Alternative Summer Holidays: Beach vs Mountain

It is no secret that the mountains are popular destinations for winter holidays. But, during the summer most people head to beach resorts. The thing about beach holidays is that people tend to have the same experiences each time they go on them. Not much has changed over the years, apart from beach resorts being more overcrowded. However Alpine destinations, more famous for skiing, are making moves to become fantastic places to visit during the summer. Here is our guide to alternative family holidays in the mountains.

Try Something New

Alternative family holidays in the mountains give you loads of opportunities to try something new. Rather than sitting around on the beach all day, trying to keep the sand out of your ice cream, why not experience something you have never tried before? During the summer the mountains are a fantastic playground. From simple activities you can do with young kids, to adrenaline-fuelled adventures to get your pulse racing, the mountains have it all.

Alternative Family Holidays Have So Much Opportunity For Adventure

Your choice of activities on alternative family holidays in the mountains depends on how adventurous you are feeling. Do you want a tranquil Alpine experience, or do you want to do something that will get your heart racing? The options are endless, but you just need to decide on how fast paced or relaxed you want your holiday to be. Some people have the motivation and energy to cram as much in to their holiday as possible, while others simply want to recharge. You may want to plan some things in at the start of your stay (especially if they need to be booked), then play it by ear for the rest of the time. You are on holiday after all.

Examples of Adventures with Kids

Tree Top Adventure

Attach yourself to a safety line and explore the tree tops! There are two places in Morzine where you can follow a course high up in the trees. Zip lines and ropes take you around the course. The one run by Indiana Adventures is located in the Parc Des Dérêches is for smaller kids, but the course next to the Cascade de Nyon is for older kids and adults. It is brilliant fun and very good value for money.

Hiking

The mountains are home to some fantastic hiking routes that allow you to take in some of the most spectacular views in the world. There are routes suitable for all levels of fitness and age groups, but if you want to cover ground quickly to see the best views, you may want to ride the lifts.

Ride the lifts

Not just for kids, but riding the ski lift system in the summer is a great way to see the mountains. They offer a surprisingly good way of getting to the epic views the Alps have to offer with less effort. You can even get all the way over the Swiss border via the lift system to experience the chocolate box scenes, complete with cows and goats roaming through the meadows.

Mountain Biking

One of the best ways to experience the mountains, is on a bike. If you are bringing kids mountain biking to Morzine, unless they are experienced, the best way to do it is with a guide. The InterSport next to the Super Morzine lift offers a great package. They can give you a bike, protective equipment, a lift pass and a guide to take you around in a group for €45. Doing it this way makes mountain biking a great family activity, as the guide will take you to the easy trails and give you lots of pointers. If you opt to go out without a guide, we recommend that you start on the Super Morzine side, as there are a few nice and easy green trails for you to get used to riding in the Alps, it is not like riding along a canal path in the UK!

Swap the Sea For Lakes and Rivers

Just because you are in the mountains, it doesn’t mean that you are far from water. On the days when you just want to lounge around on the beach, you just do it on the banks of one of the many mountain lakes instead. Take a dip to cool down, or hire kayaks and stand up paddle boards to explore the lake. We like to use the barbecues at Lake Montriond in the evenings. It is a stunning place to finish the day with friends while watching the sunset.

Some mountain destinations have excellent swimming pools. Morzine, for example has an olympic size outdoor pool and a very large indoor one. This is a great place to hang out, play volleyball and take part in loads of poolside activities.

The rivers that flow through the mountains offer an extra dynamic to holidaying in the mountains. White water rafting, hydrospeeding and canyoning are just some of the ways you can have fun during your stay. Check out Frogs Rafting for more details on these activities.

Check out our guide of 10 ways to get wet in Morzine.

Road Cycling

Probably one for the parents, but the Alps have some amazing road cycling routes. Taking on one of the famous cols of the tour de France in the morning before it gets too hot is very popular. Alternatively, you can book a supported day trip. This is when you ride on an iconic route with a a guide. There is also a van that meets you at certain locations on the route full of snacks, spares and tools. Check out Velovation for details.

Other Outdoor Adventures

Besides hiking, two-wheeled fun and getting wet, there is a whole host of other things to do. The areas around Morzine have some great Via Ferrata routes. This is a safe form of climbing, that has ladders, bridges and platforms to allow you to experience climbing high in the mountains. You are connected to a cable with a harness, so it as safe as it possibly could be.

There are lots of opportunities for ‘actual’ climbing too. Local guides will be able to take you and your family to suitable climbing locations and give you the proper instruction.

Morzine has its own Paragliding School that offers pleasure flights form the top of the Super Morzine bubble lift. It is THE best way to see the mountain views while you circle the thermals with local birds of prey. Once you have taken off, it is like sitting in an armchair with the best view in the world.

Paragliding from More Mountain on Vimeo.

The Parc des Dérêches has a Riding School. They provide lots of different horse riding experiences, from pony trekking on a Shetland Pony to hacks out in to the mountains.

Lots of Good Value Entertainment

Some beach holidays are good for entertainment, but so are holidays in the mountains. In Morzine there are lots of free events put on by the tourist office. Most weekends there will something extra to do, from kids workshops to large scale live music. But the best value for money thing you can do, is to buy a multi-pass. More Mountain is part of the Multi-Pass scheme. For an optional €2 per day, our guests can take advantage of over 50 free and discounted activities. Normally, this is €9 per day! Activities include pedestrian access to the lift system and the swimming pool complex. It also gives you access to the tennis courts.

Escaping the Crowds

Apart from the occasional weekend, when large scale events are held, summer in the Alps is much less crowded than the beach. This not only makes the potential for relaxation higher, but it means traveling is much easier, as airports and roads are much quieter, as holiday makers travel to the more popular beach resorts. Summer in the mountains is also a lot quieter than the winter and has a more laid-back feel. Walking around in shorts and t-shirt, barbecues and outdoor living changes the dynamic of a place too.

Try New Food

The food in the alps is pretty amazing and has a number of local specialities to try. For example, fondue, raclette or tartiflette. Tartiflette is something we serve in our catered chalets in both summer and winter. It is slightly different to the versions served in restaurants, but if you want to give it a try at home, here is our “secret” recipe. We believe it to be the best version of tartiflette you will find!

How packed do you want your holiday itinerary to be?

Some people go on holiday to relax, while others like to experience everything a destination has to offer and some like to balance it out. We don’t get much time off from work, so we want to make sure that when we do, we make the most of this precious time. The great thing about an alternative family holiday in the mountains, is that you can enjoy yourself at whatever pace you want to. For example, you can spend all day mountain biking on world class trails, or simply read your book by the lake with an ice cream in your hand. As you can see, there are lots of things to keep you and your family entertained during your holiday. Some days you may want to mix it up by exploring in the morning and chilling out in the afternoon. You can enjoy some fantastic days away too, to see what the rest of the area has to offer.

Fantastic Accommodation

Those trendy chalets and apartments used by skiers and snowboarders in the winter, also make great places to stay for alternative holidays in summer. Picture sitting on a sunny balcony or terrace sipping a glass of wine, while enjoying stunning Alpine views. Many of our properties also have outdoor hot tubs, which are ideal to soothe those legs after your Alpine adventures.

More Mountain offer a huge selection of properties to choose from. All are comfortable, stylish and well equipped. If you choose one of our catered chalets, you will be looked after by our fabulous chalet hosts. They will not only cook and clean for you, but they will also be on hand to help you out with anything that will make your stay even better.

But, if you decide to go self catered, you are not on your own. Our self catered team will make your stay as easy and as hassle free as possible, by having everything you need in place before you arrive. There will be someone to give you support and answer your questions at any time.

For self catered guests, we offer a wide range of extra services. From shopping packs, dog friendly accommodation options and properties with secure bike storage are just to name a few.

Well Priced

We did a little price comparison between a self catered More Mountain summer holiday and one in Marbella. Basing it on a family of five, this is what we found:

A 3 Bedroom self catered villa in Marbella costs around £5,500 for a week at the end of July. This does include car hire and flights, however, a 3 bedroom apartment at More Mountain in Morzine for the same family with Hot Tub will cost around €1,800. A transfer for five people from Geneva airport will cost €350 Euros. Flights are great value with someone like EasyJet. Even better – you can drive your whole family over for around €500 Euros and use the Eurotunnel. Safe to say, we found that your holiday will be significantly cheaper than a trip to Marbella. Happy Days!

Once in Morzine, unless you are hiring high end mountain bikes, your day-to-day activities don’t need to break the bank either.

– Multipass €2 Euros pp per day
– Packed lunch from supermarket €8 Each or Mountain Lunch €12 Euros pp
– Ice cream for a treat €3 Euros each
– Happy hour beers/wine & Soft Drinks from €4 each
– Meal out approx €30 Euros per head including wine

Why Choose More Mountain For Your Alternative Summer Holiday in Morzine?

More Mountain has been providing winter holidays in Morzine since 2008. Morzine is located in the Portes du Soleil, which is touted as the largest ski area in the world, but it is also a fantastic summer playground. We provide a similar experience in the summer to winter. With high end properties, a fantastic team, local knowledge and superb food, we have everything you need for amazing alternative summer holidays.

During the Summer, Morzine has a more relaxed pace than it does in the Winter. But, as you can see it is packed full of things to do. This means your holiday can be as relaxed or as action packed as you want it to be. However you choose to spend your alternative summer holidays in Morzine, you will experience the stunning alpine meadows, running streams, stunning lakes and snow-capped mountains.

So what is it going to be?

Mountains or beach? Personally, I think it is a no brainer. Alternative summer holidays in the mountains offer so much more than your average beach holiday. I would prefer to finish my day off with a cocktail at the Tremplin than with a warm pint of Fosters at the Red Lion.

09 Sep 2019

Summer in Morzine

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