FAQs – La Ferme du Soleil

La Ferme du Soleil was once a farm, and at 1,550 m it is the highest house in Le Grand-Bornand – high enough to catch the afternoon sun after the rest of the resort is in shade, and often to look down on a sea of cloud. Hence the name. It sits right in the middle of the ski area: in winter you ski from the door to the lifts and ski home at the end of the day. That also means there is no road access in the ski season – which is a large part of the charm, and the reason for much of what follows.

Bedrooms & beds

There are six bedrooms – one of them, the children’s Bunk Room, is a room within the Family Room. Every bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin, unless noted below. Bedding and towels are provided.

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A look at the rooms

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The living floor

The whole top floor is one big room under the roof: the kitchen, a long dining table, and a sitting area gathered round the open fire, with balconies on two sides.

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Winter catering

We normally cater demi-pension for 6 days out of 7:

• Breakfast – usually something cooked, such as porridge or French toast, with freshly baked croissants or other fresh bread, orange juice, and tea or coffee to set you up for the day.
• Afternoon tea left out for your return, with cake or Scottish pancakes.
• A three-course dinner – something local such as fondue, or a favourite recipe – with mountain water, beer and house wines included.

Ingredients are sourced locally and our menus have been put together with our guests in mind. On the team’s day off they will help you plan your meals.

Meal times: breakfast 08:00–09:30, tea from about 16:00, dinner from 19:30. If you would like different times – for children, or a special occasion – just ask.

Wine and drinks

You are welcome to different wines: bring your own, or ask us to buy something for you – tell us what you would like and your budget. There is a small charge for the shopping. There is usually a little space in the fridge for your drinks, and if you let us know well in advance we can make sure we have enough of things like tonic.

Dietary needs

Because most ingredients have to come up from the valley – often before the season begins – please tell us about dietary needs some weeks in advance. Fresh vegetables come up by skidoo. With enough notice we can usually manage coeliac, gluten-free(-ish), no fish, no shellfish and no meat. Nuts are used in the kitchen.

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Getting here in winter

Before you set off, please email us your travel plans so that our hosts can arrange to collect your luggage and bring it up to the house. Please arrive at the house from 16:00 and before the lifts close (c. 17:00) – we can’t bring guests or luggage up late in the evening, so plan your journey to reach Ski Service by mid-afternoon. Your bags will be brought up after 17:00, and on the last day they go down at 08:00; please leave by 09:00. Anything else needs to be agreed well in advance.

Your first day, step by step

1. Pack your ski things at the top of your suitcase. You can change in the shop, but it is easier if you don’t need to.
2. Tell Ski Service your ski and boot sizes in advance so they can reserve equipment for you – book online here.
3. Aim to reach Ski Service Deloche by 14:30–15:00 (white pin, by the blue dot – ///sunbeams.bowlful.archduke). That gives everyone time to get sorted before the lift closes at about 17:00. Bring your passports, and decide whether you want to insure your skis.
4. Buy your ski passes at the base of the next building (red pin – ///kidding.universe.pronouncing), by the internal lift or round the outside of the building. Ticket sales can be slow, so send the first person who is ready. You will be offered ski-rescue insurance with the pass.
5. Take the Charmieux chairlift and follow la Serpentine to the house. You are welcome from 16:00, and should be at the house before the lifts close (c. 17:00). If you need help – or the video isn’t clear – someone can come down to meet you.

Coming by car? Let us know, so we can arrange to move your bags into our car for the trip to the skidoo point and up to the house. The adventure begins!

Your luggage

We collect suitcases from Ski Service Deloche, the ski shop at the foot of the Charmieux chairlift in Chinaillon, or from your car at Les Outalays (///fingerprints.knowing.entwine, 45.9666072, 6.4541185).

Parking for the week

Les Outalays is the nearest point to the house, but there are only a few spaces there that are out of the way of the piste machines, so it is not a good place to leave a car for the week. It is better to park near Ski Service in Chinaillon, or at the bottom of the Rosay gondola in Le Grand-Bornand village – if you park at the Rosay, drop your bags at Ski Service first.

Skiing in (the usual way)

Most guests park near Ski Service for the week, or have their taxi drop them there. Take the Charmieux chairlift up (///undertook.acute.flexes) and follow the Serpentine piste – an easy green run – which brings you to the door. The lift arrives about 700 m from, and just above, the house. You will only be allowed on the lift with skis on. Watch the journey from Ski Service to La Ferme.

From Les Outalays you can also ski down to the Charmieux chairlift, or walk up (about 20 minutes).

By air, rail and road

Directions from Le Grand-Bornand

1. In the centre of Le Grand-Bornand, take the very sharp left turn signposted to Chinaillon.
2. After 6 km of uphill alpine road, at the entrance to Chinaillon, there is a petrol station (Elan) on the right. Turn right 200 m afterwards (signposted to the pistes). The road goes downhill at first, then bends to the left.
3. Take the second turn on the right, just after a building on the right called “La Dryade” and immediately before the recycling area. A small grey sign with yellow letters on the roadside wall says “Les Outalays”, pointing up the hill to us. Follow this steep road as far as you can.
4. In winter the last part of this road is the piste: the road ends at the skidoo point (Les Outalays). There are only a few spaces there, so for the week park near Ski Service or at the bottom of the Rosay gondola instead, leaving your bags at Ski Service for us to bring up.
5. In summer drive 1.3 km up to a plateau and T-junction with restaurants and chairlifts (La Côte). Take the left fork to Les Gettiers and continue about 500 m. La Ferme du Soleil is the sixth house along.

Taxis and shuttles

In summer taxis can come to the house. In winter, ask to be dropped at Ski Service in Chinaillon if you are skiing in; if you are walking up, at the Télécabine du Rosay in Le Grand-Bornand village. Taxis generally charge a supplement for night and Sunday journeys. Allotaxi74 and Aravis Shuttle work together: the shuttle is the cheaper shared option, and Allotaxi does the private, door-to-door transfers.

Another option is Aravis Transfers (aravis-transfers.com), a separate company based in Saint-Jean-de-Sixt that runs private minibus transfers from Geneva and Annecy.

Ski bus

Free ski buses run between Le Grand-Bornand village (the bus station, and the square by the church) and Chinaillon. They stop right outside Ski Service Deloche, at the foot of the Charmieux chairlift.

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Coming in winter but can’t ski?

This is a ski-in, ski-out house, so life is more complicated – but if friends are coming, or you are going to learn, there is a way. You are only allowed on the ski lifts with skis on, and it would be too hard for a beginner to ski from the lift to the house before having lessons, so use the Télécabine du Rosay gondola and walk.

• Ask friends to take your bags on to Ski Service in Chinaillon for collection, get out of the taxi in Le Grand-Bornand village and take the Rosay gondola up (///grain.bifocal.swatting). The gondola takes pedestrians – just check the time of the last lift before you go.
• From the top (///envies.crossroads.drumbeat) it is about 750 m – 10 minutes – to the house. As you come out, look half left (north): you can see the house on the brow of the hill next to a large farmhouse restaurant. Walk down past Le Nevé restaurant and the chairlift to Le Lachat; ahead and slightly to your right is a walkers’ track going up just below another piste. We are the sixth house along, about 500 m down that track.
• Wear suitable footwear for walking in snow.

Learning to ski? Book lessons as early as possible and ask for an English-speaking teacher. A private lesson can start from the house, or from the top of the Rosay gondola, where there is a good beginners’ slope. Hire skis and boots at Ski Service in Chinaillon and leave them there to be collected with the suitcases; then take the free ski bus back to the village (allow 30 minutes) to catch the Rosay gondola, which takes pedestrians.

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Piste map

La Ferme du Soleil is ringed in orange, between la Serpentine and les Violettes. From Chinaillon, take the Charmieux chairlift and follow la Serpentine (green). From the top of the Rosay gondola, walk or ski across to the house. The latest map is on en.legrandbornand.com.

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Skiing

The ski area

Le Grand-Bornand has about 85 km of pistes around Mont Lachat, from 1,000 to 2,100 m, all starting from the front door. The Aravis are known for an excellent snow record; north-facing slopes, a local microclimate and snowmaking (fed by an artificial lake) keep the snow reliable. There are gentle green runs for beginners and some of the steepest blacks in France for experts, plus plenty of off-piste with a guide. There is a cheaper Le Grand-Bornand-only pass, or the Aravis pass also covers La Clusaz, with another 125 km of pistes, about 10 minutes away on the free shuttle bus.

Snowboarders and freestylers: the snowpark at the top of the Maroly sector is regularly ranked among the best in France – nearly 5 hectares, lines from XS to XXL, a big air bag, a boardercross and a children’s Môm’Park.

Cross-country: 74.5 km of groomed trails in the Vallée du Bouchet, with night sessions on Wednesday evenings.

Ski lessons

A ski teacher can come to the front door for a private lesson – very helpful on the first day for some people. Book well in advance. Group classes meet nearby, at the top of the Rosay gondola or at the foot of the Charmieux chairlift in Chinaillon (ski down the green run from the house), depending on the class. Off-piste guides and snowboard instructors are available.

Ski hire

You can pre-order, but it is generally not necessary unless you want something specific. Ski Service Deloche is the easiest and most convenient shop for our guests, even if it is not the cheapest: it is where your luggage is collected, so it is also the simplest place to swap skis or boots if there is a problem. It has a fairly limited range.

We leave the keys to our car, which is parked outside, with Ski Service so that you can leave your luggage in it – just say you are staying at La Ferme du Soleil. You can change in the shop, and ski passes are sold in the next building.

Early and late in the season

Snow depth is hard to forecast; for past seasons see OnTheSnow’s historical snowfall. In general we have had enough snow to ski, but it can be slushy after lunch in late March and April. Some people ski in the morning and then have a long lunch and a deckchair snooze; others keep on skiing. Lower down it is meadowland, so it doesn’t need much snow to be skiable.

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The staff night off

The team’s day off is usually Tuesday. They will leave breakfast out for you to serve yourselves. For the evening:

• Night skiing. On Tuesday evenings, 17:00–20:00, the Charmieux chairlift runs for night skiing from late December to mid-March. It is included in 6-day and season passes; otherwise a night ticket is needed. The night is sometimes moved (for example for the Chinaillon carnival), so please check.
• Eat out. We usually recommend skiing down to a restaurant in Chinaillon – we go to La Bournerie (04 50 27 00 28). Make sure you get back to the lift before it closes at 20:00, or it is a long walk up. Book ahead.
• Takeaway from next door. L’Ancoly (04 50 45 19 47) is open only at lunchtime, but may agree to make you a takeaway. Arrange it a day or so in advance, with collection in the late afternoon (about 16:00).
• Eat in. Buy some food in advance, or ask us to buy it for you in plenty of time – the shopping is done once a week, on Thursdays, and there is a charge. Please clear up afterwards.

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Life at the house

Staying in during the day

We generally discourage guests from staying in the house during the day, as the staff need to cook and tidy, but weather and illness happen – you are welcome if you clear up after yourselves. Please don’t help yourself to food or drink, and above all leave the fridge alone: we have to buy food in advance up here, and if food or drink “disappears” it makes life very difficult. With enough notice, we can buy food for you. And please don’t feed the fire too generously – the whole winter’s firewood comes up in the autumn and has to last.

For babies and children

• A fold-up travel cot – please bring your own bedding for it.
• A high chair.
• Toys for older children, such as Lego and Brio, and lots of games and DVDs.
• Ski school: ESF instructors can collect children from the house for lessons if you ask well in advance; a private first lesson on day one is a good start.
• Snow play – snowmen and sledging – right outside the door, and meal times can be adjusted for children.
• Given enough notice we may be able to arrange childcare or find a local babysitter – no promises, and three months’ notice is much better than a couple of days. Or you may want to bring a nanny or a friend.

Special requests

Please tell us about food preferences, dietary needs, birthdays, anniversaries and so on in plenty of time. There are always nuts in the kitchen – see Dietary needs.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome by prior agreement. They must be well trained and calm with everyone, including children and other dogs – our neighbours have dogs. If your dog causes trouble it will have to stay in your room. The snow eventually melts, so please clean up after your dog outside. There is a supplement of £200 for bringing a dog.

Tipping

If you have had a good time and feel well looked after, do feel free to tip the staff – they love the recognition. If not, do feel free not to.

Other things

• Hairdryers are available.
• Because we are high on the slopes, electricians and plumbers can’t always reach us in the winter season with their equipment. Please bear with us if something breaks and isn’t fixed quickly – think of it as part of the charm!

Doctors, pharmacies and hospital

• Chinaillon medical centre (Cabinet médical du Chinaillon, Dr Fantin), 1028 route de l’Envers du Chinaillon, at the bottom of the slopes – tel 04 50 27 06 20.
• Le Grand-Bornand village surgery (Dr Chaon), 406 route de la Vallée du Bouchet – tel 04 50 02 20 36.
• Pharmacies: Chinaillon (Résidence Mont-Blanc), tel 04 50 09 62 02; village (67 route de Villavit), tel 04 50 02 20 38.
• Hospital: Centre Hospitalier Annecy Genevois, 1 avenue de l’Hôpital, Épagny Metz-Tessy (near Annecy), with a 24-hour emergency department – tel 04 50 63 63 63.
• Emergencies: 112 from any phone (15 for medical emergencies).
• Doctors’ fees are paid on the spot. UK visitors should bring a GHIC (or EHIC), which covers necessary state care – but not mountain rescue or repatriation, so please make sure your travel insurance covers winter sports and piste rescue. Rescue insurance is also offered when you buy your ski pass.

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Things to do

We can help organise activities – just ask. The Le Grand-Bornand tourist office, en.legrandbornand.com, has full details and bookings.

La Ferme in summer

In summer the house can be reached by car, so it can take more guests. We also host occasional summer retreats and paragliding courses – see our website for dates, or ask us.

If you spot anything in this guide that is out of date, please tell us. We hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Updated 26 Oct 2026