I'm trying to put together a group of mates + (currently) non-biking wives + small children for a couple of weeks in a chalet next summer. Currently looking at Morzine as that seems to have quite a lot on offer besides the biking (swimming pools, lakes, play areas etc). The kids will all be between 1 and 4. If anyone has done this, I'd be interested to know where you stayed and whether it was a success, and if you have any specific chalet recommendations I'd be interested to hear those too. Ideally the chaps will hit the trails every other day or so (the girls probably don't realise this yet…), so there has to be enough in terms of other stuff to do to keep the peace. Some of the girls would probably be up for a bit of biking, rafting, climbing etc too.

In terms of the biking we'd be looking to do, it would be a mix of Pleney DH type uplift sessions and more traditional singletrack trails, and we'd all be on "aggressive trail bikes" like Orange 5s, SC Hecklers etc.

I suppose the weather could be a problem if it lashes it down for two weeks, but is this actually likely to happen? My understanding of alpine summer weather is that the rain tends to come and go violently and quickly, and we can live with that.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I'm just back from a week in Morzine with the wife and two kids (8 & 10). I was out on th ebike for at least four hours each day and there was plenty to keep them occupied.

They spent most of the time by the pools under the Super Morzine lift. When the weather turned nasty (one day), we had a wander round the town, a nice lunch and watched what was going on in the square.

We also did a bit of horse riding, rafting and the kids really enjoyed the Indiana Parc, which is a Go Ape style thing. I was even going to give parapenting a go (I used to parachute) but the weather was too bad on the day I was meant to do it!

I think if you go with a group of people all with kids of similar ages then they will tend to keep each other amused as long as they've got somewhere to play. Can't help with Chalets, as we stayed in an apartment, but Le Sherpa looked pretty good everytime we called into the bar.

It was a good week, but we'll probably try somewhere different next year.

You could also consider Les Gets which is right next to Morzine. We were there for a week in 2007 and stayed here:

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/France/Portes-du-Soleil/ski-holidays-chalet-Les-Gets/p64746.htm

There is a wee road train for the kids to go on and there is also a swimming lake

http://www.lesgets.com/en/lac/index.html

which would occupy the families during some biking forays. Les Gets is covered by the same lift pass as Morzine, Montriond, Champery, Chatel, Les Lindarets etc. Morzine is definitely more commercially developed right enough and has more restaurants but we wouldn't hesitate to go back to Les Gets.

I stayed in the campsite above Les Gets for the first time this year with 3 year old and non-biking girlfriend. I've stayed many times without them but there was loads on offer, from music and craft activities in Morzine/Les Gets to the fantastic value 1 euro/day Multipass which includes the lifts (little one loved just going up and down in them), trampolines, pools, lakes, museum… Friends stayed in chalets at the same time, we camped and there are great facilities and a nice atmosphere at the site (which is quiet at early bedtimes).

Plenty of sneaky little trails in the woods from Les Gets for when you get bored of the braking stutter bumps too!

Neil

Oh, make sure your accomodation is signed up to the Multipass – if not it's quite a bit more pricey.

Self catering apartment in Les Gets for me – it was very cheap and quite reasonably furnished, good nick etc. But make sure you check the number of rooms as well as the number of beds – 2 room normally means kitchen diner plus one bedroom – if you don't want to all end up in the same room.

The Les Gets accomodation central booking website (here) was easy to book from and can be found off the village's own website – Morzine will have a similar website.

I'm just back from Morzine – I think it's such an ideal place I bought a chalet out there.

There are loads of things to do for adults and older children, but rather less for the really young ones. Sure, there's the pool (and Lac Montriond just a few minutes drive away), but these are both outdoor, though a new indoor pool is under construction.

Morzine's a pretty small town, so shopping opportunities are massively limited – one afternoon and you'll be done.

Also consider that rafting etc is not suitable for the youngsters, though as mentioned above, the chairlifts are a huge attraction for kiddies of all ages.

Catered chalets are rarer in the summer than in the winter, but there are still some that offer both catering and childcare so all the adults can get out for the day together.

We stayed here a few years ago with 1/2 bikers half not, would go again with the kids when they are a little older too http://www.lesgetssummer.com/chalets.html

Thanks, quite a few shouts there for Les Gets so I'll have a look at that. If there's a good bunch of us the little uns will amuse each other, and we'll probably do some day trips to places like Lake Geneva and Chamonix. Thanks for the tip on the multipass too. Neil – do you have the name of the campsite in Les Gets? We'd be happy to camp but tents are a non-no for some of the other guys(!) but it would be good for future reference. Cheers.