Q&A

While La Ferme du Soleil is brilliantly situated for skiing and other sports in the resort, being cut off by snow does raise some logistical considerations. The most important thing to get right is that the flights to and from the resort are arranged at the right times. Guests should book flights so that they arrive in Geneva no later than 12pm. From the airport get a taxi to Le Chinaillon and ask to be dropped off at a ski hire shop called 'Ski Service'. This trip takes around 1 hour 20 minuites.

Once at 'Ski Service' you can load your luggage into our silver BMW X5. The staff in the shop will give you the keys to open the car and lock it. All of your ski rental equipment is available at the shop and your ski pass at the ticket office 50m down the road. In addition to the normal weekly ski pass you will also need to purchase a 'single trip' pass to come up to the chalet (cost around 7 euros). You will need your ski's to go up the lift so remember to pack your warm ski clothing on the top of your suitcases.

Hamish, the chalet manager, will come down and meet you at 4pm and bring you up to the chalet on the lift that starts right next to the ski shop and takes you 100m from the front door!

Your luggage will be brought up to the chalet by Hamish separately at around 5.30pm.

No problem. Instead of going all the way to Chinaillon in the taxi, ask to be dropped off at 'Telecabine Rosay' in Le Grand Bornand but leave your luggage in the taxi to go up with the skiers. Rosay is a pedestrian bubble lift. Go up in the lift (cost under 10 euros) and when you get to the top it's about a 5-10 minute walk to the chalet. If you are wishing to arrive in this way please let us know and we will talk you through the details.

We ask our guests to leave the chalet no earlier than 8am and no later than 9am. Please keep this in mind when booking flights. All the baggage will be taken down the mountain in the morning by 9am.

We recommend return flights to be booked at around midday. Futher details will be provided during your stay

We recommend Aravis Transfers. They are reliable and competitively priced.

First floor
Bedroom 1. Two single, which can be zipped together to make a big double
Bedroom 2. One double
Bedroom 3. Two single
Bedroom 4. One double

Ground floor
Bedroom 5. One double (Writer's Retreat)
Bedroom 6. Two single beds, which can be pushed together easily
Bedroom 7. Two single (bunk) beds in a particularly small room

There is a choice of two schools. You will need to call them directly, or send them an email. They will ask you to pay in advance.
ESF (Ecole de ski Francais)
http://www.ski-school-legrandbornand.co.uk
Le Grand-Bornand Village +33 (0)4 50 02 79 10,
Le Grand-Bornand Chinaillon +33 (0)4 50 27 01 83
email: contact@esf-grand-bo.com

ESI StarSki
http://www.esi-starski.net
Le Grand-Bornand Chinaillon +33 (0)4 50 80 60 50
email: info@esi-starski.net
Résidence le Montarquis, Chinaillon, Le Grand-Bornand

You can give them a flying start by getting the ski teachers to give them a private lesson on the first day. The 'Ecole de Ski Francais' teachers will usually pick up learners from the chalet, if requested long enough in advance.

Alternatively you can ski them or even walk them down the track to where the ski schools meet.

With enough notice we can usually organise someone to look after the very young while you ski. There is plenty of snow for building snowmen or sliding down on little sledges. We have a high chair and cot and can organise special meals and different mealtimes to the adults.

There are a number of alpine restaurants within walking distance and others within ski distance. We can help you with bookings and directions when you arrive.

Please refer to 'Other Activities' under the 'Resort' heading to see what is on offer for non-skiers.

There is a wonderful snow park, all the usual pistes as well as unpisted runs from red to very black which are fun for snow boarders as well as skiers.

Please refer to the first question 'How do I get to the chalet'.

We will take your bags down about 8 am and wave you goodbye by 9 am in order for us to prepare the changeover. Some people will ski that day and only leave the area in the evening. You need to book any flights to take these timings into account.

Tuesday. It is also night skiing that evening. This makes it easy to return to the chalet before 10:30pm when the lift closes. We can suggest restaurants that are open that evening.

You should take the ski bus from Le Grand Bornand to Chinaillon and get off at the stop for 'Ski Service', the ski shop at the bottom of Les Gettiers lift. Leave your bags in the Ski Service's special baggage storage (consign) and they will be collected from here. Let us know in advance so that we can make arrangements. If you have no bags or just bags that you can carry yourself, the alternative is taking the Le Rosay gondola from Le Grand Bornand and walking up the track to the chalet.