Skiers with a nose for a good deal might be tempted by the favourable buying conditions in the French Alps right now. Here are five resorts worth a visit in your search for a ski home…
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
A strong Pound and very low interest rates on euro mortgages, combined with major infrastructure investment in a number of resorts, are all signs that 2016 could be a good time to invest in ski property in France.
“An added attraction of buying French ski property is the option of leaseback,” said Elaine Ferguson, Head of the Resource Centre at OverseasGuidesCompany.com. “Under this Government-backed scheme, you own an apartment that is leased to and fully managed by a holiday management firm, which also pays you a fixed annual return and allows you a pre-agreed amount of personal use. Leaseback residences are usually next to the slopes and often have extra facilities, such as a pool and spa.”
Les Deux Alpes
Ticking just about every box, from nightlife to off-piste activities, this resort has just won the Best European Resort award at the 2015 World Snow Awards. Much excitement this year focuses around the opening of a new blue run, a €10-million investment that completes a 10-kilometre long stretch of entirely blue pistes, starting at 3,600 metres and ending in the resort at 1,600 metres. Re-designed ‘fun zones’ also add to the resort’s appeal.
Châtel
Two new ski lifts linking the massifs of Super-Châtel and Linga, providing skiers with easy access to the Portes du Soleil ski area and its 650 kilometres of slopes on a total of 285 pistes, open this season. The upgrade includes a new blue run in Châtel, completing a convenient circular route of the Portes du Soleil. For details of an affordable one-bed apartment in Châtel, click here.
La Clusaz
Chocolate box pretty, not many resorts combine Savoyard tradition with excellent skiing like La Clusaz does. From its weekly street market, to the local production of the famous Reblochon cheese, it oozes the type of alpine authenticity suited to couples and families. And being an hour’s drive from Geneva Airport and just 20 minutes from the rail station at Annecy makes it a realistic weekend destination. For details of a charming four-bed chalet i La Clusaz, click here.
Les Menuires
Crowned Best Family Resort at the 2015 World Snow Awards, this should be a favourite with anyone buying ski property with family winter holidays in mind. Part of the huge Three Valleys ski area, the resort’s child-friendliness gets even better this season, with the opening of the new ‘Bouquetin’ blue run and two new chair lifts.
Val d’Isère
Famous for its lively après-ski and nightlife, now the skiing at Val d’Isère – already world-class, thanks to being within the Espace Killy ski area – is set to get even better. August saw the launch of a €16-million, two-year redevelopment of the Solaise area, directly above the resort, which will see a brand new mid-mountain station at 2,500 metres. To top off a good year, the resort won two 2015 World Snow Awards – Best Mountain Restaurant and Best Après-ski Bar. Exciting times ahead for property-owners there! For details of a three-bed ski-in ski-out apartment in Val d’Isère, click here.
More info
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