Life in a postcard The village of Thollon-les-Mémises lies in eastern France in the French Alps. It is a pretty village in the most traditional Alpine style, and views are stunning whether it is winter or summer. The village is known as the Balcony of the Léman, due to its location overlooking the beautiful Lake Geneva. The views from Thollon-les-Mémises are so glorious that they are actually mentioned in the Michelin Guide, which is quite an accolade for such a small village!

Warm and friendly The village is noted for its warm and friendly approach to life, and it extends a warm welcome to visitors and new inhabitants too. Thollon-les-Mémises is a tranquil place, far removed from the stresses and strains of everyday life. But it is not the land that time forgot either, as it offers two supermarket and other shops for your daily needs, and better still, a variety of family friendly bars and excellent restaurants. The Haute-Savoie has a gastronomy of which it is very proud, and you will have no problems finding delicious traditional dishes on the menu.

Winter sports The first sport which comes to mind when you picture an Alpine Village is, of course, that of skiing, the long established Alpine favourite. Thollon-les-Mémises is a great ski resort for beginners and intermediate skiers and has 50 kilometres of runs served by lifts as well as six kilometres of cross country trails. The young and trendy members of the party will be delighted to find a good snow park too, so they can try snowboarding, or develop existing skills in the sport!

Summer sports Summer too, brings many sporting opportunities in the mountains. Here the sport of parapenting, which is akin to paragliding and hang gliding, was invented, and if soaring through the clear mountain air dangling from a parachute doesn’t grab you then there is always walking, climbing, swimming, fishing, sailing, horse-riding, golf or tennis to occupy your time!

How to get there Getting to Thollon-les-Mémises is simple, as there are several airlines operating services from the UK to nearby airports Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry.You can choose from flights with flagship airlines British Airways or Air France, or you can take the cut price options and go with easyJet, flybe, Jet2, bmibaby, Aer Lingus or bmi, so there is plenty of choice available! Those who like to travel by train can catch the Eurostar service to Paris from St Pancras, and then change to a TGV fast train to Grenoble, Lyon or Annecy.

Property prices and availability in and around Thollon-les-Mémises Generally property in the French Alps is expensive in comparison with much of France. The desirability factor is high, as not only is the setting beautiful but the area is popular with holiday makers, so property has a high rental potential.  In Thollon-les-Memises, however property prices remain highly competitive when compared to the more well-known resorts. Many are yet to discover this Alpine jewel! Once purchased, however, property here tends to hold its value well, and you can always recover some of your purchase costs by renting out for the times you don’t want to use the property yourself.