Warm welcome and lovely place. Love the trees, great weather. Love Orcières de Merlettes. Market place. Rose garden. Les Chenets.

The house has four large bedrooms, which is important to us as we had motorcycle kit and this always seems to take more space than travelling by car. The sloping roof of the two bedrooms located on the top floor, which is really a loft area, can intrude a little. The kitchen is fully equipped and shares the space with the dining room and lounge. This open plan area leads on to the veranda. The bathroom, on the ground floor, is large and contains a bath/shower and a sauna. The second bathroom, on the first floor, has a shower and the washing machine in the cupboard. The front door is, effectively, the garage door. The garage is used as a store area and houses the tumble drier and has enough space for several bicycles, if that’s your thing. The two flights of stairs are narrow and steep, so, be careful when carrying cases and wear some kind of shoes as the stairs are uncovered wood and can be slippery. I thought the lighting, in the lounge area, could have been brighter and could be a problem in the Winter but we were there in June and it wasn’t too much of a problem. All the rooms have electric heaters and manage to dry some wet clothes we had in the first couple of days and should be ok in the Winter. There is a large garden, so, in good weather this can be enjoyed and there is plenty of tree cover for some shade. Extra shade is provided by the roller blind attached to the lower part of the veranda. The house is located in Chabottes and there are no shops but La Plaine de Chabottes, on the main road and within 20 mins walking distance, has a supermarket, bakery and bar and a cheese shop a little further on. There are two more supermarkets and a couple of restaurants 4 miles up the valley at Pont du Fosse. This is where Sandrine, the local representative, has an office. She met us on the first day and efficiently sorted out the bedsheets, towels, where to take the rubbish and other bits and bobs. Overall, I was happy with the house and would recommend it. I certainly enjoyed the stay and the area is spectacular.

As a group of five, we really enjoyed our stay in this traditional style wooden chalet, plenty of room and character, very comfortable living area with log fire. Modern kitchen fittings. Bathroom and shower room plus fantastic sauna to unwind in. Great location with mountain views. Good local walking. We explored two small ski stations close by and larger Merlette resort, 30 mins drive and Risoul resort, 70 mins drive. Cross country skiing possibilities. Easy local shopping for food and excellent restaurant in St Julien 10 mins drive. So a well fitted out charming chalet ideal base for a holiday in this area with lots to do.

The chalet is set in beautiful scenery. The mountains you see from the balcony look like Paramount Pictures! We had sunny weather every day and went for long walks on well-marked paths before coming back to barbecue in the garden. The nearby lake at St Bonnet meant we could go swimming when it got hot. The members of the local golf course were very welcoming.