LOCAL AREA
Chalet Cristal is located in the middle of the Grand Massif, one of the larger ski domains in the Alps with 148 individual pistes covering over 265 km, accessed by some 80 lifts. The area has an enviable snow record and with 80% of the pistes being north-facing, conditions are good until the very end of the season. The chalet is within a 100 m walk of the ski-bus stop, and is a 2 minutes drive to the Morillon telecabine or 5 minutes to the Grand Massif Express telecabine. There is ample free parking at both telecabines.
The area consists of five separate villages, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt, Les Carroz and Flaine, all with their own distinct character. More information on the superb skiing and snowboarding opportunities along with other sports such as fat-biking, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing can be found on our Winter activities page.
Morillon was recently voted seventh best ski resort in France beating Les Arcs, Alpe d'Huez, Tignes, Les Arcs, Megève, Morzine and Val d'Isère to name a few. Morillon has also been described as a 'piste-perfect', 'pretty, family-friendly' village by the Guardian, whilst the Times described Samoëns as a 'medieval delight and a joy to behold'. Morillon, Verchaix, Samoëns and Sixt are all very much working villages and farming communities. The Giffre valley differs from many others in the Haute-Savoie, such as Chamonix and Morzine, in that it's a dead end, finishing at the beautiful Sixt Fer à Cheval nature reserve, so that we don't suffer from high levels of traffic, even in peak season.
Morillon and Verchaix have a weekly market each, both within a five minutes walk of the chalet. Also within a five minutes walk are a number of cafés, bars and restaurants including a superb pizzeria, a fantastic artisan bakery and a gourmet chocolatier.
Lac Bleu swimming lake, with a sandy beach and lifeguards, is also within a five minutes walk of the chalet. Adjacent to the lake are tennis and volleyball courts, crazy golf, horseriding and ziplines and wires in the trees. One of our favourite restaurants, La Covagne, is next to the lake and is perfectly located to keep an eye on children on the zipwires or playing in the sand.
Samoëns is the largest settlement in the valley with a large weekly market and a wide variety of restaurants, cafés, bars, and shops as well as an outdoor swimming pool complex with fun pool and slide, ice-skating rink and cinema.