Les Menuires Information

Apres-ski

Les Menuires isn't the liveliest resort in France, but it isn't the quietest either, with around 50 increasingly busy bars and nightspots.

Le Challenge (tel: +33 479 007 852) and Le Mousse (tel: +33 479 001 616) in La Croisette are popular hangouts, while nearby Kube (tel: +33 479 006 510), just next to the sports centre, is a cocktail bar with a nice quiet atmosphere and weekly piano or jazz concerts.

Revellers looking to party late into the night should try the Leeberty disco (tel: +33 4 7900 6849), or Le New Pop (tel: +33 479 006 720) in la Croisette, which are two of six late night bars and clubs in the resort.

Eating out

There are more than 50 places to eat in Les Menuires – from Italian and Mexican to the normal Savoyard purveyors of fondue and raclette.

The popular La Chouette (tel: +33 479 002 126) serves reasonably priced Savoyard specialities and a selection of fish dishes, in les Bruyères.

At the gourmet end of the restaurant spectrum, Le 'K' at Hotel Kaya (tel: +33 479 414 201; www.hotel-kaya.com) is the place to go while on the mountain in Reberty. La Maison de Savoie (tel: +33 479 006 106) is another, which serves a lunchtime plat du jour menu until 1600 and has a stunning terraced area. It also offers cookery lessons on Monday where you can learn how to make a perfect fondue.

Le Village (tel: +33 479 412 039) is a small, typical restaurant with good food in la Croisette, with décor designed to look like an ancient Belleville farm.

Resort Information

Beyond the slopes

There's an increasingly wide range of activities in Les Menuires besides skiing and boarding as the resort continues to diversify its offering.

These include Les Bruyères Aqua-fun centre (tel: +33 479 006 898), a huge complex dedicated to well-being and fitness that includes an aqua-fun area with large paddling pool for children and a wellness area, complete with whirlpool jet balneotherapy baths, for adults.

There's a second pool at the large SOGEVAB sports centre (tel: +33 479 010 883), which also offers squash and tennis courts and a wellness centre. Other indoor options include Les Clarines Spa (tel: +33 479 000 076), which also operates a special children's spa for six to 16-year-olds. There are also two cinemas and a museum.

On the snow, adults can choose between activities ranging from dog sledding to snowmobiling, snowshoeing and the new addition of mountain biking on snow. Those who have a head for heights and want to see the stunning scenery from above can try microlight flights and paragliding.

Family fun

Les Menuires is arguably the most family-friendly of the Les Trois Vallées resorts, with services for children of all ages. Le Club Piou-Piou (tel: +33 479 006 379), a non-ski nursery for babies from three months old in La Croisette, looks after children aged up to five years.

Children (three years and over) who are itching to learn how to ski can head to the École du Ski Français (ESF) (tel: +33 4 7900 6143; www.esf-lesmenuires.com). This ski school offers lessons tailored to both learning and fun, with lessons in line with the French national learning and certification programme.

Off the slopes the 4km-long (2.5 mile) Roc'n Bob sledging course is a big family attraction, available for anyone aged seven and over. There's also a rail-mounted toboggan course where you can race against the resort's mascot, Boukty. There's also a popular children's play park in the La Masse area.

Retail therapy

The choice of shops in Les Menuires continues to expand and is now nearing 100 outlets, but the onus remains on practicality and functionality rather than glitz and glamour.

A high proportion of these retailers are either ski and board stores or grocery shops, ranging from boulangeries and patisseries to mini supermarkets. There are also newsagents, photographic stores, banks with cash dispensers, dry cleaners, hairdressers and chemist shops. Additionally, there's a covered shopping centre in La Croisette.

Splashing out

Vincent Jay, the renowned biathlete (and the first French gold Medal winner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics) is a Les Menuires local. His sport is an exhausting and exhilarating mix of cross-country skiing and shooting from a standing or lying position. The ESF (tel: +33 479 006 143; www.esf-lesmenuires.com) provides a two-hour introduction to biathlon, for which participants don't need previous experience of cross-country skiing (though it helps) or shooting.

Hotels

In common with most large, French purpose-built resorts, about 90% of the accommodation in Les Menuires is in the form of apartments or residences. However, there are now a number of new, highly regarded hotels in the resort, while many of the better and newer apartment complexes also have hotel-like facilities such as spas, bars and restaurants.

Luxury

Moderate

Cheap