Local Amenities
Food
The village has a wonderful Patiserie where fresh bread and croissants are baked every day, as well as an enticing range of cakes and pastries.
The small supermarket, Huit a huit, as the name suggests is open every day from 8am till 8pm.
There is a first class Butcher's shop. They make a large selection of dishes to take away, such as the Savoyard speciality Tartiflette, Lasagne and a large selection of assiettes of broccoli au gratin or Dauphinoise potatoes and others, not to mention their range of home made Savoyard sausages and hot roast chickens.
Some of these can be pre-ordered on the way to the slopes and collected on the way home; French cuisine without the effort!
Although everywhere sells wines and cheeses, there is a shop dedicated to Savoyard products next to the bakery and laundry.
There is a local farmers' market in la Place de la Mairie every Wednesday afternoon/evening also selling local produce.
Restaurants
If you want a night off from cooking, there are half a dozen Restaurants to choose from , all providing different styles of food to suit every taste.
The Montagnard
Is a quirky Alpine restaurant as the name suggests , and is a good place for a meal on your last night. (book ahead as always popular).
L'Eterlou
Is less quirky, but has a good range of fish and Savoyard dishes.
La Voute
Has a good varied menu and and can provide pizzas for carry out. It also has a bar.
Le Billig
Is a Creperie and provides less expensive lighter meals. It also has a bar which is frequented by the younger skiers.
Le Lachenal
Is rather more expensive, but has a very French alpine menu.
L'Etoile
Is also expensive and is a bit more formal.
La Choumette
Just above the tunnel on the piste, has a viewing window from the restaurant over the cows in their stalls below!
If you are a "Foodie" then there is La Bouitte in St. Marcel which has several Michelin stars; well deserved, but you pay for it !
Bars
There are a couple of bars in St Martin too:
La Voute and Le Billig as already mentioned and L'Eterlou has a bar on the ground floor.
Le Joker is a very French bar with a pool room downstairs.
The Piano Bar has live music on a Sunday evening from about 5 o'clock.
Ski Hire
There are 6 ski hire shops to choose from
4 in the village centre, and 2 next to the gondola
Twinner www.twinner-saint-martin-de-belleville.fr
Ski 2000 www.jean.sport2000.fr
Ticket Office - Located opposite St.Martin 1 Gondola
Ski Schools - Located opposite St.Martin 1 Gondola
ESF Ski School New GenerationNon Skiing Activities
Snow Shoe
Excursions are available, either on your own by hiring them from the ski shops ,or on organised walks with
an ESF guide.
Dog Sledging
Takes place on Tuesday mornings across the river from St. Marcel, either a 15/20 minute walk up beside the river to the bridge from the ski car park at the top of St. Martin which is the best way, or by leaving your car in St. Marcel and walking down to the bridge.
Pony Trekking
Is available here in Villarenger from Monsieur Martin, who also milks 150 goats and will sell you fresh hand made goat's cheese.
(Tel: 0672932372 or 0479089767)
Swimming
A swimming pool can be found in Les Menuires, 15 mins by car, which also has an outdoor area if you are brave enough.
Details of all these activities can be had from the Office de Tourisme (www.st-martin-belleville.com) in the centre of St. Martin, just beyond the church door. They also have computers available for your use.
For those non-skiing days
ST. Martin Museum
Is well worth a visit on a bad visibility day. It shows life in the Belleville villages when the villagers used the high alpine pastures in the summer and housed the cattle in the basement byres for the winter (like our converted byre on the ground floor of Chalet Chardon.) In fact there are still a few local farmers who farm the "Alpage " system today, including Monsieur Martin who herds his goats up the mountain each summer.
The museum also tells the story of the development of the ski stations in the Belleville valley over the last 50 years, with the building of the first high level purpose built ski resorts in Europe. This was designed to provide employment for the local population and to stop the depopulation of the villages.
The Baroque Church of Notre Dame de la Vie
Stands imperiously above St Martin and the ceiling has some wonderful frescos which are well worth visiting. You can drive up to it from St. Martin on the main road or take a nice walk up through the trees from the tunnel just above the gondola.
The church in St. Martin is also on the "Baroque Trail" and frequently has evening concerts throughout the season.
Walking around Villarenger
There are several walks around the village such as the loop down the river and back up the other side; or over the Pont Romain and up the track towards the summer pasture village of la Gittaz; or in the opposite direction up the track towards Le Chatelard, where signs of wild boar are often seen.
There are several signposted paths, which link Villarenger and St. Martin. These are of course all dependent on the amount of snow on the ground.
Just strolling round the village, you will pass the Boules or Petanque court outside the Salle de Fetes and the kiddies playground. Across the road are the table tennis tables and the old Laverie where the village women did their washing (now used by M. Martin to cool his milk churns). Nearer Chalet Chardon is the original Laiterie – the low building just below our chalet, which has a stream running through it and where the villagers used to store their milk to cool it.
Just down the hill is the old communal village bread oven which is still used on village fete days. On your trip around the village, see if you can spot the 2 or 3 sundials on the walls, and visit the very small chapel.