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This luxury family trip will leave you longing for more
MY great Alpine adventure truly started when I went white-water rafting. Without. The. Raft!
All 16-and-a-half stone of me being pushed and flipped and twisted and turned down the River Dranse (which must have been more like a stream at the end up, because I swallowed half of it).
Until then it had been an exciting, invigorating, yet pleasant little meander down the gentle flow with tree-covered mountains rising around us.
Then things got hairy. Fortunately, Jeremy, of Frogs Rafting, had given us a full safety chat before launch.
No one will fall in, he said. But if you do, get on to your back as quickly as possible and lie flat and let the river take you downstream.
My wife and three grown-up kids stayed in. I didn't. It was like a slo-mo movie scene.
But I did manage to do what Jeremy said. Until my left buttock whacked into a rock jutting out of the foaming spume.
It had a bruise on it the size of France by the end of the week.
Once I'd been fished out and we ended the experience on a more sedate note, the family said they had all been terrified for me. Aww, that's nice.
Until I saw the pictures Jeremy's wife had taken from the riverbank — and they were all p***ing themselves laughing.
But this is no moan. I'll dine out on this for years to come.
It was all part of the incredible rush of a week in Morzine.
This was our third time here. Our last was in an amazing apartment with breathtaking views, courtesy of More Mountain.
We just couldn't wait to get back. We wanted more More Mountain.
Owners Sam and Jon Dredge — a winter sports-loving couple from Manchester — know exactly what the "More" is that customers want.
This time we couldn't have asked for "more".
Petite Chalet Robin was, literally, a dream home just a hop, skip and jump from the lively town centre.
Exactly what you'd imagine an Alpine chalet to be. But don't be fooled into thinking Heidi could have lived here.
This three-level house had all the exterior traditional charm. But, inside, it was 21st century contemporary chalet.
There were still the wideplanked wooden floors, jutting beams and exposed wooden staircases — but the rest was cutting-edge.
The ground floor housed a boot room, garage and utility.
Up a glass-panelled staircase to the open-plan kitchen, diner, lounge with sliding doors leading out to a big front-facing balcony.
This is where we spent most of our time — eating (mainly food cooked on the barbeque in the corner) and relaxing.
This level had a bedroom with bunks and a separate bathroom.
The contemporary feel was enhanced by the full-height slate wall and modern stove (not that we needed it with this year's European heatwave).
Then upstairs again to the master en-suite. A second double, with bathroom and separate shower.
Sam and Jon know their customer base and designed this home to cater for every need.
Including little touches like a PlayStation 4, Bose iPod dock, private parking, luxury toiletries, satellite TV and even Netflix!
This was our little piece of heaven for a week, with views across neighbouring chalet rooftops to the towering mountains.
Morzine may be a bustling ski resort set in the Chablais range between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, but it still retains its traditional village atmosphere.
That's down to the low-level buildings, the old blended with the new, plus the beautiful little cradle of a valley that it nestles in and the wonderfully warm feeling of community that you get all year round.
But it's also the nexus for fun. In winter, it's one of the must-go places for skiers and boarders.
But, in summer, it has become a magnet for extreme sports enthusiasts.
Mountain bikers, paragliders, cross-country runners
I'm not one of them (rafting was the extent of my thrill-seeking) but it doesn't matter.
You can do as much or as little as you like — and More Mountain will help you with any or all of it — and have the best time.
We'd flown to Geneva, hired a motor seamlessly from Rental Cars, and driven the less-than-90-minute journey across the border into France.
And having a car at the door meant we could explore. As we'd been before, we knew where we wanted to go.
But More Mountain leave packs with suggestions, help and guidance.
You can't miss swimming or kayaking on Lac de Montriond, a stunning stretch of water a few miles outside of Morzine.
I took my wife and daughter shopping in the jaw-dropping town of Annecy, then my two sons and I watched the France v Uruguay World Cup match at a street bar with what seemed like the entire population of the country.
Phew, it was two-nil to Les Bleus!
And it's an easy drive — less than an hour — to the shadow of Mont Blanc and the vibrant resort of Chamonix.
But, you don't need wheels to get around.
One of the most exciting things you can do in Morzine is get a Portes Du Soleil pass which gives you unlimited travel on the cable cars.
Some of them enclosed, some of them open with your feet dangling over the precipes below.
GETTING THERE: Easyjet fly from Edinburgh to Geneva with prices from £22.66pp (one-way, including taxes and based on two people on the same booking). See easyjet.com
STAYING THERE: A week in Petit Chalet Robin is from approx £1,340 in summer. See moremountain.com
MORE INFO: For help with researching and booking multi-passes and other activities, visit morzine-avoriaz.com.
A week's hire of an intermediate car from Geneva Airport costs £245.35 for a week when booked around four months in advance (prices may vary). See Rentalcars.com.
It's less white water and more white knuckle, but ideal to explore the region.
Even going up to the ski town of Avoriaz — like a community of giant Hagrid huts — is a blast.
And, there are walking routes dotted all around the area.
Despite some tough climbs, you will always be rewarded with spectacles that will make your lungs contract (in more ways than one).
Don't worry, though, there are often little huts or cabins housing bars just where you'd least expect them.
Listen, if you really don't even want to leave Morzine you don't have too.
There's a great swimming complex, fantastic bars and restaurants, lots of individual shops and a cute wee cinema (we saw Jurassic World or, ahem, Monde Jurassique).
Yip, there's always More here. I feel like Dickens' Oliver Twist: "Please sir, I want some More!"
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