Megève Part 3 of 3

Five star hotels, comfortable rental chalets and fine restaurants spoke of the sophistication of the area. The cow I watched mooing and munching brilliant blue wildflowers just 100 yards from Megève City Hall evidences my favorite French alpine village retains its rustic connection. Locals still graze cattle, still bring in hay, still make wonderful cheeses and continue to enjoy an old-fashioned alpine lifestyle. Tourism is a nice additional source of income, merci. But it’s the ambiance!

Without Chamonix's Aiguille du Midi to bait tourist buses Megève clearly focuses on the upscale end of the travel trade on the francophone side of Mt. Blanc. Besides the contributions of the Baroness, it owns several major advantages. For example, since Megève started before lifts when skiers could ski down and ride sledges back to the slope top lower slopes are gentle. Hence, Megève is still a walker’s town with cobbled streets, rock bridges and chalets and hotels with flower-filled window boxes.

Of the four star hotels, our favorite Chalet du Mont d’Arbois, a member of the Relais et Châteaux chain, grew out of the Rochchilde chalet. Like other hotels in the village, it’s typically small, with only 21 rooms and one suite. It is perfectly placed at the top end of the Calvary path of 14 chapels that trace the scenes of Christ’s passion with wooden figures. The shuttle lift between the village and the lifts that run off the golf course just up the hill passes nearby too.

Parc des Loges, the largest four star hotel in the village has only 53 rooms and suites. Hotels such as Mont Blanc, Princesse de Megève, Chalet St. Georges and, open only in winter, the tiny 13-room Le Triolet wrap the upper end of the savvy traveler’s lodging package. We favor the downtown location of the Savoyard decorated Chalet St. George with many wonderful often oddly shaped rooms overlooking the main street in downtown which, it must be added, seem much quieter at night than in most ski resorts. Some upscale chalets add a bow to the top end of the lodging package. Prices vary seasonally. Tall and spring offer peak values.

Food reflects the excellence of Megève ambiance and architecture and the simple sophistication of travelers.. Restaurants run to French/Italian and English menus, and food varies from hearty local Savoyad delicacies such as raclette through the best of French regional cooking. The local “raw” ham, -- air dried by alpine breezes -- is wonderful beyond description, and the rotisserie roasted chickens and great bread go down nicely with the local Savoy wine.

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