Pyrenees to the Alps…..

After a flying visit to friends in the French Alps and doing a little research via the internet into property for sale around that region, I decided to concentrate my property search on that area. The area offers a massive choice of ski resorts, including The Three Valleys, Paradiski area and Portes du Soleil – two of which compete for the title of largest ski domain in the world. And while chalets in the prestigious resorts of Courchevel 1850 and Chamonix will give you little return from a million Euros, properties just a stone’s throw a way are still fairly reasonably priced.

None of the properties I had viewed in the Pyrenees region ticked all the boxes, they were either still a good 30 minutes drive from the nearest ski lift, had no land, required too much work or were just over budget. And with the exception of Luchon, which has a bubble up to the Super Bagneres region, you had to drive up a winding narrow road to the main ski areas and thus drive back again at the end of the day.

After several days browsing various websites I had come across a number of properties in the Bozel valley (Courchevel area) and around Aime (close to La Plagne and Les Arcs) that I wanted to investigate further. There was a little 2 bedroom house, all renovated and for sale fully furnished for under 150,000 Euros (although no garden), a couple of chalets and houses for around 250,000 Euros and the odd large apartment with either a garden area or large terrace. I contacted the agents and agreed to try and arrange viewings for the beginning of January.

Next I needed to either sort out dog care for a few days while I drove the 700km or so up to the French Alps or find somewhere to stay that would allow me to bring the dogs – not easy when you have 3 young dogs in tow! Initially my idea was just to nip up and view for a few days and see what was on offer and then come back to the Pyrenees and to the house I had been kindly lent by a friend there. But the more I thought about what I wanted and where I wanted to be, the more determined I became to find somewhere to rent longer term up around the French Alps. This would give me plenty of time to view property, look at different areas and towns and  ensure I was making the right decision.

But rentals were not easy to come buy in the areas I was concentrating on. A studio apartment was easy to find for around 300E a week but this was simply not an option with the dogs. Larger places were looking for close to 2000 Euros a month and again most would not take pets. And with February traditionally being one of the busiest times on the ski slopes, and one of the most expensive due to school holidays, anywhere with availability for January was fully booked through February.  Eventually, after a frantic few days of searching, emailing and phoning people, it looked like the best option was going to be to rent a place for January and see what I could find once I was insitu, and if nothing came up when there, return to the house near the Pyrenees in February. Even then my options were limited to a small apartment close to Valmorel ski area and Moutiers, a cabin on a campsite close to Les Arcs area or a village house in the Bozel valley.

In the end as the apartment had WiFi and they were happy to accept the 3 dogs and it offered a fairly central location and was available for 5 weeks, I agreed to rent this. So decision made, as soon as the New Year was upon us, I packed up the car (rather a squeeze with all belongings and dogs), said good bye to the new friends I had made in the last couple of months and hit the road again for yet another new destination and temporary home.