Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
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One of the main factors in choosing the location is the village in which we stay. It is our aim to seek out small communities where traditional ways of life survive, although they are often on the retreat. Our intention is to bring new income and impetus to the community – without overwhelming it! Our guests enjoy learning about the environment and culture, and the locals benefit both economically, and from the knowledge that their way of life is valued.
St Martin d’Entraunes has just 89 inhabitants but supports an excellent village butcher who also sells fresh bread and a few basic supplies, and is a good source for packed lunch ingredients.
The Hotel La Vallière is at the heart of village life, and we provide valuable business during the otherwise quiet spring and autumn months.
The Mercantour National Park lies just beyond the village and contains some 2,000 plant species, hundreds of animal species and the largest high altitude lake in Europe. Our Handbook will give tips on how to enjoy the Park without damaging it, and how you might find flowers such as alpine columbine or lady's slipper, or spot some of the park’s wild inhabitants, the chamois and marmots.
The Var Valley contains a few small local enterprises offering organised activities such as canoeing and white-water rafting which we encourage our travellers to enjoy, and we highly recommend a visit to the fascinating museum at Guillaumes which helps explain the traditional mountain ways of life in the region.
During the summer months, there are locally organised events in which we encourage client support and participation. Keep a look out for the scarecrow festival!
All our car hire is “carbon-offset”: carbon emissions are fully offset through a scheme in place with the Carbon Neutral Company. Our brochure production and distribution is also carbon compensated through a similar scheme, and we offer all our clients the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions caused by their flights too. We encourage and arrange train travel and also provide details on how this holiday can easily be reached by train, thereby avoiding flying altogether. Our brochure and all other literature and correspondence uses recycled paper, and we operate a rigorous recycling and energy saving policy both at our UK office and all our destinations, as well as encouraging our local suppliers to do the same.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
