 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi can anyone offer me some advice, I am looking to go to a resort in France, that is good for beginers with gentle runs, and good value for money.
its for my wife and myself, and we are looking to self drive and take our 18 month old newfoundland dog with us. So looking for accomodation that will allow her to stay, she is a big dog but well behaved and fully house trained. We are looking to leave her in the accomodation for a few hours each day while we hit the slopes / ski school. but as I said she is well behaved and will sleep while we are out, after the long early morning walk and afternoon / evening trips out with her.
I would like a resort with a few bars and resturants but not looking for the mad 18-30 type apres ski, getting to old for all that lol ! If anyone has taken their dog away or knows of any suitable resort / accommodation please let me know.
We are looking at going away for a week in resort from 10/01/15.
many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Norfolkman,our apartment is booked that week, but if you could manage to go a week earlier, have a look at my apartment in Serre Chevalier. We take our own dogs there, and it is close enough to the slopes to drop back occasionally to make sure they are OK. Great walks in the snow and dogs are welcome in nearly all the bars and restaurants The apartment is on the ground floor, so it is easy to let them out in the mornings/midnight etc. The website address is in my signature, and there's 5% discount for snowHeads using code sh5 . Brilliant New Generation ski school in resort for your lessons too, and we are just 200m from the nursery slopes.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Les Carroz sounds like the sort of place you may want to look at. It's a pretty village, with a few nice bars and restaurants, and there are paths and places to walk your dog in the woods around the village. There are nice gentle runs through the trees back to the village, and in mid Jan being below the tree line is great when the weather closes in. Once up the mountain, you have the whole of the Grand Massif area to play in (the long blue and green runs down to Morillon are a delight and would put a smile on an aspiring beginner's face). It's relatively good value (for France) and is probably one of the shortest drives from Calais
I can't help you on specific accommodation though. I would suggest approaching the local estate agents-we used Immo Renand when we rented there for a couple of seasons. I am sure they can offer you something dog friendly if you ask them specifically. It's not much of a ski in ski out resort (there is some) but it is possible to get accommodation a walking distance from the piste-the areas immediately around the village centre and then up to Le Pernand (which has the older old farm buildings and conversions as well as newer apartments etc) and Les Servages are the most attractive and convenient places to stay, (in my opinion)...other areas really require the use of the ski bus. We had a car when we were there and tended to drive 5mins up the road to the bottom of the Molliets chair lift as there were never any queues-but in mid Jan, that isn't going to be a problem!
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Norfolkman, technically (apparently) it's against the rules to not accept dogs (pets?) in accommodation in France.
This may only be if you want to be officially certified by the mairie. It's been so long since we did that that rules have certainly changed.
And is certainly ignored by some like us who use the property ourselves and have a catastrophically allergic_to_fur, all fur, member of the family (me).
So, in general, you ought to find it quite easy to find a dog accepting property in France.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I think Le Hameau de Beaufortain in Les Saisies would be ideal for you. Les Saisies is excellent for beginners/less confident skiiers and very pretty. Things like lift passes ski school and eating out are cheaper than many resorts. Whilst we didn't do any walking ourselves there seemed to be more footpaths around the ski area than I've noticed in other resorts. There were definitely people with dogs staying in that residence - I'm a bit dog phobic so it was not ideal for me 
The above apartments are ski to and from the door and have good access to walking trails, however Le Hameau de Beaufortain is about 1 km (easy drive) from the centre of the resort. There are other apartments nearer the centre of the resort that probably take dogs too. We went with Peak Retreats who offer a few different apartments there. Pam W would also be able to tell you about other accommodation options as she has an apartment nearby.
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Pam W would also be able to tell you about other accommodation options as she has an apartment nearby.
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Lots of dogs stay at our apartment complex (Les Fermes du Beaufortain, in Bisanne 1500) - unfortunately, as too many owners don't pick up after their dogs and their offerings hang around for months.  One of my grandchildren, building a snowman, got dog poo on his salopettes - something we hadn't noticed till taking him into the ski hire shop (having already sat him in his car seat  ). I think some French people have begun picking up after their dogs (as I'm sure you do) but it's far from universal. One of the disagreeable aspects of French ski resorts, I'm afraid.
Bisanne 1500 is less isolated than the Hameau du Beaufortain) and as well as the doorstep skiing has a couple of restaurants and bars. Also ski hire shop and a small but fairly well stocked supermarket, with limited opening hours, but nothing much else (well, if you discount the stunning panoramic views of the mountains). Les Saisies would certainly suit you as a resort but LS village might be a better place to stay if you like a wider variety of evening entertainment and facilities. Your dog will have plenty of company.
There are certainly plenty of walks, some piste-bashed and others where you need snowshoes. More scope from the main village than from Bisanne 1500.
Peak Retreats have some nice properties in Les Saisies, but they are expensive. There are options available at all price points, especially in mid January.
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www.ski-planet.com french site much cheaper than most uk offerings and has a nice selection of dog friendly apartments.
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