Recently, I enjoy a summer in the mountains trip to Portes du Soleil in the French and Swiss Alps. I prefer to be able to recommend the places where I have stayed and where I have eaten out. These hotels and restaurants were all excellent. I will mention a few highlights of each.
There are, of course, many others and to suit all budgets, from campsites to luxury hotels and from takeaways to haute cuisine. For more ideas see Porte du Soleils.
What is the Portes du Soleil?
The Portes du Soleil includes 12 resorts in the French and Swiss Alps. In winter, they are ski resorts, while in summer the mountain centres are open for an array of activities including walking, trail running, mountain biking, e-biking, parapenting etc. I will be writing more about what you can do in the resorts.
Where to stay in Portes du Soleil
La Marmotte, Les Gets, France
La Marmotte is located in the heart of Les Gets and offers superb accommodation. I was fortunate to have a suite with two bedrooms, two shower rooms and a toilet, as well as a lounge and balcony.
There was a fridge and tea making facilities. The breakfast was good.
I wished I could have stayed longer – and invited friends to stay with me!
Hotel la Clef du Champs, Morzine, France
Hotel La Clef du Champs offered a friendly welcome and while the room was smaller than the previous hotel is was well appointed and looked freshly decorated. The room had a balcony and an en-suite shower room.
The room was at the back of the hotel where it was quiet and with open views of the lower green slopes of the surrounding mountains.
There were no coffee or tea making facilities. The hotel has a small outdoor swimming pool and garden area with seating.
The hotel is an easy walking distance from all the many entertainments of the town.
The breakfast was excellent.
Hotel Fleur de Neige, Chatel, France
Hotel Fleur de Neige offered an impressive room and even more impressive views. The large room had a shower room, separate toilet, sofa and balcony.
I spent most of my time on the balcony looking out at the valley and mountains and I was treated to a breath-taking sunset.
The hotel has a swimming pool, a garden and a restaurant. The breakfast was lovely. There were tea and coffee making facilities in the room.
Hotel Suisse, Champery, Switzerland
Hotel Suisse is located in the centre of the village and had incredible mountain view. Although not as luxurious as other the other hotels it had all I needed for a comfortable overnight stay.
The large room had a big en-suite bathroom, plus a small balcony. There were no coffee making facilities but there was a lovely outdoors terrace and the breakfast was great.
Where to eat: Portes du Soleil
There are many, many restaurants and cafes keen to serve customers. These were hand-picked for me and I was impressed by them all.
L’As des Neiges, Les Gets
I wish I had taken photos of the beautiful food…I enjoyed a three-course meal with big portions (probably too big!) and each looked and tasted delicious.
See L’As des Neiges
La Grange, Morzine
It was hot and I wanted a salad. This was a salad of impressive ingredients and proportions! The salad include potato, bacon, cheese, leaves and a fried egg. It was tasty and filling.
The service was friendly and timely. It was also nice to sit outside on a warm evening.
See La Grange.
La Crémaillère, Les Lindarets
Les Clarines is unusually located in the “goat village” of Les Lindarets. The village is home to tame goats that wander about being fed and stroked by visitors. It’s all rather surreal and also a bit smelly but the restaurant is excellent and friendly.
I enjoyed lunch here, another salad, and again a great meal. (I forgot to take photos because I was a little nervous about the forthcoming Fantasticable!)
Le Comptoir, Chatel
The restaurant is located in the heart of the village with great potential for people watching! The meal was truly delicious and beautifully cooked and presented. There was a wide choice from salads and burgers to my fish, risotto and vegetable dish.
The service was excellent and friendly and it was great to be able to sit outside on another warm evening.
See Le Comptoir.
Cookie Cafe, Mossettes
A mountain cafe that offered a selection of cafe style food, such as pizzas, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and salads, plus, of course, cookies and cakes. It was good, straightforward food and filling.
The views over the surrounding mountains are spectacular and it was a great stop off during an e-MTB tour of the mountains.
See Cookie Cafe.
Café du Nord, Champery
This restaurant was one of the best and had a great menu of both meat and veggie dishes. I wasn’t sure about the burger tartare, although when I tried a forkful from a fellow diner it was pretty good. (I am not sure I could eat a whole raw burger though!).
Instead, I had a nicely cooked steak with a side of tasty and filling rosti. The veg were also beautifully and uniquely cooked.
Great service and excellent food.
See Café du Nord.
La Bergerie, Val-d’Illiez
Located in the same building as a spa, the Thermes-Parc, where I had enjoyed a couple of leisurely hours, La Bergerie, Val-d’Illiez, was a friendly place to enjoy a smart lunch.
I wished I’d ordered the same as my dining friend, Ben, although it was hot and I wanted a simple salad. The salad was lovely but Ben’s plate of tuna (cook it as you eat on a hot stone slab) and chips made me envious. I did get to have a taste of the fresh tuna and it was amazing.
I made up for my jealousy with a dessert of delicious ice cream and sorbet.
Again the service was great and the atmosphere was friendly and not too formal.
See La Bergerie.
• Note. All accommodation and restaurants were courtesy as part of a press trip.
Find out more at Portes du Soleil.