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Located in the Alps, in the region of Haute Savoie, Samoëns offers an exceptional mountain environment boasting much diversity including a flat glacier valley, forests typical of mid altitude mountains, high mountain pastures, alpine summits and more…
Samoëns is one of the oldest authentic mountain villages lying at 720 m altitude. It offers not only fantastic walks but also exudes in culture with quaint architecture, botanic gardens and its famous stonecutters….
"The experience of each individual is the treasure of all people"[Nerval]
The chisels of the stonecutters have fashioned the history of the village as much as the memories of the local people. Understand the spirit of this special place, caught,perhaps, in the reflections of a fountain, or decipher the passage of time in the rough stone walls. The warmth of a hand or the richness of a voice make sense when authenticity becomes a universal language.
Accommodation: village de vacances Les Becchi
Located at 400 m from the village centre, at the edge of a wood and alongside a mountain river, Les Becchi offers a friendly mountain and family atmosphere. Rooms are twin, en suite.
The chefs will serve you the local gastronomy, such as fondue savoyarde (cheese fondue), crozets (a type of pasta from the Savoie mountains) diots au vin blanctartiflette (potatoes baked in the oven, with onions, bacon and cheese), and raclette just to give you a small sampling. Wine is included and served “à discretion” (as much as you wish). (local sausage cooked in white vine)...
You will find a full palate of leisure facilities:
Spa centre with sauna, Turkish bath, indoor heated swimming pool (28°C!!), sport courts for volley ball and pétanque - a typically French game which you must try while drink pastis before dinner - ping-pong etc.
Evening animation : dance, plays, shows…colorful moments to share with everybody.
Service level for our group:
- Full board, wine included, based on 2 sharing
- Lunch packs for the walks (not sandwiches but a variety of salads, eggs, ham…)
- Access to leisure facilities and evening animations
- Maid service and towel change on Monday and Thursday; no room cleaning the other days
Walking programme: 5 guided walks
Xavier, the local SportActive guide, was born in Samoëns and has explored the area's walking paths, mountain bike trails and ski slopes all his life. He can explain all the local habits and customs of the region and knows the places to find the chamois, ibex and other alpine fauna. He speaks perfect English.
The walks themselves are not strenuous but you still need to be moderately fit as distances range from 8 to 14 km per day. As it is with all SportActive holidays this is a holiday and not an endurance test ! Along the way there will be ample rest stops for refreshments plus opportunities to stop to look at the many interesting features along the way.
Below are a few examples of the walks. All walks and times are subject to change as we adapt to weather conditions and group fitness etc. You can view the pictures of our previous walks in the SportActive photo album.
The small village Chantemerle
This is a nice and easy walk above the village. We start from the Hotel and continue on the south side of the valley. Excellent views on the valley. Typical houses of the area can be admired.
Difference in level : 300 m.
Bostan Golèse
We drive 3 km to start off in the village Les Allamands. We use a good path walking up the valley of Bostan. Then we walk through the woods, reach the alp of Bostan and the refuge of Bostan. Contiinuing we cross to the refuge Golèse. We walk down 1h15 to reach Les Allamands again.
Difference in level : 600m
Chalet des Fonds
We drive 6 km to Sixt. On a well worn path we reach the wonderful alpine village of Les Fonds in 2 hours. We findourselves surroundes by a ring of mountains at the bottom of the highest Peak of our valley : Mont Buet, 3100m
Difference in level : 350m.
Chalet de Sales
This is perhaps the nicest walk in the valley. Waterfalls, flowers, ibex, chamois, and marmots abound ! We need 2 hours to reach the refuge.
Difference in level : 700m
Chalet de Criou
We drive 2 km to the village of Le Mont. From there it is a 2 1/2 hr walk on a good path to reach the chalet of Criou. Breathtaking views of the Mont Blanc and the valley of Samoëns awathe chalet of Xavier - our local French guide.
Difference in level : 700m.
A rest day in the middle of the week allows you to explore the area which we can't reach by walking. A bus trip to Annecy is a great way to spend the day. Drive over le Col de la Colombière, make a short stop at the monastery “La Chartreuse du Reposoir”, a lunch in St Jean de Sixt close to Le Grand Bornand, at Forgeassoud - (a sister hotel of Les Becchi) and on to Annecy to visit its lake and the old town, known as “La petite Venise”.
This rest day trip is not included in the package but we can organize it for you on site.
The pictures on the left show a part of the group white water rafting ! This was probably the most hilarious day of the year. It had not been planed but we organized it last minute on a rainy morning. We figured we would get wet whatever we did and we all LOVED it.
The package includes:
- 7 nights full board in Les Becchi, based on two sharing one room
- wine "à discrétion" during dinner (as much as you like)
- Lunch packs for the walks (not boring sandwiches but salads you choose yourself from a buffet proposed in the morning, meat, eggs, cheese...)
- 5 guided walks
- airport transfers with private bus ( 1 hour from Geneva)
Not included are:
- Single room supplement: 14 €/night
- Local transport to the walks
- Private medical insurance & travel insurance
- 665 €/pps, early booking before 1st Feb, 2011
- 699 €/pps, early booking after 1st Feb, 2011
- booking closure : 20th March, 2012
- Sold out for 10-17 June 2012 ;
Group prices available : please contact us for another date if you are a group of minimum 12 persons.
This amount will be invoiced in €uro; the exchange rate at the moment of payment will apply for the guests who wish to pay in Sterling.
Package with flight :
- We invoice your flight at cost +15% admin charge (for our guests in the Sterling zone, we invoice it in Sterling if the air company is British - this avoids going through exchange rate with €).
- You can also buy your own flight, as long as the landing/take off times in Geneva airport are close to the times of the Aer Lingus flight from Dublin (in order to be able to join the airport transfer)
10th to 17th June, 2012
Flights: Aer Lingus Dublin to Geneva, direct.
Contacts
For any further information, please contact us.
Please make sure you have valid private medical insurance and travel insurance.
Book Now!
If you would like to book your place on this holiday, please download the booking form and return with a deposit of 200 € per person.
You prefer to talk to us before sending your booking request ? On the numbers below you will talk to :
- Martin : 0044/ (0)28 7136 5997
- Martin mobile : 0044/ (0)75 997 191 79 ; 00353/ (0)86 196 6006
- Flora : 0033/ (0)4 78 59 18 90 ; 0033/(0)6 99 79 12 54
How to book your holiday and pay the deposit :
- post the completed booking form + cheque made payable to SportActive, to: SportActive, 1st Floor, 2 Dacre Terrace, L/Derry, BT48 6JU, N Ireland
- by bank transfer in € or £ : please contact us to receive the bank details
Once we have received the deposit, we shall send you a SportActive-Atol-invoice for the outstanding balance of the holiday (to be paid 8 weeks before departure)
Airport transfers :
For the SportActive Cycling Centre in Mallorca : will be organized in function of your flight details ; if you book your own flights the flight details must be forwarded to SportActive with your booking. If any change in your flight schedule occurs later, please check with us if and how this affects your airport transfer. For all changes in transfers an administrative fee will apply.
The transfers for groups are organized with a privately hired bus.
The transfers for individuals or small groups under 5 persons are booked with a shuttle service.
A private taxi can be organized on request ; additional charge applies. Please ask us.
For other holidays : the flight details of the group are indicated in the package description. If you organize your own flights, you must make sure you land in the arrival airport no later than 1 hour 30 min after the group flight in order to join the programmed airport transfer.
SportActive will organise accommodation and activities. The price is inclusive with the following exceptions:
- Cycle hire is extra
- On walking trips there will be a small additional charge for local taxis to walks start and return to hotel (for certain tours)
- Participants are responsible for their own insurance.
- All participants are responsible for their own safety.
- All participants (cycling) must at all times obey the rules of the road.
- All participants are responsible for their own fitness/health to take part in an active holiday.
- SportActive will accept no responsibility for accidents or injury to participants during the trip.
Travel Insurance
UK residents : click here to book your travel insurance
EU residents : click here to book your travel insurance
Please make sure you have valid travel insurance for all bookings !
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