Samoens, .Haute Savoie Appartment Flor'Alp

We chose to drive to our destination (using the Dover - Calais ferry) and had one overnight stop in Germany each way.(Cologne and Aachen). We found Novotel to be reasonably priced and pleasant but somewhat lacking in character(however, perfectly sufficient for overnight stays).

Samoens is not all that easy to access by road and you need to allow longer than you might think to travel between places of interest.

The village itself is beautiful....quite compact but lively and bustling none-the-less.

There is a wonderful botanic garden (free entrance if you don't require the services of a guide), an historic village centre, charming shops and restaurants, a mini-golf course,and a large park with a pretty lake and children's play area. For the more energetic there is a children's outdoor activity centre and adults can engage in white-water rafting and tandem or single-handed parachuting from the local mountain.

We were a little disappointed that the 'Festival of the air' (as advertised on the village website) did not take place.

There is supposed to be a very scenic walk from the nearby village of Sixt. However this footpath was closed when we were there due to some sort of landslide. We were still able to visit the impressive 'Rougets' waterfall, however.

We did a lot of sightseeing although local roads tend to be busy, winding and slow. Sometimes it was quicker to go the 'long way round' and travel onmotorways (toll).

We enjoyed trips to Morzine (cableways and summer luge), Chatel (cable car and chair lift),Chamonix (views of Mt Blanc), Evian (boat trips),and Annecy (historic and beautiful). In addition we ventured into Switzerland and visited: Geneva, Vevey (former home town of Charlie Chaplin) and Montreux (a must for every Queen/Freddie Mercury fan).

All in all we had a great summer alpine holiday. WE had a couple of wet days but, all in all, the weather was hot and sunny. I must admit that, if the weather had been bad, we may have struggled to find enough to amuse us.