Apartment Sabu

Location: Our two charming apartments nestle above the orchards, at the foot of the mountains in the beautiful medieval village of Vallouise. Vallouise is located on the edge of the Ecrins National Park, at the foot of the prestigious Mt Pelvoux. Within a 5 minute drive are the ski resorts of Puy St Vincent and Pelvoux-Vallouise, which are on the Galaxie Ski Pass. Vallouise has everything (summer and winter) to attract those who love the mountains and alpine scenery. This picturesque alpine village, with its traditional architecture combining wood and stone, is renowned for its listed medieval church with Romanesque porch and Lombardic frieze. It is a lively village with plenty of shops, good restaurants and a thriving market on Thursdays. Just up the road is the alpine climbing mecca of Ailefroid (sometimes called the Yosemite of Europe) which offers world class rock climbing and mountaineering.

Summer: Les Ecins National Park is abundant in a wide variety of flora and fauna, ideal for those into nature. Eagles, chamois, willow grouse, marmots, black grouse, ptarmigan, are just some of the 167 creatures you may come across, in addition to 1,800 varieties of beautiful flora. At 4,102 metres, the Barre des Ecrins, overlooking the Vallouise valley, is a mountaineer's paradise, with over 100 mountain routes and 740 km of trails. Apartment Sabu offers fantastic walking from the doorstep. The GR54, which does a circuit of the Ecrins park, passes through Vallouise. The stage on from here to Le Monetier via Lac de l'Eychauda is one of the best. Other activities include: bird watching, mountain biking, bivouacking, horse riding, via ferrata, rock climbing or simply relaxing under the Provencal sun around the local outdoor swimming pool or one of the many peaceful meadows with a picnic bathed in 300 days of sunshine a year! Or hit the river with some white water rafting or kayaking.

Winter: Skiing and snow boarding are very popular in Vallouise and the Galaxie Ski Area (with its 8 ski resorts) caters for all desires. But winter is also a magical time to enjoy the wildlife. We often see snow hares in the garden from the balconies and if you try snow shoeing or ski touring you will see even more wildlife. The valleys of this area offer a spectacular setting for cross country skiing. There are many trails which are well maintained. There is also, snowmobiling, tobogganing and ice climbing to try. The quality of ice climbing is so good that the world championships are held near by in January. After all that exercise you should pamper yourself by visiting the hot springs and spas at Monetier.