.
http://allotaxi74.com/en/http://www.aravis-transfers.com
First floor
Bedroom 1. Two single, which can be zipped together to make a big double
Bedroom 2. One double
Bedroom 3. Two single
Bedroom 4. One double
Ground floor
Bedroom 5. One double and two single bunks (Writer's Retreat)
Bedroom 6. Two single beds, which can be pushed together easily
Bedroom 7. Two single (bunk) beds which are in a separate part of Bedroom 6. Bedrooms 6 and 7 share a bathroom.
You will need to call them directly, send them an email, or book throught the website. They will ask you to pay in advance. Be sure to request that you start your lessons at Le Rosay Telecabine as this is most convenient, especially for beginners.
ESF (Ecole de ski Francais)
http://www.ski-school-legrandbornand.co.uk
Le Grand-Bornand Village +33 (0)4 50 02 79 10,
Le Grand-Bornand Chinaillon +33 (0)4 50 27 01 83
email: contact@esf-grand-bo.com
You can give them a flying start by getting the ski teachers to give them a private lesson on the first day. The 'Ecole de Ski Francais' teachers may be able to pick up learners from the chalet, if requested long enough in advance, alternatively you can ski them or even walk them down the track to where the ski schools meet just below Le Rosay Telecabine.
With enough notice we can usually organise someone to look after the very young while you ski. There is plenty of snow for building snowmen or sliding down on little sledges. We have a high chair and cot and can organise special meals and different mealtimes to the adults.
There are a number of alpine restaurants within walking distance (two just 70 yards away) and others within ski distance. We can help you with bookings and directions when you arrive.
Please refer to 'Other Activities' under the 'Resort' heading to see what is on offer for non-skiers.
There is a wonderful snow park, all the usual pistes as well as unpisted runs from red to very black which are fun for snow boarders as well as skiers.
Please refer to the first question 'How do I get to the chalet'.
We will take your bags down about 8 am and wave you goodbye by 9 am in order for us to prepare the changeover. Some people will ski that day and only leave the area in the evening. You need to book any flights to take these timings into account.
Tuesday. It is also night skiing that evening. This makes it easy to return to the chalet before 9:30pm when the lift closes. We can suggest restaurants that are open that evening.
You should take the ski bus from Le Grand Bornand to Chinaillon and get off at the stop for 'Ski Service', the ski shop at the bottom of Les Gettiers lift. Leave your bags in the Ski Service's special baggage storage (consign) and they will be collected from here. Let us know in advance so that we can make arrangements. If you have no bags or just bags that you can carry yourself, the alternative is taking the Le Rosay gondola from Le Grand Bornand and walking up the track to the chalet.
We provide all bedding and sheets for adults but please enquire about bedding for young children.
We are very used to catering for guests who have allergies, intolerances and special diets but please let us know before your arrival. However, nuts are used in the kitchen. We welcome special occasions at La Ferme du Soleil and can make arrangments to suit your needs.
There is one 'cabinet' during the day at the bottom of our slope and another during the day and evening in Le Grand Bornand. You have to pay to see them but this should be covered if you have insurance. The hospital in Annecy is new and said to be excellent. You may possibly be covered by your E101 for some medical treatment.
It was originally a farm and as we are so high up we get a lot of sun, often with the clouds below us.p>
'Ski Service' is very close and convenient and we recomend it to all of our guests. On arrival day you can get fitted out with all your equiptment and catch the Le Charmieux ski lift only meters away from the shop. This will take you to 700 meters from our front door.
I'm afraid not. Smoking inside hotels or guest houses is illegal in france.
Generally there is plenty. It does not need much to be skiable as the mountain mostly faces north and the skiing is over summer pastures rather than rocks. The area seems to have its own micro-climate as the valley to the west forces up the clouds over Mt Lachat and then it snows. The area also has a huge artificial lake specifically built for the large network of snow cannons to help during the season.
There are 117 pistes and 96 lifts in the Aravis ski area which includes La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Manigod and Saint-Jean de Sixt.
La Ferme du Soleil is above Chinaillon, a part of Le Grand Bornand area, around Mont Lachat (our mountainside). There are 360 hectares of 'domaine skiable' and 90 kilometres of downhill ski runs, serviced by 38 ski-lifts. This fully linked ski area of Le Grand Bornand is spread out between 1000 and 2100 metres of altitude, with 48 pistes north facing slopes which hold the snow and 56 km of ski de fond (cross country) pistes. It is such a beautiful and varied mountainside that many of the guests don't tend to use the other areas available with the Aravis ski pass.
This area has a history of good snow because of its micro-climate and geographical situation at the edge of the Aravis mountain range and its north-facing slopes keeps the snow late into the season