La Colombiere is a premier site with an impressive array of facilities, located close to the Swiss border and close to the main autoroute to Geneva and the Alps. The site is very attractive and has over 160 pitches for tents, motorhomes and caravans, each bordered by hedges for privacy, with a large number of new (and some rather old) holiday cabins for rent. The layout is L-shaped, with most of the caravans farthest away from the entrance on the foot of the ‘L’. Most pitches are sloping, some quite a lot, but the ‘large’ pitches are equipped with an individual water supply and grey water drainage. The location is between the Jura Mountains and the Saleve range, with the views pretty rather than spectacular. There are 3 unisex shower & toilet blocks, the one in the end field being the newest and somewhat open to the elements, which may be pretty uncomfortable during the colder months. These are closed for most of the afternoon for cleaning, which can be a bit inconvenient. The swimming pools are really lovely, with a regular ‘jogging’ pool, a children’s pool with slides, and a Jacuzzi-style bubble section. There is also a warm indoor pool with high pressure jets for a bit of relaxation, and also a sauna and Turkish Baths which unfortunately were not open at the time we were there. There are children’s play areas, a very slick laundry with a simple “one button” operation for washing clothes, the usual chemical waste disposal and sinks for dish-washing, and even a low-level sink for washing dogs! The restaurant on the site (The Auberge) is well worth a visit with top-quality dishes at reasonable prices, but you need to book as it is very popular. The little shop is only open from 8:00am to 10:00am but provides fresh baguettes, croissants, etc., which can be pre-ordered at reception. Finally they provide excellent WiFi for free, the best I have come across.
Our 2 weeks was marred by truly horrendous weather, with many nights’ sleep ruined by thunderstorms of biblical proportions, and although this was unusual for June I guess that the weather in these mountainous areas can turn very suddenly. We spent a lot of time driving to the many local beauty spots, I would recommend Annecy and Aix-les-Bains (both situated on beautiful lakes), Chamonix and Mont Blanc, and of course Geneva. One point to note is that you do not need a Swiss Vignette for driving in Switzerland if you do not use the Autoroutes, so we drove into Geneva twice. We also visited the amazing “Microcosm” museum at the world-famous CERN establishment, only about 30 minutes’ drive away.
