The beautiful old village of Samoens in the Giffre Valley has been a ski resort since 1912 and is the only one in France to be listed as a historical monument. It was once a thriving stone-cutting centre, and twice a week the tourist information office organises guided tours. Traditional-style bars and restaurants abound in what is a resort largely undiscovered by other nationalities. The area is linked to Flaine and the other villages of the Grand Massif ski area and together they have 77 lifts serving 265km of piste.

Alternative activities include dog-sledding, indoor climbing and skating, plus archery in the surrounding forest for adults and children over seven years of age (on snowshoes if necessary), caving, winter bivouac weekends and snowshoeing rambles.

Ski for less than £489: SAMOENS, France
Most of the resorts featured here are high and purpose-built. The scenery is spectacular, but the towns themselves are rather short on traditional Alpine charm. Not so Samoens, which is officially one of France’s “Monuments Historiques” – but has links to the Grand Massif network’s 265km of pistes.

Culture vultures should head for Samoens, a beautiful old town in the Giffre Valley. It dates back to the fifth century and is the only ski resort in France to be listed as an artistic and historical site. It was once a thriving stone-cutting centre and the tourist office still organises guided tours around the village. The architecture is very attractive with narrow streets of stone houses and even a small chateau. In the centre is a shady square with a majestic church and a linden tree which was planted in 1438.

You couldn't find a greater contrast to the nearby purpose-built Flaine; nevertheless the two are linked by lifts and pistes in the large ski area of Le Grand Massif with its 260 km of pistes. There are plenty of good hotels in Samoens including the Neige et Roc and Les Glaciers, both three star.

Lying less than an hour from Geneva, the French resort of Samoens is ideally placed for a long weekend's skiing. It might neighbour the concrete jungle that is Flaine, but it could not be more different. Here a botanical garden, gothic church, medieval squares, timber-fronted patisseries and picture-box houses make it one of the prettiest of the Alpine resorts.

If it's nightlife you're after, head elsewhere, but if you would rather unwind in a real French village filled with characterful bars and restaurants, Savoyard charm and stunning backdrops, this is the place. And do not be put off by its lowly height. Although set in a glacial valley at only 700 metres above sea level, it is, courtesy of a new high-speed gondola, just eight minutes from the Grand Massive ski area (think Flaine, Les Carroz and Morillon). Here, 265km of pistes and 75 lifts offer some of the most consistent snow cover and varied skiing in the Alps.

Stroll around the narrow streets of Samoens. Once famous for its stone-builders (Frahans), this medieval village is filled with their edifices. Not to be missed are the gothic church built on the foundations of a Roman church in 1438 and the Jaysinia botanical gardens that fill the slope above the old village centre. Finally, wander back through the narrow streets filled with local craft and haberdashery shops and the smells of charcuterie. Those with energy still to burn may head to the local ice rink (eight euros) or opt for a snow-shoeing trip. Visit the local tourist office for details.

Buy Patisseries. Anyone with a sweet tooth will be spoilt for choice. From its chocolate fountain and confiseries to gateaux aux pistaches and tarte aux pommes, the Pâtisserie à la Jaÿsinia (+33 4 50 34 40 31) on the main high street is the best and boasts an eat-in, waddle-out coffee room.

I asked a few people from the Rhône-Alpes region where I could find a resort that could more or less guarantee snow, wasn't completely anglicised, had more than two restaurants and didn't resemble a Sixties modernist horror. "Samoëns," they chorused. "Where?" I asked.

I was more familiar with its neighbour, Flaine, which happens to be a concrete monstrosity but shares the 265km of pistes that make up the Grand Massif ski area, one of the largest in France. Samoëns itself, nestling in the Giffre valley in Haute-Savoie, is the only French resort that is classified as a national monument.

took the Grand Massif Express gondola up to the Samoëns ski area at 1,600m. Local schoolchildren were having their PE classes along the many green and blue runs in the lower area. I headed up to Tête des Saix at 2,120m, where I wasn't quite high enough to see Mont Blanc, but the view was heavenly nonetheless. Nathalie, my Ecole du Ski Français instructor, pointed out the Lac des Nuages, the "lake of clouds" that swirls around the neighbouring peaks. There were more mountains than people.

I cruised along the wide red runs that eventually took me back to the 1,600m area, where a delicious lunch at Lou Camboëns beckoned. French skiers make up the majority of visitors, while only about 10 per cent are British. I was hearing more British and Irish voices than I expected to, but most of the ski signs and menus were only in French. I knew that there was an Irish pub around here somewhere, but I had yet to see it.

Lack of time meant I couldn't try the Grand Massif special: Les Cascades. This incredible blue run starts in Flaine at the 2,480m peak of Les Grandes Platières, and carries on for 14 blissful and scenic kilometres into the forest. Two-thirds of the way down is about the right time to stop for lunch at the restaurant in the woods. After a meal of Savoyard specialities (more cheese) at the Gîte du Lac de Gers, continue through the woods until you arrive at Sixt, where the shuttle bus will take you back to Samoëns.

Here La Cheminée is a café serving crêpe compagnarde, a savoury pancake filled with melting Reblochon cheese, chunks of bacon and onions, but that was on the next day's to-do list. I'd already had a tasty cheese fondue at the hotel on the first night, and that evening would look forward to tartiflette, a winter-warming dish of Reblochon, potatoes and bacon, at the stylish Le Bois de Lune. I could see a pattern emerging here.

All of those were just a prelude to the best cheese fondue I've ever eaten. As a connoisseur of the much-maligned dish, I met my match at La Table de Fifine. It's a bit of a walk from the village centre and the fondue costs €23 per person, but it's worth it. Fifine gave me a list of cheeses she uses – all local.

I never did find the Irish pub, tucked away in a rather obscure location behind a supermarket. I did, however, stumble upon Café Guançao near the main square. I swiftly realised I was the only non-French person there; the rest of the crowd were entranced by a singer covering songs by one of France's biggest rock bands, Noir Désir. A big, hairy dog ambled in, got the requisite number of pats and shuffled out again. The atmosphere was warm, lively and civilised, bottles of Perrier outnumbering small glasses of beer. Val d'Isère might have cocktails and glitz (and Brits), but I know which resort I prefer.