hospitalitytoday.com | 19 nes . . on the Slopes


Les Contamines itself boasts the more refined charms of restaurant L’Ô à la bouche, run by chef Fabrice Boidard.


The three-star hotel La Chemanaz is typical of the family-run traditional hotels in Les Contamines, complete with heavily-sloped roof and classic timber frame. Inside it’s a mix of warm woods, quirky carved furniture and a crackling log fire. It also has a sauna and Jacuzzi.


As for the village itself, don’t come here for noisy nightlife or for designer boutiques – this is a “real” French town with cafes and restaurants – ideal for the family market. Les Contamines is in the middle of a 5,500-hectare natural reserve, so visitors can always try their hand at some “Nordic sports”.


Billed in France as a “Scandinavian-style” resort, Les Contamines offers ski jumping, snowshoe walking, biathlon, ice climbing, telemark skiing and even dog-sledding.


A night-time dog sled ride through the woods is a wonderful way to spend a clear, starlit evening. With little light pollution the Milky Way shines like a blanket of twinkling lights framed by mountains and trees as the dogs quietly pad through the snow. Dominique Stritmatter keeps tea and, if you prefer, the wine flowing while her husband Bruno (oddly enough, from Alsace) drives the dog sleds. Just as the cold begins to bite guests take refuge in a heated wooden tepee to warm the extremities. Interior warmth comes from a creamy and comforting home made local sausage stew.


Not much more than an hour from Geneva airport, Les Contamines is trying to widen its appeal to the British market, and hopes that its innovation of “Art on the Slopes” will help catch the eye of visitors in search of something new - but very traditional.


See: http://en.lescontamines.com/ Flights from Gatwick to Geneva with


easyJet cost from £156. Double rooms with breakfast at Hotel La Chemenaz cost from £60 per night. InterSport ski boot, helmet and ski hire costs £24.50 per day or £100 per week. A six-day adult ski-lift pass costs £140. One-hour private ski tuition costs £32.


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