It was serendipity that led us to Morzine after a chance conversation with an old friend almost 20 years ago. We stayed at The Farmhouse, and took time to explore Les Portes du Soleil, gradually falling in love with the region as we did…
We had (and have) skied as a family in other areas of France, and when we didn’t have to take children with us (when the world was once again our oyster!) we tried the USA, Canada, Japan and New Zealand… but nothing could keep us away from Morzine, and we found ourselves returning time and time again. It’s not just beautiful, but convenient too – where else can you hop on a plane and then up into the mountains in just a matter of hours?
Our enthusiasm for the place evidently rubbed off on Olivia who came to Morzine (and The Farmhouse) to see what all the fuss was about. She’s never left, and some ten years later has made Morzine her home. She too had fallen in love with Morzine and its people and everything the region has to offer – the skiing and winter sports, cycling and a myriad of summer activities.
It was while Olivia was managing Chalet Morin that the previous owners offered it up for sale. Under the pretext of skiing Olivia asked us to visit. Enthused by the potential of the buildings and the wonderful gardens (despite the uncertainty that Brexit had created) we were determined to make the place our own. Morin was born.
That was just over a year ago – we celebrated our first anniversary on 17th October 2017 – and in that time we have made quite a few changes to Morin, upgrading and improving various aspects from top to bottom. It has admittedly been quite a challenge working with a 60+ year old building, trying to pay homage to the original ‘concept’ while fitting in essential alterations to meet the demands of skiers and travellers today – but we are so pleased with the results!
The upgrades started with new bathrooms and the small chalet in the garden. Of our eleven rooms, five are now en suite, with six sharing three bathrooms – so that’s one bathroom for each ‘pair’ of non en suite bedrooms. We are planning one or two additional bathrooms in the next year or so when all Morin’s rooms will have private bathrooms – either en suite or as family suites.
The garden chalet – our delightful ‘Green House’ – has had a complete overhaul and is now ready for guests. It has a brand new roof and roof light, which has enabled us to offer a cabin-like cosy double bedroom on the first floor, with a lovely sitting room and new bathroom (with a deep soaking tub) on the ground floor. The sitting room can also be used as a second bedroom for two people, making this an ideal family and friends suite, or a snug chalet just for two…
Outside in the gardens we have had quite a challenge with the wildlife, with both moles and voles giving us a run for our money! Fortunately we’ve become quite adept at dealing with them (in an eco-friendly manner, of course), and the lawn is now looking very good indeed after an intensive year of treatment. We have high hopes for keeping it in good trim, despite the great big trench that was dug right across it this week to install cabling for our latest development – the long awaited 4G!
Our big addition outside this year was a large wooden deck – a direct extension from the full length south facing terrace, which has also been replaced. This means that on warm sunny days guests can enjoy meals in the garden. And who knows what the garden will bring in the next couple of years – there is already talk of a swimming pool and an all-year yurt!
We came to Morzine because of our love of winter and skiing, but over the past 12 months Morin has shown us that Morzine offers so much more. We already loved the place, and have been surprised by how much there is still left to discover, whatever the weather, whatever the season.
Wild flowers, fresh mountain air, skiing, mountain hikes, cycling, wild swimming – what’s not to like?