Testimonials

"Beautiful surroundings, great company, food and wine"
Jim & Margaret Hair, Fife.

"Superb chalet, food & wine. Hosts just perfect"
Gordon Berry, Fife

"You've thought of everything. Beautiful chalet, amazing, fabulous food & great skiing made all the more special by 2 very special hosts"
Andrew & Donna Green, London.

"It feels like home with full service"
Thierry Dufay, Utrecht

"A shining example of what hospitality is all about"

Barry Posner, Cheshire

"10/10. Perfect in evey way. Many thanks for our best ever chalet holiday"

Kevin Howley, Yorkshire

"Fabulous week. Great hosts and exeptional food, Chalet tres comfy"

Keenan Family, Isle of Man

"It dosn't get better than this!"

Pam Smith, Cheshire

Extracts From National Press

Scotland on Sunday

By Richard Bath

Les Carroz might be part of the same ski area as Flaine and just 15 minutes away, but you’d struggle to find any ski resort that has less in common with France’s most famous alpine carbuncle. For a start, while Flaine is a purpose-built ski-in ski-out concrete monstrosity erected in the Sixties, Les Carroz was a small farming community until it became the second village in France to get ski lifts the best part of a century ago. Not only that, but while Flaine is over-run by the Brits, Les Carroz has made little or no effort to woo Les Rosbifs, with the result that this super-traditional village is still largely a playground for the French.

At first sight it was a strange place for Fife farmers Aubin and Jackie Roger to buy a chalet once they’d made the decision to retire from a life of arable bliss. But once you’ve arrived it’s fairly obvious why they alighted on this small corner of the Alps. For a start, it’s just a 45-minute drive from Geneva Airport, making the place the perfect destination for a long weekend’s skiing (Aubin took us via the local ski hire shop for a quick pitstop that meant we could be on the slopes first thing in the morning). More importantly, Les Carroz has gallic charm by the bucketload yet is directly linked into the excellent skiing to be had around Flaine.

Although the views from the Rogers’ super-smart four-bedroom chalet are breathtaking, like the canny farmers they are, the couple knew that they would need a USP to compete in the crowded chalet market. They soon came up with a winning formula: fine dining. For many years a Roger sideline was running B&B from their farm near St Andrews, but while Jackie has spent more time tied to the cooker than many chefs it is the input of her son Mark - he works down south as a commis chef at John Campbell’s Michelin-starred Vineyard at Stockcross – which has propelled the menu at Chalet Calluna into the culinary stratosphere.

Sourcing food locally, Jackie produces quite outstanding food far removed from the usual soups and stews of chalet life. As they live on the self-contained bottom floor of the chalet and prepare the food away from the main living area, meals appear and disappear without any fuss or mess, and you’re just left to enjoy a comfortable night in front of the fire or lazing in the hot-tub. Not that the Rogers are the sort of people you wouldn’t want to have around: on the contrary, both are exceptionally good company and if he has time Aubin usually offers to show guests around the slopes.

Part of Aubin’s guided tour centres around the many excellent venues for lunch, and my pal Norman had plenty of time to examine all of the options after breaking his collarbone on the first run of our first day after a bit of showboating went awry. He quickly found that skiing in a predominantly French resort means that good value and lip-smackingly good food, particularly up the mountain, is the order of the day. Norman, I and the two kids, Ollie and Pip, all tucked in to fondues and tartiflette with a disgusting degree of enthusiasm: rarely can so few have consumed so much cheese.

If lunch up the mountain was good value (about 12 Euros for a decent snack and a glass of wine), then dinner was even better. We gave Jackie a rest one evening and went to a local restaurant housed in an old cow byre. Three hours, four courses and countless bottles of red wine later, we walked away with a bill of less than 30 Euros each.

But what of the skiing? As the chalet is a 15-minute walk into the village (there’s also a stop for the resort’s bus 100 yards from the house) Aubin runs guests down to the main telecabine and the ESF ski school first thing in the morning and then picks guests up when the last lift stops running (or earlier if you ask). Les Carroz is only at 1200 metres but is the first dumping ground for the snow clouds once they’ve passed Mont Blanc, and as it’s north facing the snow tends to hang around for longer. Les Carroz itself is a surprisingly big and sparsely used area well suited to families and intermediate skiers, but if it’s more challenging skiing you’re after then plenty is within easy reach, including the 14km Cascade run at Flaine. As ever when skiing in France: bear in mind when the French take their holidays.

With fine food, easy accessibility into Geneva (Aubin charges just 40 Euros return for the 45-minute transfer to the airport) and a chalet that’s so top-of-the-range that it feels more like a boutique hotel, I suspect that Chalet Calluna won’t remain an undiscovered gem for long. At surprisingly reasonable prices (650-750 Euros per person per week, with pro rata deductions for shorter stays) this is a chalet that’s well worth exploring.

Reproduced by kind permission of Scotsman Publications

Courier
By Gordon Berry

JAGGED AND beautiful mountain tops, a clear blue sky filled with hot air balloons, and direct access to some of Europe's finest skiing and summer sports activities would be enough to tempt anyone to pass just a week or two away from the trials of everyday life.

For Fife couple Aubin and Jackie Roger, however, all of these factors and a great deal more have led to a completely new life and yet another business challenge, this time amid the stunning scenery of the French Alps.

The pair, well known in farming circ les in both Fife and Perthshire, have abandoned their fleeting experience of early retirement in Scotland for the small and tightly-knit community of Les Carroz , where they are in the process of establishing a fully catered luxury lodge.

Aubin and Jackie farmed at Rumgally, near Cupar, where they also had a busy bed and breakfast operation, and after they sold the farm they moved into the property market with developments in St Andrews.

In the meantime they had developed an interest in winter sports through their son Mark, who took up skiing while at school, and has competed at university representative level.

Regular holidays in the mountains eventually led the couple to an area called the Grand Massif, situated in the heart of the French countryside, but only a stone's throw from Geneva airport.

Aubin said that it was at this point that they began to think of a more permanent life in the Alps, and after buying and renting out a newly-built apartment, they were given a once in a lifetime opportunity.

We were in the estate agent's office talking about another apartment, and we learned that on that very day the sale of a larger chalet had fallen through. We just couldn't believe it when we went to view the property, and it was love at first sight,'' said Aubin.

The result is the Chalet Calluna, perched high above the village at Les Feux with astounding views over the valley, the mountains above, and the route to other legendary destinations such as Chamonix, Megeve and Argentiere.

Les Carroz is still largely undiscovered by UK visitors who usually just pass through on their way to the purpose-built resort of Flaine further up the valley. There is something magical about the village itself, though, and we felt right away that we could build a future here.

We didn't want just to be ex-pats who only ever speak to our own guests, and we have been well and truly welcomed by locals and accepted into the community,'' said Aubin.

This became crystal-clear as I enjoyed a stroll around the village with Aubin, with a handshake offered on every corner, numerous cheery greetings exchanged with shopkeepers, and a very warm welcome from the owner of the cheese stall at the weekly market.

For Jackie, the challenge of providing high-quality food has come as a natural progression to looking after guests at the farm.

We are using local vegetab les , meats, cheeses and wines, and we are always discovering new producers. Because this is a working community there are bakers, butchers, delicatessens and vineyards right on the doorstep.

Funnily enough, we had an early experience of one locally-produced wine when we went to pick up some bathroom fitments. Once the deal was done the doors of the shop were closed early, and we were offered a celebratory ‘cup of champagne', which quickly turned into one or two cups, produced from grapes grown just a few mi les away. Little things like that have made all the difference. We didn't come here to live a life apart from other people, and so far all of our expectations have been exceeded,'' she said.

At this time of year, of course, the emphasis is firmly on the white stuff, and with a massive linked area which also takes in Flaine, Morillon, historic Samoens, and Sixt, skiers have the chance to visit over 250 kilometres of runs and some beautiful mountain restaurants. Some of the trails are set amid peaceful forests, and others have staggering views over peaks which include Mont Blanc. In the summer, the same villages provide a base for walking, climbing, ballooning, canoeing, mountain biking, caving, canyoning, white water rafting and pony trekking.

With some of the best snow conditions for years now gracing the Grand Massif, Aubin and Jackie still have some availability for either long or short breaks right up to the end of the season, and information about the chalet can be found on the website, www.book4alps.com, or you can Email info@book4alps.com

Fly Globespan is offering several flights a week to Geneva from both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

For Fife couple Aubin Roger and Jackie Roger, however, all of these factors and a great deal more have led to a completely new life and yet another business challenge, this time amid the stunning scenery of the French Alps.

Reproduced with permission of D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.