Le Marintan

Le Marintan is a small family campsite in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, in Savoie, at the head of the Maurienne valley. It lies behind the hotel of the same name, with open views of the neighbouring mountains, 800 m from the village centre and the station. The start of the climb to the Col du Télégraphe, which leads to the Galibier, is about 400 m away, and the Fréjus tunnel is around twenty minutes by road.

Rated 2 stars, the campsite has 29 pitches marked out by hedges, five of them spacious for tents, as well as eight chalets, two mobile homes and two equipped canvas tents. The chalets of about 35 m² sleep up to 6 people. The manager owns all the rental units and therefore does not accept private mobile homes. Typical guests: skiers, hikers, cyclists and motorcyclists, as well as travellers stopping over on the Route des Alpes.

As for opening, the chalets and mobile homes can be booked all year round. Bare pitches and equipped tents open only from May to the end of September, depending on the weather. Off-season, the campsite therefore mainly suits skiers heading to the resorts of the valley, passing cyclists and people on the move who prefer independent accommodation to a hotel room.

Reception is open 7 days a week, and the neighbouring hotel serves as a bar and breakfast room by reservation.

Skiing at the Orelle cable car (Val Thorens), about 7 minutes away, and in the resorts of Valmeinier, Valloire and Les Karellis.

The campsite deliberately stays simple and offers few facilities on site. Free wifi is available in the lounge area, a private car park is reserved for guests, and a closed garage takes bikes and motorbikes (sidecars are too wide for it). The washrooms have two toilets and two showers per gender for all the pitches; facilities for people with reduced mobility are indicated. The chalets and mobile homes each have a television, an equipped kitchen with fridge, microwave and coffee maker, a washroom and a terrace with garden furniture.

Bed linen, towels and end-of-stay cleaning can be hired as options. Water and electricity charges are included up to 200 kWh per week. Pets are accepted for an extra charge. Picnic tables and a barbecue area are available, as well as an indoor and outdoor play area for children.

There is no shop on the campsite: a Carrefour Market is opposite the station, about 2 minutes away, and the hotel bar operates the same hours as reception. By ordering the day before, you can get baguettes and pastries, and a paid breakfast is served in the hotel dining room. Motorhome travellers passing through also use the service point, with a 4 € token sold at reception. There is no pool and no entertainment, and the staff speak French and English.

People come here for the mountains more than for entertainment: the campsite schedules no activities, but provides a ping-pong table and a pétanque court. Children have covered and open play areas. The rest happens around the site, in the Maurienne valley, at the gateway to Vanoise National Park.

In summer, the start of the Col du Télégraphe, about 400 m away, attracts cyclists, who often carry on to the Galibier and the other great Alpine passes. Walkers have many trails through the landscapes of the Vanoise, and motorcyclists stop on the Route des Alpes. The campsite also presents itself as a stopover on the road to Assisi.

In winter, the Orelle cable car, about 7 minutes by car, links to the Val Thorens ski area in a few minutes. Other friendly resorts are close, notably Valmeinier, Valloire and Les Karellis. The Fréjus tunnel, about 20 minutes away, opens the road to Italy for a day trip. The tourist office websites of Maurienne, Orelle, Val Thorens and Valloire give details of lift passes, routes and seasonal events.