Holiday bucket list: activity holidays in the French Alps

So we all know about the beautiful ski resorts of the French Alps: Val D’Isere and Morzine are on everyone’s skiing radar. But what about in the summer? I’ve noticed that a lot of friends are heading off to these types of resorts in the off season too, and after a bit of research, I’m definitely ready to join them.

With two active lads, sometimes our family holidays can be quite difficult to plan, but with a place like the French Alps, there are loads of things to do, so when Alpine Elements told me about their activity holidays website, I thought I’d have a look. After our recent hiking and biking exploits on our Britannia excursions, I realised that I actually quite like being a bit active on holiday. It offsets all the yummy food that you’re eating, and a place with lots of things to see and do sounds like the perfect way for our family to spend a bit of time together.

It’s actually a really clever way to go on holiday, kind of like the Colony Holidays of my childhood (a week away from the parentals doing all sorts of great activities). You stay in a gorgeous hotel or French chalet (either catered or self catering - I’m thinking self catering to take advantage of all that amazing wine and cheese) like Chalet Nyon in Morzine (above). It’s brand new, nestled in the mountainside just by the Nyon lift (giving you access to some of the area’s best walking and biking trails), and it’s got four ensuite bedrooms, as well as a hot tub and a sauna.

With your accommodation sorted, you then get loads of free activities, including things like white water rafting, guided mountain bike rides, hikes and walks, swimming, sailing… all sorts of stuff. Plus, if you want to get REALLY bonkers, you can upgrade for a small fee to things like canyoning, which seems like the ultimate adrenaline rush, where you follow the path of a river canyon down by practically any means possible: swimming, climbing, abseiling… it looks amazing!

Oh, and there’s another thing I really want to do (this should be a bucket list article on its own) - wild swimming! I’ve fancied having a go at this for ages, and I’d definitely make sure it was available with anywhere I booked. So what do you think? Tempting? Right then, let’s go!