We found Le Grand Bornand a good choice when we sent a family of five there for several reasons. First, and probably most important, it’s a traditional village where shops, cafes and other businesses are run by local people who are proud of their community and want to make people welcome. So family dining is always friendly with children well catered for. Second, the ‘human scale’ of the villages and of the ski area made it feel fun and unintimidating to ski together. Third, in terms of value, prices at Le Grand Bornand typically were a little lower than at larger resorts in the French Alps and there was a special discount for families of four (with children aged up to 18) buying the same type of lift ticket for the same duration together. This all makes the French Government ‘Famille Plus’ certification held by Le Grand Bornand (and most other French resorts) feel more genuine than it does at many others.
Non-ski childcare is available for children aged from under one to five years in nursery facilities in both villages. In Le Grand Bornand Village this is at Les P’tits Maringouins (+33 (0)4 50 02 79 05) where babies as young as three months old are accepted and at Grand-Bornand Chinaillon at the facility in the Maison du Tourisme (+33 (0)4 50 09 60 80) children must be eight months old. You can book for a half day or more with or without lunch cover and meal.
Then from age three or four ski school classes are organised, with of course more play than ski lessons for the youngest. There are special snow gardens separated from the main ski runs run by the various ski schools for young beginners. Make sure you book your child’s place before arriving in resort to be sure he or she gets one. For young children in nursery the facility will want you to bring your child’s NHS health details showing they’ve received the usual vaccinations.