Les Fermes de Marie in Megève, France

Les Fermes de Marie in Megève - France

With their weathered wooden beams, their terracotta tiled floors, their paneled walls, their rustic pottery, their red gingham fabrics, their naive paintings, their simple wooden chairs and their roaring fires, the Fermes de Marie , built in the heart of the very elegant village of Megève, in Haute-Savoie, embody all the ideas and romantic images of a chalet in the snow. It's a perfect example of the traditional Haute-Savoie style - the French equivalent of Tyrol (minus the yodel and leather breeches). As in Austria, with their pointed roofs, small windows and sculpted balconies, the houses look like gingerbread, the people are jovial, the food rich and consistent. Impossible to resist the Savoyard charm! Jean-Louis and Jocelyne Sibuet, who opened the Fermes de Marie in 1989, are true Savoyards born in these mountains, and their work is largely an extension of their own lifestyle. Which does not mean that the business was easy, Hard to imagine that this accomplished hotel with an indoor swimming pool, three restaurants, a fitness center, a beauty salon, a games room, a garage for fifty cars. , and even more, was, only ten years ago, a set of abandoned stables, haylofts and mountain huts!
The Sibuets had acquired it in and around Haute-Savoie and fully intended to give new life to this collection of old wood, by making it the architectural heart of an authentic Savoyard hotel. There was some irony in choosing Megève, the most fussy of French ski resorts, one of the most aristocratic villages in France, to build their farm complex there. Today, no one here complains about it. Megève, which once occupied the first rank of French ski resorts, had lost its status over the past thirty years and was considered old-fashioned and not very sporty. It had been supplanted by its neighbors, the Trois-Vallées or Tignes-Val d'Isère. Les Fermes de Marie instilled in Megève the renewal it so badly needed. Suddenly, the media, musicians and businessmen came back. As you can imagine, success is not just due to the authenticity and charm of old wood. The Sibuets have achieved this increasingly sought-after balance between aesthetics, luxury and impeccable service. The most demanding of hedonists could not find fault with the Fermes de Marie. A normal day here hardly leaves you the time to ski. It begins with a breakfast in old vaulted cellars transformed and repainted. In the middle of the morning, in a small cozy living room with wood-paneled walls, it's time for coffee and cakes (traditional Savoyard version "Kaffee und Kuchen" from Austria). After that, you just have time to jump into the swimming pool (inside a wooden barn overlooking the slopes of Megève), before going to lunch in the gourmet restaurant. If you prefer the sun, you can sit on the terrace next to the cheese restaurant. An afternoon of skiing can be arranged in the minute: one of the hotel's Land Rovers will take you to a ski lift, equipped with all the necessary equipment. Depending on the weather or your mood, you will be picked up for tea or for a relaxing massage after skiing. And then, of course, there's dinner. The cuisine is of such a standard that Fermes de Marie has become the restaurant for dining in Megève. For skiing, this resort may not live up to those that were built on purpose, but its lifestyle is second to none.

Address: Les Fermes de Marie, Chemin de Riante-Colline, 74120 Megève - France.
Telephone: +33 4 50 93 03 10 - Fax: +33 4 50 93 09 84
Official website of Marie's Farms: