Henry Mancini composed the score for the movie and titled one of the tracks “Megeve”, how cool is that? Not a boast many, if any, Alpine ski resorts can lay claim to. At the time it was pretty cool to be pictured in Alpine hot spots, in ski suits featuring all the colours of the rainbow, ski suits that now we wouldn’t be seen dead in, how times have changed. Even the Beatles got in on the act, with a famous photo shoot in the snow, except the Beatles were ultra cool, much too cool for colour, they were wearing black. It seems quaint now that snow seemed such a novelty back then but for Brits it was a new world of cheap foreign travel as the austerity of the post war years began to recede into history and Europe became a playground for those with the money to explore and enjoy. 

Megeve even started off hip and cool. The town started life as a ski resort in the 1910s when the Rothchild family started to spend their winter vacations there after becoming disenchanted with the Swiss resort, St Moritz, which had hitherto been the place to be seen. It’s celebrity attracted rubberneckers and all the wrong sorts, in the opinion of the Rothchilds, so they decided to develop their own resort. In 1921, Baroness Noémie de Rothschild opened a swish hotel which boosted the resort's development, eventually becoming just as swamped as St Moritz had, such is the allure of wealth. By the 1950s Megève was one of the most popular ski resorts in Europe and attracted many wealthy individuals and celebrities.Nowadays it is still visited largely by affluent people as is evidenced by the property prices.

Megève was also one of four World cup venues in the Alps that featured in the 1969 film Downhill Racer starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman. The resort is certainly photogenic, as are most alpine resorts to be honest, how could they not be, in the midst of such stunning natural beauty. Some resorts do get it wrong though, Alp D’Huez is pretty brutal in parts, a concrete monstrosity but Megeve gets it just right. There’s a civic pride that betrays the towns appreciation of it’s location. Surprisingly, Megeve doesn’t seem mountainous on approach, even though it’s close to Europe highest peak, Mont Blanc. It’s environs are certainly beautiful though and it’s a well manicured town. Christmas is pretty special here and the celebrations are amongst the best orchestrated in the whole of the Alps. It’s a magical atmosphere and almost has you believing that Father Christmas really does exist. If you bring children, it’s an experience they will never forget. If you do make it to Megeve, you'll wonder why it took you so long to discover the resort and you'll definitely be uber excited at  planning your return. Megeve’s romance and location will enhance the experience of those who you chose to holiday with be them loved ones family or friends.