Time to chill (From Hampshire Society)

Time to chill

4:58pm Thursday 10th December 2009

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The long valley is fringed by tree-lined slopes and, beyond, blue mountains are liberally iced with snow.

This is Chantmerle, one of three villages that make up the French ski resort of Serre Chevalier.

A large valley between the Lautaret and Briançon, the region is known for its extensive ski area, excellent off-piste and tree skiing.

The three villages of Chantmerle, Monêtier les Bains and Villeneuve are spread over 8km but are well linked by a regular bus service, which enables skiers to choose where they would like to finish their day.

Serre Chevalier’s extensive ski area and excellent weather record makes it the perfect destination for all types of skier and boarder. It has a fantastic snow record, combined with more than 300 days of sunshine every year.

On arriving in Chantemerle, we settled into our hotel – La Boule De Neige – and then headed off out to see what the town had to offer as far as the apres ski was concerned. One of the quietest weeks of the season, it wasn’t very busy but there was a good mix of bars and restaurants to choose from.

After a few drinks and a bite to eat, we decided the best course of action to allow us to make the most of our first day’s skiing was to go back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep.

Now, normally I would dread the sound of my alarm clock going off in the morning, especially when on holiday, but not today.

We eagerly headed down to the dining room for a hearty breakfast to set us up for the day’s skiing ahead.

After we’d sorted out our skis and passes we skied to the lift, which was just yards from our hotel – always a bonus because you never know just how far you might have to trudge in your heavy ski boots.

We thought a nice blue run would break us in gently – after all, neither of us had been near a slope for more than a year.

But we soon had our ski legs and were able to explore the vast ski area that opened up before us.

There was a wide array of blue, red and black runs for us to try as the holiday unfolded and there was plenty of good off-piste skiing to really challenge us.

By the end of the second day, our limbs were beginning to ache so we decided a spot of relaxation would be in order. We swapped skis for snow tyres and headed off in our hired car to the neighbouring village of Villeneuve to visit Le Grand Bains spa.

It was a fantastic place with an outside pool, open in winter and summer, and equipped with a wide variety of water features and effects: fountain jets, river chute, relaxation zones and outside Jacuzzi.

The indoor pool is fed by naturally-heated hot water, with a Jacuzzi, water-massage course, bubble beds, underwater shower columns, micro-bubble zones and spouts.

Around the indoor pool there are three traditional Roman bath features (frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium), steam room, salt-water pool, mineral grotto and musical grotto, which was just the most unusual experience – you lay in the water and if you submerge your ears in the water you can listen to relaxing chillout music.

I felt like a new man by the time we left. Back on the slopes, we agreed the skiing was excellent with slopes for all skill levels.

Away from the skiing, there were plenty of things going on in the evenings, including ice rally racing, which was really enjoyable to watch.

As with all holidays, the end came round too soon. I couldn’t have been more depressed flying over the spectacular snow-covered Alps back to grey old England, but the thought of being reunited with my family brought a smile to my face.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Serre Chevalier and will definitely return, bringing my family with me next time.

Roll on next year...

FACTFILE

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