Our story
Growing up we were both fortunate enough to have come to Grande Terche with friends families, both in the winter and the summer. The opportunity to ski always felt like a privilege and just being in the mountains was the only ambition.
Fast forward and now as a family of four, we were presented with an opportunity in Summer 2023 to buy an apartment in a place we both knew and that having been here as children we were confident OUR children would enjoy being here too.
We finally bought L'Ourson 12 in December 2023 and drove down from the UK for Christmas with our van full of random furniture and Christmas decorations so we could sign the paperwork in person. That kick-started two years of tinkering and tweaking renovations to bring a building largely untouched since 2005 up to modern standards.
As a family of four we love everything the Portes du Soleil region has to offer - all year round - whether that’s skiing, cycling, walking or even swimming in the lakes nearby and we hope visitors will feel just as at home as we do at L'Ourson 12.
Chris, Rowenne, Eliza and Amber
Take a look at some of the changes we made...
kitchen
The biggest job of the lot. Out came the under counter fridge, ceramic hob and french style oven/grill and in went a full size oven, induction hob, microwave and full size fridge-freezer whilst the water tank was replaced with an efficient instant hot water heater supplying the new sink. A new worktop finishes off the cupboards while a larder replacing the water tank adds to plenty of storage.
Living room
Up came the vinyl floor to be replaced with real wood laminate throughout and as much as we like a bit of pine, the window surround was replaced with a uniform finish to match the rest of the room. The TV has moved from the kitchen to the living space while the furniture and soft furnishings have undergone a major upgrade.
bedroom
A small plasterboard wardrobe was replaced with bespoke up and over cupboards made from local timber, while the pine window surround was again replaced with a uniform finish. The bed was moved to the other side of the room, a TV added to the opposite wall and multiple lighting options to make the room a place you'd want to relax in.
Bunk Room
Traditional in French apartments, the Coin Montagne is the main hallway housing bunk beds. That's not to say it shouldn't be comfortable and stylish so we kept the original beds but lifted them up to put nine pull out drawers underneath for storage, gave everything a nice coat of paint and added new lighting and USB points for device charging.
Bathroom
Many an hour was spent trying to work out how to configure this space. In the end, the bath and sink came out to be replaced by a large walk in shower and laundry area whilst the sink went in to the separate, enhanced WC space more familiar to those in the UK and the door to the whole area was moved to the hallway to still give privacy.
It's what people say
We try hard to make sure guests have just as a good a time as we do and it's lovely to read the positive messages left in the guest book, some of which we've shared here.