Le Beaufortain, an authentic mountain region

Resorts in Le Beaufortain are putting on their snow-white coats to welcome the many holiday home owners who appreciate authenticity and the pleasures of the winter season. With their Alpine meadows and friendly village life, Arêches-Beaufort and Hauteluce (hosting the resort of Les Saisies) are very popular. New developments are built here every year.

Stretching out around the commune of Beaufort-sur-Doron in Savoy, Le Beaufortain has several reservoirs ; the most well-known is that of Roselend, between Le Cormet de Roselend and the mountain-pass of Le Pré. Surrounded by the mountain ranges of Les Aravis, Les Bauges, La Vanoise and Le Mont-Blanc, Le Massif du Beaufortain plays host to several resorts including Arêches-Beaufort and Les Saisies, both on the commune of Hauteluce. Several heats were held here for the Albertville Winter Olympics in 1992. A family-oriented village resort, Arêches-Beaufort proposes many sports and leisure activities for the winter season : downhill and cross-country skiing, “peau de phoque”, mount­aineering… In the summer season, visitors also appreciate hiking in the fresh air. The shops are open all year round. Surging from 4,700 to 24,000 residents as soon as the resorts were opened, Le Beaufortain is appealing for its authentic charm. Les Saisies, 7 km from Hauteluce, a village offering lots of hamlets of genuine character, was built in 1961. Only 3 hours 30 from Paris on the TGV via Albertville, it is tempting to treat oneself to an apartment here or a farmhouse transformed into a chalet, to benefit from the resort all year round with the family. Or to invest in a property certain to be profitable, thanks to the demand for seasonal rentals.

”In Arêches-Beaufort, depending on the style and date of construction, an apartment offered for resale costs from 2,700 to 4,800 € per sq. metre,” explains Marie-Pierre Garbay, manageress of the Agence Immobilière du Beaufortain, based in Arêches since 1987. New residences are in higher demand with apartments proposed at around 5,000 € and up to 6,500 € per sq. metre in Les Saisies. “New properties enjoy the advantage of offering larger surface areas and “smart” appointments,” says our estate-agent, admitting that apartments built over ten years ago are less easy to sell. Chalets at the foot of the slopes are becoming rare. On the other hand, a few lovely renovated farmhouses prop­ose charm and character appealing to a clientele in search of authenticity. “A beautiful property of 280 m2 on several acres of land, benefiting from high-quality appointments in chalet style, is currently up for sale at 750,000 €,” says Marie-Pierre Garbay. And who are the clients ? “Lots of French, including many from the Rhône-Alpes, a few from Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Germany, all drawn by the region’s authentic atmosphere.”

This observation is shared by Michel Blanc-Gonnet, manager of Arêches Immobilier which also builds high-end residential chalets. “With one new development on average per year, sales activity is very lively.” These small new residences on a human scale are comprised of about 15 apartments each. “Today’s constructions are very attractive,” says Michel Blanc-Gonnet. “Generously incorporating both timber and stone, they propose practical apartments of 40, 60 or 80 m2 with intelligent layout and appointments.” By way of exemple, a spacious new apartment of 80 m2 with refined appointments and a chimney nook is currently available at 5,000 € per sq. metre. As for houses, one can find Alpine chalets from 250,000 €. Ideal for buyers wanting to relax amidst the Alpine meadows, Arêches and Les Saisies prop­ose an alternative mountain experience to suit today’s taste, integrating village life, green tour­ism and the thrills of the slopes.