Wonderful summer holidays with the family

 

Châtel has been awarded the "Famille Plus" label for its family friendly attitude -  there's a huge number of activities and events in the summer to keep children (small and big!) entertained.

 

Chalet Isobel is well suited to families.  The chalet has a number of board games, a smart TV (allowing you to watch anything on the internet), and a large private garden.  (Families with infants or toddlers should be aware that Chalet Isobel has open stairs and a stairway which don’t have any infant specific protection on them.  The River Dranse also runs along the bottom of our large garden without a fence).

For childcare, the Mouflets crèche in Châtel is available and offers day care for children aged from 3 months to 6 years on weekdays and evening babysitting can be arranged upon request.  There is also the Petit Montagnards Club for children aged 4 to 14yrs old, which is open 8am to 6pm during school holidays.  It offers to children a full range of activities supervised by qualified staff.  Finally, Châtel Childcare offers flexible English speaking daytime nannying and evening babysitting services to visitors staying in Chatel. Operating year round and seven days a week, Emma (a qualified teacher and highly experienced nanny who has been working as a nanny in the Alps for over 10 years) offers a range of services from all day childcare to ski school collection and evening babysitting. 

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Some of the more fun activities for children include:

 

Summer Bobsled Run

Set among the spruce trees at Pré la Joux, this 650m track with 7 high speed bends is great fun for adults and children alike.  Children must be 80cm or more to take part, and must be accompanied by an adult if under 1m 25. More information here.

 

Devalkart & Rollerbe

On the Rubis piste at Pré la Joux there are 20 karts for anyone wanting to try out this sport. Come down the piste at your own speed and go back up again by hooking the kart to the ski tow. The Rollerbe all terrain scooter is also on the same section or mountain.  Both activities are for adults or children aged 10 or above.  More information here.

 

Arbr' Acadabra Tree Climbing Centre

Arbr’Acadabra is a great tree climbing centre a few minutes down the road in Abondance, and is accessible for children 2 years or older.  For the smaller ones there is the “Elf” route where the children are connected with a life line for total safety as they make their way around a monkey bridge, suspended nets, barrel tunnel, and zip wires at their own speed.  For older kids (and adults!) there is the “Korigan” route which has 3 routes of varying difficulty – again where the children are clipped in for total safety in the gorgeous natural surroundings.  More information here.

 

Cycling/ Mountain Biking

Cycling and Mountain Biking is not just for the big kids!  Chatel has got “Le Kids Park” at the bottom of Pré la Joux next to the dirt jumps and wooden ramps – which is an area dedicated to getting kids started into mountain biking - as well as a car-free riverside path which goes all the way down to Abondance.  More information here. 

 

Forme d'O Aquatic Centre

The lovely new swimming pool complex is situated right in the centre of Châtel and contains 3 indoor and outdoor pools, restaurants, a spa area and fitness centre. More details here. 

 

Walking

Many walks in the area are suitable for children and the activity trail with nature challenges along the way provides a fun educational guide to the alpine area.  More information here.

 

Bowling

The bowling alley in the centre of Châtel has 4 computerised lanes. More information here.

 

Other

Chatel puts on a number of childrens' shows and games during the summer which are fun for the whole family.  Also available in Châtel is archery, tennis, a 6 hole golf course, crazy golf, boules, pedal boats and more!  More information here.