Morzine Apres Ski Report: 19th January 2012

Sunday night was a big one this week with a friend’s birthday meaning a big crowd of us were out on the town. We started the evening in possibly our favourite chilled out bar, Le Coup de Coeur, just along Route de la Plagne from the Super Morzine lift. It’s predominantly a wine bar which has a huge selection of quality wines and some tempting champagnes on offer and also on display along the walls. We recommend making the most of the admirable list of wines by the glass and trying a few different varieties as this is something often lacking in other bars around town, where most decent wines can only be bought by the bottle.

As there were about 15 of us, we managed to take up most of the bar, pushing random tables and chairs together to make one rather long extended area. The staff were very friendly and accommodating of our group though and didn’t seem to mind the noise too much! It is a great place for a relaxed pre-dinner drink and in good weather you can make the most of the huge outside heated seating area which backs on to the Tourist Office square. And of course we must mention the opportunity to make your mark in chalk on the ceiling and walls…or just to play Noughts and Crosses like we did!

A few bottles later our dancing feet seemed to grow a little impatient so we headed to The Cavern for a little boogie. We thought the music was especially good this time, however, this may have something to do with our continuous requests to the DJ…some listened to, some not! We were thoroughly disappointed though when the music stopped and the lights came up at 2am and we were forced to leave, only to face the uphill stumble home.

If you are out and about and looking for a quick bite to eat or maybe you just miss some English home comforts like Fish and Chips, Mamma’s is the place to head. Situated along Rue du Bourg, it serves your typical English fare such as fish and chips, as mentioned, as well as burgers, pizzas and some noodle dishes. You can eat in or takeaway although seating is a little limited so try to avoid eating in during the really busy times. All dishes are around €10 and they also sell wine and beers as well. The perfect place for a kind of Eat-In-Takeaway and we’ll definitely be back there soon.

As this week has been amazingly sunny every day, we thought we would mention a couple of really nice mountainside bar/restaurants we have been to recently. These are especially nice for when you’ve had a hard morning skiing and feel like you’ve earned that special slope side treat whilst soaking up the sun and a spectacular view.

One place we would definitely recommend for a spot of lunch is Les Cretes, located at the top of the Zore lift from the Super Morzine bubble. It has a huge veranda overlooking the valley where you can enjoy a sit down lunch. They offer some yummy pizzas (order the Mont Blanc if you are feeling hungry), crepes and Savoyard specialities. However, if all you fancy is a drink and a cheeky sunbathe, they also have a dedicated deck chair area…it’s a great way to spend an hour (or two) on a sunny day. Also remember to check out the “plat du jour” as we have found these to be exceptional so far and often much better value than many other mains courses.

If you’re skiing in the Les Gets area and find yourself in need of a nice beer or vin chaud in the afternoon sun then we recommend stopping in at La Cabushe, which is located right at the top of the Charniaz express chairlift. It’s perfectly positioned high up in the mountain for soaking up those afternoon rays and reclining on a deck chair with a cold beer - and if you look carefully you can even get a peek at Mont Blanc itself. It doesn‘t get much better than that….

…Or does it? For the best view of Mont Blanc (in our opinion of course), on a clear day we recommend taking a packed lunch and heading to Mont Chery (across the other side of Les Gets town), getting as high as you can then picnicking on the slopes. We definitely think this is the best view we’ve found so far in the Portes du Soleil…simply breathtaking.

Out and about this week we have the usual weekly nights on as follows:

As we are already big fans, despite living here for only 6 weeks so far, if you fancy checking out some live sport then the next Morzine-Avoriaz Penguins match is on Saturday 21st Jan at 8:30pm. Here they will take on Amiens but if you miss that one, they play again on Tuesday 24th Jan against Gap. Tickets as always available on the door or in advance at the Tourist Office.

It’s time to say goodbye again, so have a great week and in case you hadn’t already heard, the snow is on it’s way again! We’re definitely looking forward to some more powder days and snowy après and we hope you enjoy it too.

Bon Après