When I saw this place on the web site www.thefarmhouse.co.uk it looked quaint and romantic, but the web site cannot do it justice!
We were collected from Geneva Airport in a smart minibus with a really friendly, chatty driver - Harry. The hour and 15 minute drive to Morzine passed quickly as he gave us tips on where best to ski and where the biggest lift queues were likely to be.
Morzine was just a described, a lovely picturesque place, completely unlike some of the high rise type of resorts that we had previously visited in France. When we got to The Farmhouse, our initial thought was "This looks a bit old" which of course - it is as we found out, it is the oldest building in the village.
Old certainly didn't mean grotty though. Our first impression when we walked in to The Farmhouse was simply - wow! A beautiful polished slate floor in the hall with a fantastic wooden and slate stairway leading to the bedrooms is the first thing you get to see. We were then taken into the bar area where a roaring fire was on the go and a few guests were hanging around at the end of the day's skiing. All with glowing faces (not sure if this was the sun or the drinking).
After being shown to our fabulous room with a fantastic view over the old part of town and up to Avoriaz, we went back to the bar for pre dinner canapes and a chat with the other guests. We were then shown into the most fantastic dining room, a stone room which presumably used to be a barn or large stable with a huge dining table set with candles and perfect lighting. The owner of The Farmhouse, Dorrien, gets everyone to sit in a boy, girl order around the table so that you chat to people you don't know and the conversation is usually lively. I sat next to him (due to an odd number of dinner guests) and was entertained by his easy chat and style (and of course an outstanding dinner). A most interesting man who has run The Farmhouse for about 15 years now and has taken it from a fairly ordinary chalet type of experience to one that is, in my opinion, hard to beat.
We enjoyed a great week's skiing in a wonderful town and had the pleasure of staying with Dorrien and his excellent staff in the beautiful Farmhouse. The best bits were the food, The Farmhouse, Dorrien and the skiing. About all we could wish for really - we will be going back!
Some people have asked about costs when leaving messages about this review:
We stayed a week but you can book there for shorter periods. I think 3 days is the minimum. If you phone to book at short notice and there are places available, you can usually get a bit of a better deal I think. Normal costs are about 150 euros per person per night at high season like new year and about 120 euros per person per night in lower season. It's not cheap but for a lovely, pampered holiday it really is a special place. Oh, and the costs include buffet breakfast - or breakfast in bed at no extra cost if you prefer, afternoon tea and cakes after skiing, a 3 or 4 course dinner (depending on the menu) with free wine and coffee. Also canapes before dinner.
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