We've stayed at Chalet Le Joyeaux a couple of times in the winter to ski, but we're just back from our first summer break there, and it was brilliant. Hard to believe, but the sheer size and beauty of the valley in the summer is even greater than when its snow covered. Summers in Nendaz seem to be a well kept secret, it felt like a giant, empty playground for us to play in!
We got up before dawn to watch the sunrise from the top of Mont Fort (it came up with an orange sky over the Matterhorn whilst behind us, the moon set in a lilac sky behind Mont Blanc!) followed by a Swiss breakfast to beat all breakfasts.
The mountain walking was breathtakingly beautiful, staggering views of the valley, sunshine, gentle breeze and wild flowers in abundance. We hired mountain bikes from the local ski hire shop; excellent fun, and as with the ski-ing in Nendaz, as easy or demanding as you want it to be.
Also to be recommended are the thermal spas down in Saillon on the valley floor near Sion, and if you have the time, some wine tasting.
We'll be back to Chalet Le Joyeaux for summers and winters to come; it’s a really welcoming chalet, beautifully decorated and very well equipped, situated in a lovely small town in the mountains, with great things to do year round.