Property guide to Belleville Valley: Belleville is located within Les Trois Vallées (the three valleys), around 90 minutes from the city of Grenoble. The area is famous for world-class winter resorts and more than 600 km of slopes. In addition to great skiing, this location has year-round activities that appeal to house-hunters as much as tourists.
Authentic alpine living: Saint- Martin-de-Belleville
British-born Emma Horsfall fell in love with the area and moved here in 2010, settling in the idyllic mountain village of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (locally known as ‘Saint-Martin’).
“This is a picture-postcard ski resort,” she says, “an authentic alpine village that evolved long before the ski tourism developed. Many families have been here for generations, and we still have a little village square with its church, local school, bakery and pharmacy. People say hello to each other, there’s a good sense of community.”
Sitting at 1,450 metres altitude, Saint-Martin feels discreet with the mountains as an imposing backdrop, the diverse chalets and apartments feel individual and, like the ski lifts at the top of the village, they harmonise with the landscape. Saint-Martin has a choice of luxury hotels, including one that houses the renowned Michelin-starred restaurant, La Bouitte, and the village also boasts a new sports centre and leisure pool with a wellbeing suite, and community facilities that are open to everyone.
In Belleville Valley, la vie est belle
“At heart, Saint-Martin remains an authentic French village,” says Emma, “it doesn’t feel over-commercialised compared to some mountain resorts. We have a year-round life with the advantage of having some of Europe’s best ski runs on the doorstep. You can take a gondola and be at the summit within 25 minutes.”
The iconic Val Thorens
Within the Belleville Valley is the world-famous Val Thorens, the highest ski resort in Europe with 99% of its ski area located above 2,000 metres. This altitude means that Val Thorens has guaranteed snow and a season that spans up to five months, welcoming skiers from the end of November to the beginning of May.
“Val Thorens was founded just over 50 years ago,” explains Emma. “It’s a man-made resort, meaning that every aspect has been especially designed to welcome skiers. It’s a very functional ski resort and its guaranteed snow makes it one of the best-known in the world. It was rather a party place back in the day, but it has developed into more of a high-end, luxury destination. In terms of property, Val Thorens is mostly about apartment-style living.
Family-friendly and budget-friendly Les Menuires
The third resort in the Belleville Valley is Les Menuires which has a wide range of ski runs, including a dedicated blue-run slalom course, plus off-piste skiing and boarding, an alpine coaster, and a large resort leisure centre.
“This resort is well established, having been here for over 60 years,” explains Emma. “It’s family friendly, with a wide choice of ski-in, ski-out apartments, yet it offers great value because this resort isn’t as well-known as its neighbours.”
Property guide to Belleville Valley
As well as being a long-time resident, Emma is a real estate agent with Leggett Immobilier and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to buying your own slice of alpine heaven.
“As a rule, property is always more expensive the closer you are to the slopes and the ski lifts,” she states, “but then those locations will get you a better return if you choose to rent out. A 1-bedroom ski studio will cost around €300,000 in Saint-Martin but only €190,000 in Les Menuires, and an entry-level studio in Val Thorens starts at €250,000.
“At mid-level, a 4-bedroom ski apartment in a prime location in Saint-Martin fetches around 1.5 million euros, and if money is no object, you could purchase a high-spec, 6-bedroom luxury ski chalet with a pool for around 6 million euros.”
Property opportunities
Photo: Beautiful standalone chalet, plus one-bed apartment in Saint Marcel, in the heart of the Belleville Valley © frenchestateagents.com
As Emma and her colleagues all live in the area, they can recommend places that are in easy reach of the slopes but give you more space in the property, and more land.
“It’s definitely worth considering locations that neighbour the resorts as this can give you better value for money. If you’re looking for a family home, I’d recommend nearby villages like Saint-Marcel, where you can buy a property with parking and a fair-sized garden for between €500,000 and €800,000. By moving slightly away from the main resorts, you could save 30% on property prices.
“Other great opportunities include barns to be renovated, and 1990s homes that are structurally sound but in need of modernising, typically having just one shared bathroom.”
It’s also possible to buy a new-build property from a local developer. This offers the advantage of tailoring it to your personal specifications – right down to the colour of the tiles, and you also have a 20% tax benefit if you then rent it out. There are new-build opportunities across all three resorts, with an average wait of 18 months to two years. If this option tempts you, a 145m² new-build property with four bedrooms in Saint-Martin would cost 1.9 million euros.
Make it a permanent move
The guaranteed snow from the high altitude means that the tourism economy is very strong and offers opportunities to residents.
“Some people work a winter job – as a ski instructor, for example – then work as a builder or plumber during the spring and summer. Others work in hospitality all year round. The local council is working on housing incentives for people who want to settle here permanently. The majority of residents are French, around 30% are British and there are other nationalities, including Dutch and Belgian.
“The activities aren’t just for tourists. Living here means you have so much to enjoy, including skiing, snowboarding, dog-sledding and snowshoe-walking, then in summer, we have hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock-climbing, paragliding, canyoning and countless wildlife trails. And of course, great food, plenty of festivals and events, and a strong sense of community.
“Best of all, we have clearly defined seasons,” says Emma, “it’s one of the things I love most about living here. In Saint-Martin it’s around 24°C in summer, and in winter it can drop to -15°C. I love the contrast when spring arrives, the wildflowers appear and you get great weather that makes you want to jump in a glacial lake. Then from late September the leaves start to change colour, and autumn is just stunning.”
Tempted by the Belleville Valley?
If this sounds like the place for you, look at Emma’s properties on the Leggett website, or get in touch with her to talk about which location and property could be your alpine heaven.
