Le Relais du Léman

Le Relais du Léman stretches across Messery, in the Chablais area of Haute-Savoie, on the French shore of Lake Geneva. The village of Yvoire is about 4 km away, Geneva half an hour by road and Thonon-les-Bains nearby. The site, rated 3 stars, is planted with oak trees and is part of the family-run Pausado group.

It offers shaded bare pitches with 10-amp electricity, chalets of 28 to 100 m² for 1 to 5 people, mobile homes of 21 to 42 m² for 1 to 6 people, and a Grand Chalet that can sleep up to 11 people, with several bedrooms, a terrace and an outdoor sauna. The heated pool, the multisports court, the boules pitch and the play area make up most of the facilities.

Opening period: the campsite (pitches, chalets and mobile homes) advertises a season from 3 April to 1 November 2026 and therefore closes in winter. Only one unit is presented as bookable in winter as well: the Grand Chalet, heated in every season and equipped with Wi-Fi, for a group or two to three families. No winter dates or rates are published for this chalet, and there is no offer of pitches or rental accommodation outside the season: off-season stays remain to be confirmed with the campsite.

The Grand Chalet is about 800 m from the lake and 35 minutes from the first ski resorts, which would suit a winter break between lake and mountains, if the campsite confirms it.

The campsite relies on a complete but unpretentious offer. The heated pool opens at the same time as the campsite, with sun loungers nearby and a pool bar in season. At the restaurant La Maison du Malakoff, the menu highlights Malakoffs, half-and-half fondues and artisan pizzas, with cheeses from a nearby Swiss dairy and meat from a butcher in Messery. In low season, it serves from Thursday to Monday from 4pm to 11pm, closed on Tuesday, with the bar only on Wednesday; booking is by email.

In high season, bread and pastries are ordered the day before at reception and baked on site. A small emergency grocery shop occupies a corner of the reception, and a charcoal barbecue can be hired. A coin-operated laundrette is available (washing machine €6, dryer €3, detergent included). Motorhome owners have a waste disposal point with water filling, and slow-charge sockets make it possible to charge an electric car, for a fee.

The chalets are fitted with heating, a fitted kitchen, a sleeping area, a shower room and a terrace; the mobile homes add air conditioning and Wi-Fi. Extra bed linen, baby cots and high chairs, baby baths and a coffee machine are available for hire. Dogs are accepted on a lead. Reception is open from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm in low season.

On site, the leisure facilities are accessible all day: multisports court (basketball, football, handball), table tennis tables, boules pitch and a play area for children. Rackets, boules and a ball are lent out at reception. The neighbouring Les Semiss park adds a pumptrack, fitness equipment, a course for little ones and three tennis courts, two of them covered, at a preferential rate for guests.

In July and August, the team organises activities for children aged 6 to 10 from Monday to Friday, aqua fitness, morning stretching, boules tournaments and themed evenings: concerts, karaoke, bingo.

Around the campsite, Lake Geneva offers swimming and water sports, and rafting or treetop adventure outings are possible in the region. There is no shortage of hikes: Lac d’Arvouin and Col de Vernaz, Lac Noir and Lac de la Beunaz. Yvoire and its Domaine de Rovorée can be visited 4 km away, Geneva is half an hour away, and a paragliding school is based in Thollon-les-Mémises.

In winter, from the Grand Chalet, the resorts of Bellevaux-Hirmentaz, Les Habères and Roc d’Enfer are 35 minutes away. The website also mentions snowshoeing at the Col du Joly, the ice rink in Thonon-les-Bains, Christmas markets and Savoyard meals: fondue, raclette, tartiflette.