Family Guide to Flaine
Largely pedestrianised with predominantly ski in/ski out, family friendly accommodation, Flaine is the perfect resort for a family ski holiday. Excellent ski school and childcare facilities, plenty of gentle beginners’ slopes, family oriented restaurants and a wealth of activities for kids, all help to strengthen its family friendly credentials even further.
Family Friendly Accommodation
Most of the accommodation in Flaine consists of self-catered, ski-in/ski-out apartments, which are perfectly suited to families with children. Residence Le Centaure is located right next to Les P’tits Loups nursery and within easy reach of the kids’ club meeting points, making it particularly convenient for families with young kids.
Ski School and Childcare
The ESF (+33 (0)4 50 90 81 00) has two kids’ ski schools: Le Club Piou Piou, based in Flaine Forêt, and Le Rabbit Club at Flaine Front de Neige. Both clubs welcome kids from the age of 3 to 11 and have their own ‘snow gardens’ where younger kids will have great fun playing and learning to find their feet on the snow. Older kids who’re ready to progress to the slopes are taught in the fun and safe environment of the schools’ dedicated kids’ beginner slopes with magic carpets and safety mats. It’s possible to book your kids in for either half or full day lessons, either with or without lunch.
L’Ecole de Ski Internationale (ESI) runs La Souris Verte kids club (+33 (0)4 50 90 84 41), which takes children aged from 3 to 5 years. It has its own snow garden and is based at Flaine Forum.
There’s also a range of independent instructors with whom you can arrange private lessons. Catherine Poupeville (+33(0)6 09 26 60 08) is a French and British qualified ski instructor who speaks fluent English and specialises in teaching children. She takes kids from as young as two and a half, for either one, two or three hour sessions.
La Garderie des P’tits Loups in Flaine Forum is a nursery that offers day care for children from the age of 6 months to 3 years.
Activities for Kids
Once ski school’s finished up for the day, there are loads of other activities to keep kids entertained.
Ice skating
Swap skis for skates at the ice skating rink at Flaine Forum, which is great fun for all the family.
Swimming
Many of the residences in Flaine have their own swimming pool and leisure facilities, which are ideal for taking kids who still have energy to burn. If your accommodation doesn’t have a pool, Residence Le Centaure allows visitors to use its aquatic centre for a fee. This fantastic facility has a separate kids’ splash pool in addition to a 25 metre swimming pool, hot tubs, sauna, steam room and treatment rooms.
Bowling
Another great place to keep the whole family entertained is Galaxy Bowling in Flaine Forêt. There are six bowling lanes, with one specifically dedicated to kids from the age of four. There’s also a bar for post game refreshments, games room, pool tables and large screens that broadcast live sport. Standard opening hours are 5pm to 3am but it opens early, at 2pm on bad weather days.
Climbing Wall
Flaine Forêt is also home to the resort’s indoor climbing wall, which has qualified instructors to teach adults and children how to climb safely and effectively.
Ice Quad Biking
Older kids will love ice quad biking at the circuit in the Front de Neige area of the resort (+33 (0)6 09 45 36 62). Children who measure 50 – 90cm can take out their smaller child-specific bikes on the 700 metre track. The circuit is open seven days a week, both during the day and in the evenings, and is floodlit after the sun goes down to ensure the utmost safety.
