Rhona & JM Pelluchons on life in Les Gets

The Boomerang is back. We spoke to Rhona and JM Pelluchon about rebuilding their business in Les Gets.

‘We met in Australia and left the country in 1990 to travel. Jean Michel is French but spent his childhood in Oz. We were in Nice in 1992 when we saw an advert in The Times newspaper for jobs in the Alps and we ended up in Morzine running accommodation for a tour operator. The following summer we worked in Jersey and started looking for a hotel to buy and run in the Alps. At the time we loved the seasonal lifestyle, which afforded us the opportunity to travel between seasons, before having children with school commitments. We bought a hotel in Megeve, which is where our son Ryan was born.

Six years later we were driving through Les Gets after visiting some friends and we spotted a three star B&B called L’Assisandre which was for sale. It took our interest in that it was in the Morzine Les Gets area that we loved which we knew had loads of potential. So we invested our money and energy. The Boomerang was born.

Les Gets was very much a French resort back then. There was no Easyjet, the internet was only just beginning and the French Franc against the pound made it a really expensive place to have a ski holiday for British people. We did have some English guests but they used to drive to Les Gets. When Easyjet began flying to Geneva back in 1998 we started offering airport transfers to Les Gets. The currency changed and the whole of the French Alps opened up to the British holiday market.

Our two children have a blast growing up in the mountains. They have friends of a similar age in the UK and back in Oz and they are aware of the amazing lifestyle they have. Ryan is now 16 and wants to become a ski instructor. He’s already started the qualifications. Bianca is 8 years old and she makes the most of all the activities available to kids growing up here – she especially loves her ice-skating. Ryan and Bianca are really influenced by all the tourists they meet – they’ve had their minds opened and their horizons broadened. They are also well travelled and bi-lingual giving them loads of opportunities for the future.

We sold the Boomerang in 2008. We had lots of other business commitments in the area and it felt like the right time. But last summer Boomerang regulars including professional mountain bikers would seek us out to ask ‘What the hell happened to the Boomerang?’ The place had been such a mecca for mountain bikers in the summer and everyone was really sad to see it closed up. So we bought it back. It was as much for the community of mountain bikers as for a personal challenge for us. Back in the day The Boomerang was almost world famous and had a really loyal following. So now The Boomerang is back, but with a difference.

We’re not trying to totally replicate what The Boomerang once was. Times have changed, as have people’s tastes. We’re offering a different style of food and dining with our Que Tal tapas bar, along with all the favourites on the Mamma’s menu. Our 40 bed hotel offers reasonably priced accommodation for people who want either short breaks or week-long holidays.

For the summer we’ll be working with Torico bike shop and there’ll be a mechanic at The Boomerang, which will come in handy, along with bike washing facilities and safe bike storage. Mammas will open at lunch times too, offering good food at great prices. Our bar is open to everyone and there’s a really nice, relaxed atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.

It’s fair to say that we’ve definitely got our hands full with The Boomerang. We’ve invested a lot of time and effort and even more of our money to get the place back on track. But it’s worth it to see the place coming alive again!

For more information on Chalet Le Boomerang visit their Facebook page.