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Chalet L'Homme de la Lune
in two easy steps:
+44 (0)7092 057259
web@lhommedelalune.com
You’ll immediately feel at home in this cosy traditional chalet. Tucked away in a peaceful and secluded hamlet, it’s just five minutes drive from Manigod village, where you can pick up fresh bread from the popular boulangerie or enjoy a Savoyard meal at Val Sulens restaurant. Perched on the side of the valley, the chalet has stunning views across the Aravis mountains and down the valley, which is dotted with farms and chapels, and there’s little passing traffic to disturb the peace. But don’t worry about getting bored - there’s plenty to do within a few minutes drive of the chalet, whatever the season. At Chalet L’Homme de la Lune, you’ve got the best of both worlds.
Two families or a large group of friends will love the flexible accommodation in this chalet, which sleeps up to 10 people in 6 bedrooms. The ground floor is set up as a separate apartment, with its own kitchen and bathroom, and there’s a separate TV room too, so you’ll never be tripping over each other. The utility area and laundry on the ground floor means you can keep outdoor gear out of the way, leaving the spacious living and dining areas clear for relaxation. The main kitchen is open plan, so the cook isn’t excluded from the conversation, and the large dining table makes for sociable meals. Spend your evenings around a log fire, or in warmer weather, on the sunny wraparound balcony, which makes the most of fabulous views down the Manigod valley.
Just a few minutes drive from Chalet L’Homme de la Lune, you’ve got the whole of the La Clusaz/Le Grand Bornand ski area at your disposal. Equipment can be hired in Manigod, and there are ESF ski instructors based at La Croix Fry (altitude 1500m), where parents can enjoy lunch or a drink while youngsters build confidence on the nursery slopes. Floodlights on some of the pistes mean you can ski until 1am in La Clusaz on certain dates, and the torchlit descent is an experience you’ll not forget. Cross-country skiers will find plenty of trails to choose from, and non-skiers are not forgotten, with a heated indoor/outdoor swimming pool, ice skating rink and cinema, as well as sledging, snow-shoe walking, dog-sledding and sleigh rides.
If you can tear yourself away from the peace and quiet of your chalet, you’ll find plenty to do in the La Clusaz region. There’s no shortage of walks, from mountain trails to hiking on the Gliéres plateau, the scene of the Resistance’s campaign against the German army in World War II. The ski lifts will take cyclists and their bikes up the mountains, so they can come down at their own pace, and adrenalin junkies can try paragliding, canyoning, climbing, or white-water rafting within a few miles of Manigod. Via ferrata is another great family day out, with children as young as eight able to explore the mountains on iron walkways, secured to a harness.
Chalet L’Homme de la Lune is just minutes from the pretty village of Manigod in the heart of the Aravis mountain range. The village has a grocery store, bakery and restaurants, and there are more shops and restaurants in La Clusaz, where the tourism office organises a regular programme of events for residents and visitors all year round. The medieval lakeside town of Annecy is just 30 minutes away by car and is a great place for a day out, whatever the season, with its unique mix of restaurants, shops and museums. In the summer it’s a great place for water sports, or you could hire a boat and explore some of the quiet lakeside beaches. Whatever you choose to do, you can be sure of a holiday you’ll never forget.
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950€ - 2700€ /week
“We were first introduced to the ski resort of La Clusaz twenty years ago. We were charmed with the quintessentially Savoyard atmosphere; the heart of the village built around a large church with a good range of traditional restaurants not normally apparent in a larger resort. No concrete jungles here. I am delighted to say the resort still retains the very essence that first attracted us. In the madness of The French Revolution, La Clusaz attained fame similar to that of Gretna Green; marriages were declared legal if the happy couple walked three times around the tree of liberty in the village square. Divorce was as easily accommodated - in reverse.
The Aravis mountains captured our imagination, and we were fortunate enough to secure a plot of land in the much coveted Manigod Valley. The chalet was built to our specifications, as a family home. It is rewarding to hear our children, 18 years on, to refer to l'Homme de la Lune as 'home'. Indeed, they have grown up spending all their holidays here, summer and winter; and have enjoyed to the full everything the region has to offer.
We have made many friends in the valley. Manigod rather uniquely
manages to combine a rural farming community with successful tourism, we
have found everyone so warm and welcoming, with some memorable New Year
parties! Unforgettable highlights would certainly include watching the
tour de France go through the Valley, and para punting over the tips of
the pine forests and across the beautiful Lake Annecy.
We never tire
of the views from our chalet, from every window - breathtaking. Mont
Charvin rears up majestically overlooking the rural vista of the valley
below, tiny chapels and hamlets of ancient chalets undisturbed with
time. We enjoy the many routed walks that start from close by us,
sometimes lucky enough to bring back some chanterelle or myrtilles. The
children have always enjoyed a short climb up the hill to the local
cheese farm to collect the local Reblochon. Perhaps the most valued
treasure of our chalet is the peace - it is a friendly little hamlet
with barely any through traffic to disturb the tranquillity. In summer
we often visited the local trout fishery to fish for our supper in the
lake near Thônes. The fun of BBQ- the 'plat de jour' and sitting on the
deck with a bottle of wine watching the mountains turn pink as the sun
goes down. Equally, in the winter, there are many gatherings of friends
around our generous dining table with a raclette meal and the log fire
crackling away.
The design of the chalet seems to absorb quite a lot
of people with comfort. The open plan living/dining area is sociable,
and there is another room offset from this set up as a T.V. room or
quiet reading area. The ground floor is useful for a 2nd family to enjoy
their own privacy with a shower room, kitchenette, studio living room
and double bedroom. We find the heated utility area specifically
designed to dry off ski boots and outdoor wear really practical. There
is plenty of room for all to spill out and do their own thing, and yet
it seems to have a special intimacy. We always seem to have a chalet
full of people - it's easy to feel at home here. Local provisions are
easy to pick up from Manigod Village just 5 minutes drive down the road.
A great boulangerie and convenience supermarket are open into the early
evening. We often meet up with friends and the local bar and
restaurant, which serves good regional dishes. Manigod Village also
boasts it's own weekly market where one can try the delicious local
honey, cheese and sausages. For a bigger shop, the local town of Thônes
has several large supermarkets. Saturday morning is the time to browse
the popular weekly market, bump into friends and stop for a coffee to
watch the world go by.
The user friendly family ski resort at Croix
Fry is just 15 mins drive from us. The guys at the local ski hire shops
there are really helpful and the boots and equipment 1st Class. The
local restaurant, Fon Fon conveniently situated on the lower slopes is a
popular meeting place for lunch or a drink at the end of the day. You
can sit on their outdoor decks and wave to the kids as they build
confidence on the learner lifts. There is a base here for Ecole de Ski
Francais. Skiing within the tree line is so pleasant and often a great
advantage in poor visibility. La Clusaz has five ski areas spread
around the sides of neighbouring valleys facing north, east and west;
making up a really extensive and accessible ski area and conveniently
buy a linking Aravis pass which share the ports of La Clusaz, and le
Grand Bornand. Plenty of challenging off piste too, in the deep snow
beneath the Cret du Loup chair lifts on L'Aiguille, as well as in the
bowl above them. The north west facing slopes of Massif de Balme offer
the highest and most challenging piste with some exhilarating long runs
and plenty of scope for off piste variation. There are some scenic cross
country tracks around Lac des Confins where you literally breathe the
still beauty - awesome.
Perhaps the best tribute I can pay to the
Aravis region is how seamlessly our holidays have evolved as our
children have grown up, with changing expectations of what really makes a
great holiday. In early years, in summer, the La Clusaz Sports Campus
has been a great attraction with family fun on the 'luge' and a range of
activities to suit toddlers upwards. We have trekked through the lower
hills on horseback, and tackled the high wire adventure zones at Annecy
and Thônes. We are all keen mountain bikers and regularly use the
dedicated VTT tracks at La Clusaz. We take our own bikes but hire is
available. The lifts are open for bike users right through the summer
until the first week of September. We are also spoilt for choice with
several excellent outdoor pools, at Thônes, Grand Bornand and La Clusaz.
La Clusaz has an indoor/ outdoor pool. It is fabulous to swim in
30-degree water temperature and marvel at the panorama of the snow
slopes beyond. Then a nice sauna afterwards to ease those tired limbs!
Always
special to us has been the Lake at Annecy, in particular at Talloires.
In effortless French style, you will find a shady lawned picnic area,
beach coves, beach bar and restaurant, safe family swimming with water
slides and life guard patrol. The lake is a water sports playground, but
far from elitist. You can hire catamarans, dinghies, windsurfers and
canoes as well as water skiing. We have spent many a chilled out evening
at the terraced restaurant over looking the lake and watching the sun
go down while many still dive into the water - still inviting at 8 p.m.!
We have also enjoyed the regular spectacular firework displays and
open air concerts at the lakeside.
What ever your pleasure, what ever
your budget, whatever your age, there is something for everyone.
History and culture; adrenalin challenges, gourmet food and regional
dishes, and perhaps most importantly - time out on your own terms - in
your own time.
We hope you enjoy that time, as we continue to do so.”
Kim and Paddy
La Clusaz Chalet
- This property and many others are featured on this web site -
www.laclusazchalets.com
Ski Hire Manigod - Top quality ski hire and expert fitting - www.skihiremanigod.com