We think that Les Gets Ski Resort, in the French Alps, is a perfect ski resort for families. Les Gets ski resort, not only caters for families but puts them at the heart of everything. There are also plenty of activities, on top of skiing, to suit kids of all ages. So what is it about Les Gets that gets the thumbs up from us, for being a fantastic Family Friendly ski resort?
Les Gets, an ideal Family Friendly Ski Resort
When we go skiing, we tend to go as a larger, multi-generational family, all with varying needs and demands. My parents, the Grandparents, who tend to not ski much, if at all, want a pretty village resort. They want opportunities for walking and places to explore in the day. We, with our kiddies, want good and dependable childcare and ski-school options. We also want a good choice of runs, with blues and easy reds for the boys and challenging reds and blacks for us. My sister, prefers pretty tree lined resorts with plenty of good mountain restaurants. So as you can imagine, we’re not an easy bunch to please. But we all agree that we love Les Gets ski resort.
Firstly, getting to Les Gets ski resort is easy, which is a huge bonus with young kids…
One of the key advantages of going to Les Gets with a young family is the relatively painless travel time. It’s just a short flight from Bristol to Geneva and from Geneva a short transfer of just over an hour to Les Gets. We had a private transfer with Alpnav Transfers, who we have used for the last couple of years. They have always been reliable and have car seats and booster seats if needed. Even with three little ones, we arrived at our chalet surprisingly refreshed.
Be warned, some operators like Esprit, fly into Chamberry, meaning a much longer 2 ½ hour transfer.
We love that there are plenty of family friendly restaurants to try…
The town of Les Gets, is a postcard pretty Savoyard chalet town. Wooden chalets sit high on the banks of the hills, overlooking the quaint town beneath. The town is relatively quiet; there is no raucous après ski here. Instead it is lined with quaint restaurants, boutique shops and a few bars to easily keep you happy for the week. Our favourite spot to call in for an après ski drink was the Canadian bar, The Black Bear. A buzzing little bar, with plenty of atmosphere but where kids were as welcomed as the adults.
There are numerous good restaurants lining the town, with a mix of higher end to more basic savoyarde fare. All of which are family friendly and offer childrens menus. Most will also serve half portions or are happy to share out a main meal between the kids, which generally worked out as the cheaper option. Cuisine here is typical Savoyard, think cheese, cheese and more cheese. There are also plenty of pasta and pizza options too. I’ll write up a post of our favourite Les Gets restaurants next week. Last year I wrote up about the restaurants in Morzine, some of which featured Les Gets restaurants so can have a look at that too here.
For those wishing to self cater there is a small Carrefour supermarket which sells enough of the basics to rustle up a family meal. Confit de Canard in the tins is always something we tend to get as its delicious and involves no cooking. There is also a very good butchers and some gorgeous deli type shops to pick up some local specialties, not to mention cheese. If you can drag yourself away from the slopes there is the market held in the village every Thursday morning selling meats, cheese and vegetables.
We loved the skiing in Les Gets, especially with the kids as there are plenty of opportunities for fun on the slopes…
Les Gets is part of a huge ski area. With its neighbouring Morzine it has over 120 kilometres of pistes – 3 green, 29 red and 9 black. The whole ski area is pretty with tree-lined runs and the most fantastic views.
Through-out the week we got to try out most of the slopes. The slopes are mainly wide, even when steep, which makes the transition from blue to red runs that much easier. There’s some good challenging moguls to be done on the blacks too.
On our last day, with no tie to picking up from ski school, we headed over to the area of Mont Chery. It has just 9 runs and 6 lifts, but is definitely worth a visit. Here the wide open pistes were much quieter and the views are fantastic. It’s where the locals ski and for good reason.
The kids will love Les Gets for the snow parks, the Milky Way run and the Indian Camp. At the Milky Way they may even be lucky enough to get a chocolate from the Milka Cow.
At the Indian Park there are some picnic tables, so if you happen to be organised enough to take your own baguette, here is the place to head. They also have some animals, a few games and face painting along with a ski obstacle course with tunnels and jumps.
There are also loads of runs through the trees which they call bunny runs throughout Les Gets. They are a bit troublesome for bigger adult skis as you can’t turn, you just have to go straight and pray for the best. But for kids and any daring adults they are great fun.
LGS, the English speaking Ski School was great….
In the past, we have always used ESF and have been very happy with them. This time, what with it being the French half term when we were away, we were wary of large ski classes with ESF. So this time we opted for LGS as they have a maximum of 6 kids per class. I’m so glad we did as they were lucky enough to be just the two of them in their class.
The instructor Andy was great! His lessons had a focus on learning through fun. He took them to the snow parks, over jumps and on bunny runs which they loved. Their skiing came on heaps and bounds and they could both confidently ski most reds in parallel by the end of the week.
If you’re all skied out, no problem there’s plenty of other stuff to do…
In the town there is a small ice-rink. It also has the skating equivalent of zimmer frames to help you round if you’re not the most stable on your skates.
There is also a small area for kiddies to try their hand at skidoo where they get to go round a figure of eight course.
Some days there is entertainment at the bottom of the slopes, just for the kids. Here they got free hot chocolate, had a go on the snowboard simulator, bounced on the trampoline and built a snowman. They also had their picture taken in fancy dress.
There’s even something for the really little ones….
There is a small designated cordoned off sledging area for little ones. We finished early a couple of days and hired a sledge for 5 Euros. Our two year old absolutely loved it.
Then there is the train which will take you on a tour of the town. Used by skiers to get about too, the train is a land train which will take you on a mini tour.
My youngest, not quite of the age to start skiing, was mainly looked after by my mum. But, she did have two short days in the local crèche situated behind the tourist office. This was well run and had a sizeable outdoors area and plenty of indoor space to play.
We loved Les Gets so much, we may even head back again next year. If you’d like to see more, have a quick look at our video of Les Gets below. We’re always on the look out for family friendly ski resorts, do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
Practical Information
Ski Hire: There are numerous ski and rental shops in Les Gets ski resort. We had pre-ordered via Delavay Sports online to secure a 20% discount on their normal rental prices. The service at Delavay was efficient and the boys were sorted out with their gear in no time. A bonus was that their skis and boots could be left in the downstairs storage area daily, meaning only a short walk with the dreaded boots and carrying of skis across to the bubble station each morning.
With a family you get to board first onto the plane, however as you queue for such a long time at Geneva airport it is worth paying the extra for speedy boarding
Ski hire: – http://www.delavaysports.com/en
Ski Passes and prices: – https://en.lesgets.com/i-want/glisse/portes-du-soleil-skipass.html
LGS – British Ski and Snowboard School: – http://www.skischool.co.uk/
Les Fripouilles Nursery: – https://en.lesgets.com/les-fripouilles-nursery.html
Transfers:- http://www:alpnavtransfers.com
Flights: We flew from Bristol to Geneva with Easy Jet https://www.easyjet.com
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Ive never been skiing as i imagine it to be freezing cold all the time but from what ive heard its not and your pictures make it look beautiful!
I like the fact that there are loads of family friendly restaurants to try. That sounds great.
Les Gets looks beautiful. I have not been skiing for years and would love to introduce the kids to a sport that I loved
Sounds like a magical place, your write up is really interesting and brings Les Gets alive,