Think Val d’Isère is just an upmarket ski resort? Think again.
I stand on the edge of a steep incline, 2500 meters high in the Alps while a Frenchman convinces me to run off the side.
I pitch myself forward, legs scrambling closer and closer to the edge, faster and faster until, like cartoon character Wile E Coyote, there is nothing beneath me but thin air.
A flutter, a whoosh, and then the colourful parachute swoops high above me, swinging me gently into out the balmy mountain air.
I’m flying.
My scream echoes through the valley as I glide through the pulled-silk sky with Roman, my pilot encouraging me to sit back and enjoy the ride. Below, a cushion of protected pine and larch forest stretches across the undulations of the Tarentaise valley as I float like the seed of a dandelion clock I used to blow as a child.
Now this is living.
A three hour transfer through winding, mountainous roads and past ice-blue lakes will get you to the Club Med resort which immediately radiates classic Alpine charm
Parasailing is just one of the summer mountain activities on offer if you swap the summer beach holiday for some alpine adventures.
And Club Med is leading the charge, flipping the snow-tipped peaks of places lke Val d’Isère into so much more than a winter destination.
The company’s latest offering is the newly upgraded exclusive collection nestled on the edge of what’s often described as the world’s best ski resort.
Val d’Isère (the French call it Valdi) is located in France’s Upper Tarentaise Valley and the all-inclusive resort, arguably the best address in the town for families, is located in an enviable ski-in ski out position.
A plethora of activities are on offer for outdoor enthusiasts, from hiking in the Vanoise National park to bespoke yoga classes
Checking in
A sun-clad terrace spills out of the hotel lobby – a perfect buzzy spot to sip aperols while deciding if you are in a yoga or a hiking mood. Inside it’s an oakey, low-ceilinged cosy. Think baronial highlands with alpine flair. Fur throws soften the rich panelling, and in a nod to Club Med’s long history in this area, old wooden skis and other traditional mountain paraphernalia line the nooks by the bar.
The 216 rooms are similarly decked out with royal reds and pretty views out over the valley.
Various Savoyard specialities dominate the menu at the all-inclusive resort. There are two restaurants; Market-stall style buffet, Le Bellevarde and the more intimate Les Millésimes which turns into a nightclub after dessert. All the products have been carefully selected from the best producers in the region, meaning cheese, cheese and more cheese.
The 17m heated indoor pool and outdoor jacuzzi are a great way to ease the aches from a days hiking. But if you really want to treat yourself, hit the spa for a relaxing massage in one of the ten treatment rooms where you’ll want to take home all of the Cinque Monde products.
All-inclusive
But to really get the most out of what the resort has to offer, you have to get out and breathe that mountain air.
There are a wide choice guided hikes with mountain trails designated, like the slopes, in blue, green, red and black. One hike traverses the Malpasset Gorges where it’s not uncommon to see ibex or chamois, while another brings you on an Instagrammable loop from the étroits fjord where the reward is a panoramic view of Mont Blanc and a descent through the ominous-sounding lost valley.
The club also offers over 20 hours of yoga a week at the ‘by Heberson’ Yoga school as part of the package for those looking to perfect their downward dog outdoors on the sun-dappled terrace.
I was keen to try out the e-biking – bicycles with a battery-powered “assist” that comes via peddling and, in some cases, a throttle.
After we were decked out with elbow guards, helmets and back protectors, our instructor explained the various settings. Eco is the lowest power level, Trail next, while Boost offers the least resistance when it comes to trekking up the steep inclines.
You might also spot one of the many whistling marmots darting past as you marvel at the breathtaking valley, starkly beautiful even without the cover of snow.
After a short practice session we were ready to explore the surrounding area. There’s nothing like the wind in your hair as you zip along the trails through buttercup-clad meadows, past les vaches, over bubbling brooks and up into the thick forests that give this area its enchanting feel.
What’s lovely about e-biking is the accessibility to places like this, even for the less fit amongst us. One in our group explained how e-biking has allowed his elderly father to experience some of the higher peaks alongside his grown-up sons. Being all inclusive here isn’t just about the price.
You might also, like us, spot one of the many whistling marmots darting past as you marvel at the side of the breathtaking valley, starkly beautiful even without the cover of snow.
The Great outdoors
A plethora of activities are on offer for outdoor enthusiasts. There are over 160km of off-road trails for mountain bikers of all levels with the infamous Col de I’Isèran offering the highest road pass in the Alps at 2764 m for a more challenging climb.
With an emphasis on quality family time together, Club Med also puts on star-gazing tours, road-biking lessons and nature picnics with children’s clubs from four to seventeen years. There your mini-me can enjoy scavenger hunts, wild meadow games and whistling-marmot spotting.
Staff (GOs are Gentil Organisateur which translates to Gracious Organiser) while guests are called GMs (Gentil Member) are courteous yet engaging, on hand to assist in any way without being overbearing (a finely-tuned skill). They went above and beyond to make sure we enjoyed our stay.
The overriding consensus is that until now, mountain summer holidays have been somewhat underestimated. But it makes perfect sense to visit this stunning region without the ski crowd.
Our guide through the old village of Val D’Isère explains to us that there are two types of visitor – those who ask immediately on arrival where is La Face (black-rated vertical piste), and those who enquire about La Follie Douce (the wildest après ski party place with DJs and champagne fountains). That’s how they distinguish how serious you are about your intensions here.
La Folie Douce has led the way for partying on the pistes, our guide explains to us. There are now six such venues dotted around the resorts. And when we ask for a direct translation of the name, someone suggests ‘gentle madness’.
As I run into the blue oblivion with the backdrop of the Alps, strings of the parachute quivering above my head, it occurs to me that there is a type of gentle madness to coming here to this place to have your own summer adventure.
“It’s the altitude,” a regular visitor to the area tells me, “it transports you”. I’m not sure about that. But it’s definitely magic.
Two hour flight Dublin to Geneva, then three-hour transfer. A seven-night stay in July costs from €2,012 per person (based on double occupancy). Price based on departure date 23.07.2023
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