 Poster: A snowHead
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My wife and I are looking into the possibility of relocating to the mountains, somewhere in France most likely. Our aim is to start with buy a couple of cheap apartments to rent in order to supplement our income from our work here in England (which we will keep doing remotely and over Summer etc). Long term I would love to open a Brewpub/ restaurant where I can brew all the beer that is served, and at this point the move would most likely become permanent. We would like to visit a few resorts this coming winter to help us decide which resort we would like to live, but also which resort may have a market for such a business?
I have spent quite a bit of time in both Serre Chevalier and Morzine/ Portes Du Soleil and love them both. Morzine has a brew pub already which is well established so I'd rather not go into direct competition. Serre Che is an option as I really feel in a years to come it will develop into a much more popular resort with Brits following the recent and ongoing investment in the lifts and infrastructure, and the Apres scene will pick up as a result.
I'm wondering if people could recommend any other French resorts that come to mind that we could check out this winter as the choice is so vast. We have a baby daughter so would like a resort that is good for families, and also one where property is not too pricey so that we could afford the apartments in the short term?
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi - we live in Morzine and you're right about the market here. What about elsewhere in PdS- like Chatel? I think the prices are lower there but they're gearing up for targeting he summer market even more.
If not all year round then two big season would be needed I imagine. Best of luck.
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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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With global warming wrecking the Alps, you need to buy as high as possible and futureproof the business (if Winter-focused). Any resort above 1800-2000m should be fine. Val Thorens, Tignes, etc. But they are not easy markets to break into.
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Serre Chevalier also has the advantage of being a fantastic place to live all year round, not just in the winter 
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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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Hey Matt, I recognise your name. Bring out that brew/pub to Serre Chevalier please!
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@searle.matt, Brew Pub/Restaurant in the mountains sounds my kind of heaven. May I put my name down as a cellar/bar man, I can provide suitable CV 
Wherever you finish up the very best of luck.
Kind regards
DJ
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There is a brew pub fairly near Serre Chevalier.
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Thanks for all the replies guys. Serre Che and Morzine are resorts I know well already, so I'd also like a couple of suggestions of resorts that may be worth checking out that perhaps I'm not so familiar with, but that you guys think would be a good fit for me?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Chamonix / Val Thorens / Val d'Isere.
I'd go with Cham as it's a pretty-much-all-year resort.
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I think before taking the plunge I'd live in a resort for a while before establishing too permanent roots, you might hate either living in a resort or that resort in particular and if you've made too miuch of a financial investment feel trapped.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| marcellus wrote: |
| I think before taking the plunge I'd live in a resort for a while before establishing too permanent roots, you might hate either living in a resort or that resort in particular and if you've made too miuch of a financial investment feel trapped. |
Exactly. Don't even think about choosing a village that you're not very familiar with. We'd been coming to Wengen for 25 years before we decided it was the place for us.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Hey Marcellus, thanks for the reply. I definitely do not want to move too quickly, which is why I'm trying to visit a few resorts this winter to narrow my search. I hope to start off by buying some property to let in a resort just to give me to option to spend some time there and if I don't like it then the properties would be seen as simply an investment. The bar is something that I'm looking into doing a few years down the line once I am comfortable. Thanks again I really appreciate everyone's input.
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@searle.matt, just be careful, visiting a resort (even if for a couple/few weeks) is very different from living in one for 50 weeks of the year (assuming you go on holiday for a fortnight) or being an absent land lord!
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You know it makes sense.
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Also, do your sums very carefully before deciding that buying apartments in a ski resort will be a paying investment. A couple of buy to let flats in the UK in an area where you understand the market could well pay a lot better.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
Hi - we live in Morzine and you're right about the market here. What about elsewhere in PdS- like Chatel? I think the prices are lower there but they're gearing up for targeting he summer market even more.
If not all year round then two big season would be needed I imagine. Best of luck. |
Has Le Fer Rouge brew/pub in La Chapelle d'Abondance closed down?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Rent first and see how it is all year............
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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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@Hells Bells, must try their bar in Vallouise next summer, missed out on going this year and I really like the beer
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@KenX, sounds like a plan.
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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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Hi @searle.matt,
A couple of other suggestions of resorts in the Tarentaise which would be a good match for a brewpub would be La Tania, Meribel Village, Peisey, Tignes Les Brev.
I don't want to sound negative but living in a resort year round in a rentable flat with a baby is pretty difficult, especially if you don't have a friends/family/network base there.
Most resorts (although there are a few exceptions) close down in the interseason so you are effectively going to have around 6 months a year where you can't nip to the supermarket/get a takeaway/put the baby into creche etc.
Plus 5 months a year where your neighbours are likely to be seasonaires who wake you up at 4am with loud music/holiday makers who are banging on your door complaining about the baby.
As the baby gets older school in resort is difficult too because there is so much coming and going. It's hard watching your child make a best friend each year, and then watching the heartbreak as they leave after 5 months. The instability of going from a class of 4 to a class of 40 and back to a class of 4 again in the space of a year etc etc.
Paying really really high property prices/taxes/rates and then only having even basic services (like buses, police etc) for half the year.
For these reasons, and many many more, most people with families end up settling outside of a resort and then driving up for work. This has pluses and negatives too but is the choice almost everyone I know has ended up making - french and english.
So, I know it's not quite what you asked for, but my suggestion would be to find a nice job managing a resort pub for a year where you can learn all about french legislation/licensing etc etc and get yourself settled before setting up a business or buying any property. Then once you know the area you would be able to decide on where you wanted to live/investments you wanted to make etc.
The property ladder doesn't work quite the same in France as in the UK because purchasing tax works differently and there are big penalties for buying and selling quickly.
I hope that doesn't sound too negative?And all the best for whatever you decide - exciting adventure!!
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Hi snow and sunshine, no that wasn't too negative I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a detailed reply.
The bar is something that I would like to do long term, and would not be entering into it before spending a lot of time living in whichever resort. I have a job in the UK which allows me to come and go, so my intention would not be to head over there permanently straight from the off, but to split my time.
I hear you on the staying out of town thing, this is another reason in my mind why I like Serre Chevalier so much, as a Briancon is a year round town with a full time infrastructure, yet it is still in the resort.
Thanks again for your post it's really useful.
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@searle.matt, perhaps also take a look at St Gervais, in Evasion Mont Blanc. A real town with a summer and winter season and great communication links ( e.g. an hour to Geneva, 20 minutes to Chamonix, mostly on motorway) - I know of a family who moved there to set up a catered chalet business just as their first child was due. They have now lived there for about 10 years and their children have always attended local crèche and schools so are bilingual and have lots of local friends. As well as the main town which is around a 15 minute drive up from the valley floor, there is a base town (Le Fayet) with a train station, supermarkets, local shops etc. I don't know about the brewery possibilities and it is a pretty 'French' town but might be worth some investigation. Good luck - all very exciting.
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