Anyone who knows me will know I love the mountains, but also that I especially love them in the summer. Don’t get me wrong I adore nothing more than a ski trip and seeing those snowy mountain tops, but a summer trip is pretty much the cherry on top of the cake. Having been to the mountains in summer before, I was really excited to visit Arc 1950 Le Village for a well-needed mountain break.
Arc 1950 Le Village
We hired a small roller-skate style car from Geneva and took the two hour trip to Les Arc, up to Arc 1950. We were to be staying at the Radisson Blu Resort Arc 1950 Le Village complex, which was formed of four different sections of accommodation. This, along with Residence Pierre & Vacances Premium Le Village, was the only accommodation in the Arc 1950, which initially confused me, but when I discovered how Arc 1950 was laid out, I was all over the idea!
Radisson Blu Arc 1950 had underground parking, so on arrival to Arc 1950 you drive in and park your car in whichever area of the carpark was signposted for your accommodation name, Source De Marie, Manoir Savoie, Auberge Jérôme, Chalet des Lys and that was it!
The best thing I did discover after we parked the car, which was also the only parking, (don’t worry the car park is huge) was that no cars are allowed within the main area of Arc 1950, meaning it is a ski in ski out village! You can literally ski down to your hotel entrance! All wonderful news especially if you’re a skier and detest wearing ski boots to walk about in. Obviously this is completely insignificant if you’re here because you want to learn about summer – however, this layout is actually very beneficial and almost welcomed during summer too. No need to worry about cars, everything is pedestrianised meaning it is ideal if you have little ones, as you don’t need to worry about them with traffic.
Whilst on the topic, during the summer there is a fantastic summer programme to keep everyone occupied, plus games in the aforementioned pedestrian area. Things like the tightrope walk, table tennis, bowls, a sand pit and a climbing frame – I spotted lots of children happy going about their games whilst parents had their morning coffees and watched on. That’s another thing to mention, all the restaurants and places you can eat and drink, have seating out on this paved open area. It almost makes Arc 1950 feel cosy and almost like it’s making everyone who is holidaying there feel together and included. I personally, really enjoyed popping out in the morning to the local supermarket for breakfast bits, (which you can cook within your aparthotel room) then coming back out for a morning coffee to lap up the lavish views surrounding me.
What to do?
We didn’t have a lot of time in Arc 1950 Le Village, but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could. The best thing about summer in the mountains, especially Arc 1950, is that they always have a programme of summer activities. We spotted people doing yoga and tai chi in the Le Village area, but they also have things like walks and mountain biking. We did a sunrise hike which was incredible! My legs really felt it as we were walking up the red runs that we’d normally whizz down on skis. Completely worth it though because the view and the feeling of being so high up to see the sun, was quite spectacular. You can get walking passes in the day if you wanted to explore further and give yourself a great hiking workout, there are over 700km of hiking routes in summer – I’d highly recommend this because the views at the top are breathtaking (see the photo above). Then finally if you’re a fan of shopping Arc 1950 has 40 shops, bars and restaurants.
Besides walking we also took advantage of the heated outdoor swimming pool, an on-site site spa attached to the Radisson Blu hotel on the Source De Marie side called, 1000 m2 Deep Nature Spa. We loved having a double massage looking out over Mont Blanc – I’ve never felt so relaxed and chilled out. The staff were fantastic and I certainly felt chilled out after our treatment and herbal tea, they have a swimming pool, steam room, sauna, relaxation room and of course jacuzzi. All the right touches, especially if you’ve had a particularly active day.
Places to eat and drink
Considering how cosy this place is, there are actually a lot of spots to eat and drink. As we were there only a few days we didn’t get to go around them all, but our firm favourites were La Vache Rouge and Le Mazot. When we got there we went to La Vache Rouge which is literally around the corner from Arc 1950 Village Sources De Marie, where we were staying. I couldn’t resist a bit of tartiflette! I don’t have it any other time unless I’m in the mountains, so on my first night, it only seemed the right thing to kick things off with. During the other meal times we utilised the local supermarket for the best cheese and fresh bread, then as a treat after our big hike, we had a chocolate crepe and a coffee from Meli’s Snack Bar! You can’t miss Meli’s because it has bright furniture – and the wonderful smell of yummy treats! We also had a pizza at Nonna Lisa‘s which has the interior of a stereotypical/traditional mountain restaurant. All places to eat and drink are very reasonable for mountain eateries. Le Mazot was our ‘posh’ night out and our treat for our stay, where we enjoyed some delicious fondue on a very reasonable set menu. If you’re looking for somewhere for your final treat night and to get dressed up – this is 100% the one to go too and the service is impeccable. Then if you like a little drink post dinner then I’d highly recommend George’s Wine Bar and Les Belle Pintes.
So there you have it, the luxury ski resort, Arc 1950! Just as perfect in summer as it is in winter. We loved the summer so I can only imagine the winter to be booming with holidaymakers, and looking like something out of a Disney film with the snow and lights.
We made a few videos about our trip… have a look below.
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