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'MONETIER'
VILLAGE
Le
Monêtier
les Bains,
or 'Monêtier' for short, sits at 1500 metres altitude
just a few hundred metres from the border of the Ecrins
National Park (a massive mountain range between Briançon,
Gap
and Grenoble with more than 17000 hectares of glaciers that culminate
at the magnificent Barre des Ecrins, 4102 metres.)
Monêtier
is one of six villages which make up the commune of the same name.
Its 1000 or so inhabitants are well accustomed to the busy winters
when skiers and boarders arrive for the snow, and still very evident
is Monêtier's farming community – wander through the
narrow, twisting streets during the winter and you'll see livestock
keeping warm in the basements of Monêtier's 300 year old
stone buildings.
This
is no purpose-built ski resort – people have been skiing
in Monêtier and its surrounding mountains for years and
years, and visiting the village's renowned thermal spa for many
more. Discovered by the Romans, there are two 'sources' in the
village and, after a day on the slopes, you simply have to stroll
down to 'Les Bains' with your swimming 'attire' to relax and unwind
before enjoying a meal in one of the village's many restaurants.
Take note – Monêtier's
ambitious plan to replace the existing spa with one of the largest
thermal spas in Europe has already begun! Click here
to see an artist's impression.
There
are more than six different bars in the village where you can
enjoy the après-ski or a quick 'apéritif'
before dinner with friends, and for those who are looking for
late-night dancing, a short taxi ride will take you to nearby
Villeneuve (Serre Chevalier 1400).
Monêtier
– the perfect base for a brilliant winter holiday:
*
Access to Serre Chevalier's 250km of pistes
* Apartments, hotels and chalets
* Lots of different restaurants
* Tea house (lovely cakes)
* Various après-ski and late-night bars
* 'Les Bains' thermal spa (open every day, until 11pm most evenings)
* Sports shops for equipment hire
* Ski schools & Mountain guides
* Souvenir / Home 'style' / Local produce and 'artisan' shops
* Supermarket (everything you need)
* Butcher
* Various bakers
* Sweet shop (kids love it)
* Chemist
* Post Office
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